Chilvers Electrical Services recently installed an outdoor weatherproof double socket at a property in Newport Pagnell, giving the customer proper outdoor power instead of an extension lead run out through a window.
Why an outdoor socket is not just a socket outside
An external socket has to be rated for the conditions it will actually sit in. That means an enclosure with a sealed, hinged lid that keeps water out while a plug is in use, not only when it is empty, and glands or sealing at every point where the cable enters. Mounted on a wall below a downpipe, as this one is, it will take driving rain and splash-back off the paving for years.
Outdoor sockets also need RCD protection. That is not optional and it is not a matter of preference — anything outdoors, where someone may be standing on wet ground using a mower, pressure washer or power tool, has to be protected so the supply disconnects fast enough to prevent a fatal shock.
The installation
The circuit was safely isolated, the cable route planned so the run was properly supported and protected, the existing wiring checked, and the new socket fitted, connected, tested and returned to service.
Done properly, an outdoor socket removes the single most common bad habit in British gardens: the extension lead trailing through a window, sitting in the wet, taking a mower on a damp lawn. That arrangement is a real risk, and it is easily and cheaply solved.
Whether it is one outdoor socket, extra sockets indoors, or a larger set of electrical improvements, we provide reliable, tested work for homeowners across Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas. All work is carried out by a fully qualified and insured electrician.