Advice on installing outdoor plug

Section62

grumbler said:

dil1976 said:

Sorry but of you ar having to ask how to install it then I would advise you get a suitably to install one for you.

Really?

All people have to ask, read of both at some point, even a 'competent electrician' weren't burn 'competent'.  And adding a spur socket is a very simple job, especially if it's with a plug.

Doing so safely, in an outdoor situation, isn't so simple though.

Money_Grabber13579

grumbler said:

dil1976 said:

Sorry but of you ar having to ask how to install it then I would advise you get a suitably to install one for you.

Really?

All people have to ask, read of both at some point, even a 'competent electrician' weren't burn 'competent'.  And adding a spur socket is a very simple job, especially if it's with a plug.

That would be my view… wiring a plug isn’t hard and there’s not much more to this than that, once the correct materials have been chosen (so long as it can be made watertight). And by the sounds of it, from the good advice which has been given, it might only be a matter of drilling a hole, passing a cable through, and filling up any gaps.

Money_Grabber13579

Section62 said:

Money_Grabber13579 said:

I’ll have a look at the cables again and see if there is any easy way of passing them through the wall, without having to make a fist sized hole (it’s a fairly sizeable transformer). But if I don’t have to make too big a hole, that might indeed be the easiest solution, and then fix the cable in place by filling up the gap.

Check to see if the lampholders (with the lamps removed) will pass through a smaller hole than the transformer will - if so, start inside the garage feeding the LV side outwards, rather than trying to get the transformer from outside to inside.  That's assuming there's no way the LV cable can be removed from the transformer (e.g. being sealed in due to the outdoor rating).

Thanks, I think this might be the way to go. For background, the lights are part of the Philips Hue collection and extension low voltage cables can be purchased, such as this one:

https://www.philips-hue.com/en-gb/p/hue-outdoor-cable-extension-25-m/1736830PN

By the looks of it, the connector is probably about 1.5cm in diameter, so I could probably get away with drilling a 2cm hole, passing that through and then filling up any gaps. I’ll need to check whether the wall is double or single skin but if it’s double, not losing the end into the cavity might be the most tricky aspect!

dil1976

Money_Grabber13579 said:

grumbler said:

dil1976 said:

Sorry but of you ar having to ask how to install it then I would advise you get a suitably to install one for you.

Really?

All people have to ask, read of both at some point, even a 'competent electrician' weren't burn 'competent'.  And adding a spur socket is a very simple job, especially if it's with a plug.

That would be my view… wiring a plug isn’t hard and there’s not much more to this than that, once the correct materials have been chosen (so long as it can be made watertight). And by the sounds of it, from the good advice which has been given, it might only be a matter of drilling a hole, passing a cable through, and filling up any gaps.

Well good luck with that defence in court if someone get hurts from your install.

Section62

Money_Grabber13579 said:

By the looks of it, the connector is probably about 1.5cm in diameter, so I could probably get away with drilling a 2cm hole, passing that through and then filling up any gaps. I’ll need to check whether the wall is double or single skin but if it’s double, not losing the end into the cavity might be the most tricky aspect!

No question about it then. Drill a 20mm hole through the wall, feed the cable through, keep all the mains stuff inside the garage.

The easy way to feed 'flex' through a thicker wall is to feed a piece of string through using a suitable stick, then attach the string to the cable with several turns of insulation tape - in this case aiming to make sure the connector is also protected from damage as it is pulled through the bricks.

Also, leave a downward pointing 'loop' in the cable on the outside just before it passes into the wall, so any water running along/down it will drip off outside rather than having water running into the wall.

dil1976

grumbler said:

dil1976 said:

Sorry but of you ar having to ask how to install it then I would advise you get a suitably to install one for you.

Really?

All people have to ask, read of both at some point, even a 'competent electrician' weren't burn 'competent'.  And adding a spur socket is a very simple job, especially if it's with a plug.

Really? So I take it that everyone has access to the correct test equipment and the knowledge to fill out a test certificate correctly and able to identify that that the circuit they are spurring from is suitable?

Ajmason42

Drill at an angle down from garage to outside will help stop water penetration 

MalMonroe

grumbler said:

dil1976 said:

Sorry but of you ar having to ask how to install it then I would advise you get a suitably to install one for you.

Really?

All people have to ask, read of both at some point, even a 'competent electrician' weren't burn 'competent'.  And adding a spur socket is a very simple job, especially if it's with a plug.

What a silly comment. Competent, registered electricians weren't born (not burn), you are right there. They have been trained for at least three years, even longer in some cases before they are allowed to undertake work.

People can ask anything on a forum full of strangers who may or may not know what they are talking about. (The fact that you accidentally put 'burn' is scary.)

Adding a spur socket maybe a very simple job to your mind but not to mine.

dil1976, and I agree, is simply saying that it's dangerous to mess about with electricity if you don't know what you're doing. And you don't know what you are doing if you have to ask on this forum for 'advice'. 

Even if it costs, it's far safer to get a proper, professionally qualified and certified person to do the work.

OP - please remember what it says in the forum rules :

"Don't rely – verify! Our Forum offers a wealth of MoneySaving wisdom, tips, hints and information both new and historical. However, some of the information changes quickly, is opinion or may be incorrect. We don't verify or take responsibility for what is posted by the community. No two people have the same circumstances or experience and it is up to you to investigate, check and check again before you make any decisions or take any action based on information you glean from our community. Remember, don't rely on what you are reading. Verify it and protect yourself. You are responsible for any action you consequently make."

grumbler

dil1976 said:

grumbler said:

dil1976 said:

Sorry but of you ar having to ask how to install it then I would advise you get a suitably to install one for you.

Really?

All people have to ask, read of both at some point, even a 'competent electrician' weren't burn 'competent'.  And adding a spur socket is a very simple job, especially if it's with a plug.

Really? So I take it that everyone has access to the correct test equipment and the knowledge to fill out a test certificate correctly and able to identify that that the circuit they are spurring from is suitable?

The OP's plan was just to make a RCD-protected DIY extension lead going through a hole in a wall instead of a door/window. Does a DIY extension lead require a certificate?

I can be wrong, but I don't think that a CERTIFICATE is required nowadays for a new socket. AFAIK, notification is required only for some special locations that don't include an outdoor socket.

And what is 'suitable circuite'? For and outdoor socket, AFAIK, It has to be RCD-protected and not an unfused spur. What else?

dil1976

grumbler said:

dil1976 said:

grumbler said:

dil1976 said:

Sorry but of you ar having to ask how to install it then I would advise you get a suitably to install one for you.

Really?

All people have to ask, read of both at some point, even a 'competent electrician' weren't burn 'competent'.  And adding a spur socket is a very simple job, especially if it's with a plug.

Really? So I take it that everyone has access to the correct test equipment and the knowledge to fill out a test certificate correctly and able to identify that that the circuit they are spurring from is suitable?

The OP's plan was just to make a RCD-protected DIY extension lead going through a hole in a wall instead of a door/window. Does a DIY extension lead require a certificate?

I can be wrong, but I don't think that a CERTIFICATE is required nowadays for a new socket. AFAIK, notification is required only for some special locations that don't include an outdoor socket.

And what is 'suitable circuite'? For and outdoor socket, AFAIK, It has to be RCD-protected and not an unfused spur. What else?

All electrical installation work requires a test certificate to show it complies with BS7671 or the PAT Code of Practice. Notification I am not sure of it does or not but that isnt really a big issue even if it does require it but that's another conversation. If being hard wired into a existing socket how with out knowledge or relevant test equipment can you tell if it safe to do so as that may already be a spur in which case further works needs carrying out or you may overload the cable.