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Outside socket instead of outside light?

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  • 12-06-2008 8:10pm
    #1
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭


    I've got two outside lights at either side of the house that I never use (bulbs are gone anyway) that I would like to convert into outside sockets.

    Now, before I go calling electriticians for a quote for doing the work, somehow I've got in the back of my mind that light circuits are different from "normal" electrical circuitry in the house when comes to fuses and technical requirements.

    If a can get the sockets, I'd like to run fairly high powerd stuff ,like a 2500 W garden shredder as well as other, smaller things off them occasionally.
    Also the (light) switches inside the house that are already there would be handy to prevent other people "stealing" my electricity

    Can this be done off a lights circuit, is there even such a thing as a designated lights circuit?


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    #2
    Andrea B.
    Registered Users Posts: 1,926 ✭✭✭Andrea B.


    Can this be done off a lights circuit, ?

    No.

    Dependent on the run duistance of cable it would need to be a minimum of 2.5mm2.

    You may well have this size cable (although 1.5mm2 is standard for lighting) and if it was sufficient for the distance, it would need to be fed from an existing socket circuit or on it's own circuit back to consumer unit.


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    #3
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    Bummer ...that's what I thought.


    Thanks for the info !


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    #4
    sunnysoutheast
    Registered Users Posts: 2,072 ✭✭✭sunnysoutheast


    As stated you can't use lighting circuits for sockets, no RCD, different size cables, switches not suitable, etc.

    If you have any existing sockets on an outside wall, and assuming they aren't spurred off already, you (i.e. that is to say a qualified electrician) could drill through and put an external socket back-to-back with these. If you use a switched connection unit you could turn these "off" and prevent borrowing, if that's a problem :D Failing that you could run armoured cable around outside if you wanted a completely separate external circuit, i.e. to a shed.

    Also I recommend you get the external sockets that are waterproof when in use, i.e. when something's plugged in, not the cheaper ones. I got some very good ones from CEF which are a fraction of the price of those in the DIY sheds.

    SSE


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