Arctic cable or Armoured?

cpu

Got a MK 2 gang weatherproof socket for outside and need to buy cable to wire it up. Do I need arctic cable or armoured? The cable will be coming into the house through a hole in an airbrick in the lower part of the wall, under the floor and either straight into the meter or to a fused switch.

Nice lad who was serving me today didn't sound like he really knew so I left it until I get some expert opinions.

TIA

raymond

If you are in England or Wales you CANNOT do it yourself.

shockingmoment

Technically you still can do it yourself - but you must get it tested by an approved electrician, and it must comply with Part P of the building regs - before you power it up.

You must make sure its protected by an RCD. Cable needs to be protected from accidental damage.

Get an approved (NICEIC) spark to do it. Be safe. The consequences of not getting it right can be fatal!

https://www.partp.co.uk/consumer/consumer_diy.asp

kat21

Steel wired armoured, 6943x 2.5mm, depends upon what your going to power really then you will need the glands (brass with pvc shroud) a circuit breaker, and make sure the socket is bonded properly. The other alternative either conduit, or mineral cable see here for mineral cable http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Cable_Index/Micc/index.html
kat

ianeverton

Technically you dont need either. Arctic cable is as the name suggests to provide protection from cold weather.

Armoured cable is to provide protection from mechanical damage.

In this country we dont really have extremes of weather and as the cable will be fixed permenantly it is unnecessary.

So you can use 2.5 mm twin and earth but it must go to an RCD as it is external or if your whole board is protected by an RCD thast is adequate.

As mentioned earlier you can do the work yourself however unless you are Part P registered (which i guess you are not or hopefully you wouldnt be asking the question) you must inform your local council who will give you the go ahead with certain provisos. And will almost certainly demand their own inspection. All in all it is costly so it may well be cheaper to get in a Pro. It is not necessary for an approved electrician to inspect it or do it but the council building control must be informed.

YorkshireBoy

ianeverton wrote:

...if your whole board is protected by an RCD thast is adequate.

Not necessarily. You'd first need to ascertain that the existing RCD complied with the requirements of regulation 412-06-02 (ii), which means it should have a rated residual current (In) not exceeding 30 mA (visual check) and an operating time not exceeding 40 mS at 5 In (specialist test equipment required).

Many (especially older) 'main switch RCD's' are 100/300mA and as such would mean the new outdoor installation wouldn't comply with BS7671 (the Regs).

cpu

Thanks everyone. I should have clarified in my OP that I wanted to buy the materials needed and just do the donkey work myself (i.e) siting the socket, running the cable under the house etc) and then just getting an electrician in to make the actual connections.

I remember an electrician telling me once that the basic leg work involved in jobs was sometimes the most time consuming and costly part, and the bit where the skill was needed was over in minutes. I thought I would do the basic labour side of things myself in advance and then just get an electrician to do the skilled bit, saving him time and me money.