Outdoor Socket

[imroberts]

I'm looking to fit an outdoor socket.

I'd originally planned to use T&E running through the outside wall and through the back of the socket mounting box, thus having no cable externally visible or open to damage. However, having read the notes with the socket I understand this will reduce the rating of the enclosure from IP66 therefore the manufacturer recommends using a bottom entry with a gland. Makes sense.

So my question: Is there anything fundamentally wrong with having a couple of inches of exposed T&E as it exits the outside wall and enters the outdoor socket via a gland (with appropriate insert for T&E)?

If this is unacceptable, I'm guessing I should be using Hi Tuf cable or similar? Can arctic flex be used or is this designed for temporary installations only? (I have a load of 2.5mm arctic flex spare which could be used)

Any other comments are welcome

 

[bernardgreen]

Glands, even with a T&E insert do not work well on T&E ( in my experience )

So use a length of round cable to a double pole isolator inside the house (or you could use T&E in conduit )

The hole through the wall should slope, higher inside than outside, to prevent ( reduce ) rain water using the cable as a bridge across the cavity to make a damp patch on the inside wall.

Double pole isolator so you can fully isolate to prevent any fault in the outside socket from tripping the RCD in the house. The outside socket must be protected by an RCD somewhere in the installation.

 

[imroberts]

Glands, even with a T&E insert do not work well on T&E ( in my experience )

Thanks for the advice. I have to say, T&E gland inserts don't seem tremendously easy to buy which led me to believe they probably weren't popular.

So use a length of round cable to a double pole isolator inside the house (or you could use T&E in conduit )

The hole through the wall should slope, higher inside than outside, to prevent ( reduce ) rain water using the cable as a bridge across the cavity to make a damp patch on the inside wall.

Double pole isolator so you can fully isolate to prevent any fault in the outside socket from tripping the RCD in the house. The outside socket must be protected by an RCD somewhere in the installation.

Thanks for the suggestion. I plan to run the outdoor socket from it's own RCBO to avoid the problem of nuisance trips. Should I be installing a double pole isolator after the RCBO or can I rely on the isolation this offers for those situations where the socket needs to be isolated?

 

[JohnD]

if you can find a conduit connector that seals to the knock-out on the back of your box,you can run a short piece of conduit through the wall. This will also protect the cable fromn chafing on the brickwork. The conduit section can emerge in the backbox of the FCU or RCD or whatever you are suppling from indoors, and does not need to be sealed because it is indoors.

 

[Taylortwocities]

The bottom of the back box will(should) have an area marked "drain".
Make sure you drill that out with 6/7mm drill.

In case some moisture gets in the box' it will not then fill up with water.!

 

[imroberts]

if you can find a conduit connector that seals to the knock-out on the back of your box,you can run a short piece of conduit through the wall. This will also protect the cable fromn chafing on the brickwork. The conduit section can emerge in the backbox of the FCU or RCD or whatever you are suppling from indoors, and does not need to be sealed because it is indoors.

Interesting idea. I believe (I'd have to check) there's a 20mm cutout on the back of the enclosure, so presumably a conduit gland would be able to be terminated to this, and simply run the conduit straight through the wall into the house? I'll look into that as an option.

 

[bernardgreen]

]The conduit fitted to the back of the box is probably the best option. Sealant should be used around the conduit and then squashed between box and wall to prevent rain getting into the hole in wall

In case some moisture gets in the box' it will not then fill up with water.!

If the inside end of the conduit is open in a warm room then in cold weather there will be condensation in the outdoor box. Water vapour from the warm room passes along the conduit and condenses in the cold box.

 

[imroberts]

Glands, even with a T&E insert do not work well on T&E ( in my experience )

So use a length of round cable to a double pole isolator inside the house (or you could use T&E in conduit ).

I think I'd rather run round cable via a gland into the bottom of the box (as unlikely as it is, particularly if I seal around the hole) to reduce the chance of any water ingress into the outdoor socket.

What kind of round cables are suitable? I'm assuming standard 3 core flex wouldn't be recommended as it could be in direct sunlight for at least part of the run (just a small run where it emerges from the wall and loops round then up into the socket. Would arctic flex (blue I believe?) be appropriate for outdoors use or should I be using something else?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Tough Rubber Sheathed.

Unless you want bright blue or yellow

Or flexible 20mm conduit.

 

[Robin0577]

NYY-J type would seem to fit your requirements...

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Cable_Index/NYY/index.html