Light in shed

Joined
10 May 2012
Messages
32
Reaction score
0
Location
Hertfordshire
Country
United Kingdom
I want to put a light in a garden shed. I am thinking of buying a length of armoured cable, run it from the house, under the floor through a trench in the garden to the shed and then put a plug on the house end and a socket on the shed end to plug a light into.

In effect it is like a fixed extension lead. As the cable is not actually wired in to the house electrics, can I do this without needing any checks or certificate from an electrician?
 
Sponsored Links
No.

And it physically cannot be done anyway.

Do it properly or not at all.
 
No.

And it physically cannot be done anyway.

Do it properly or not at all.

I've had quotes from electricians to put a socket and a fixed light in the shed and they would charge £150-£250, so the alternative would be to run a standard extension lead out of the kitchen window, across the lawn to the shed which is not very safe but perfectly legal.

Are you saying it is not physically possible to put a plug and a socket onto armoured cable?
 
Sponsored Links
there is no way you could get any size, even 2c 1.5mm swa into a household 3-pin plug

i struggled to get some 2.5mm YY into a plug, and that didn't have a steel armour to worry about terminating.

If it is genuinely just for a light, have you considered a little solar powered one? We have one with the cell on the outside of the shed, then a little LED powered light in the shed. It's no 500W floodlight or anything, but it lights the shed enough in the dark for you to see. Has a PIR too
 
You could, but the voltage drop with extra low voltage circuits will require you to install a huge cable from the house to the shed.

Did you speak to any of the electricians about doing the donkey work of digging the trench and laying the cable from the house to the shed? That ought to save you a fair amount of the price.

As has already been said, this job either needs doing properly or not at all.
 
If you only need light and not power, put a low voltage light in the shed with the transformer in the house. :idea: :idea: :idea:
Why would you need a transformer, Tourette-boy?

Can't see how that would change the cabling requirements - was it your idea to make it safe without using SWA or mechanical protection by using an isolation transformer?
 
RF Lighting said:
You could, but the voltage drop with extra low voltage circuits will require you to install a huge cable from the house to the shed.

Voltage drop in ELV circuits can be a problem, depending on:

1) How mich light you need.

2) What type of light source you plan to use.

3) How long the cable run is.

A 10 metre run of standard 2.5 sq mm cable will cost you under 200mV per amp so you could run 60 watts of standard filament bulb for the loss of less than a volt - but why use such power-hungry bulbs?

Camping and caravan accessory shops are are good place to look for low power light fittings with decent light output. Remember that you'll need a DC supply for most of these.
 
If you use extra low voltage lights as BAN's suggested such as caravan lights ( labcraft.co.uk ~~other manufacturers do exist ) then you could have a battery in the shed and extra low voltage and constant current trickle charge from a charger in the house. Volt drop would not be a problem as the charger will compensate for a few volts dropped along the cable to the shed. Charge rate could be as low as 100 milliAmps depending on how long the lamp is lit. You could even have the luxury of a car / camping 12 volt water heater for the occasional cup of tea.
 
Are you saying it is not physically possible to put a plug and a socket onto armoured cable?
I am.

You should perhaps read this: //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:swa-gland[/QUOTE]

Apparently you can connect commando plugs to SWA cable and you can get commando socket to household plug adapters so that would seem to be one option, but I will speak to the electricians about laying the cable myself.

I would still like to know what rules/regulations I would be breaking by doing it myself. Thanks
 
If you use extra low voltage lights as BAN's suggested
Not I.


You could even have the luxury of a car / camping 12 volt water heater for the occasional cup of tea.
You could have walked back to the house, made a cup of tea, taken it back to the shed, drunk it, taken the mug back to the house and washed it up, had a pee, and gone back to the shed again before that 12V heater had boiled the water.
 
Apparently you can connect commando plugs to SWA cable
Really? For what size cable?

How maneagable do you think a 60309 plug in the end of SWA will be?

and you can get commando socket to household plug adapters so that would seem to be one option,
FGS.

WHY?

What is it that makes you want to put in some stupid, tacky bodge rather than doing it properly?


I would still like to know what rules/regulations I would be breaking by doing it myself. Thanks
DIYing and doing it properly are not mutually exclusive.

This is not about rules and regulations, it's about not doing a carp job.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top