Thinking of putting a wall light at the front of the drive so the light shines towards the house, will I need to use armoured cable ? Or would Twin & Earth Cable 1.5mm² be okay to use ?

Connect to light run cable along wall go through house ( drill through wall)and connect to a plug which would be on a timer.

Does this sound feasible ? Or more like a disaster ?

Advice gladly taken.

Armoured cable is normally used for external power supplies etc, to do the job properly you will need to use an armoured gland at the the light fitting end, is the intended light fitting metal clad?

Armoured for underground, generally. Mains outside would be preferable if in waterproofed conduit, protection should be RCD type too.

If you’re going to do a cheap job on it, could you use low voltage so you keep all the risky end indoors?

Twin and earth isn’t rated for use outdoors. The weather will make it brittle the insulation will snap if it gets moved.

Use swa as you can bury it, it’s waterproof and provides mechanical protection too.

It’s your decision but after having had a couple of shocks as an apprentice I would do everything possible to minimise the risk!

Or you could run it along the back of the wall in earthed steel conduit or heavy gauge pvc conduit.
Butyl flex is rated for outdoor use but has no mechanical protection.
FP200 would be ok if you could get some in a dark colour but still doesnt have much In the way of protection.

good advice

so If I got a light like this

http://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-pro-twinspot-g9-twin-floodlight-uncontrolled-42w-graphite-1900lm/70384

or maybe this basic one

http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/lighting/outdoor-wall-lights/metal-oval-bulkhead-180377

what else will I need ? Cable, rcd, plug etc (type of cable etc)

Im confident enough to wire etc.

Have a look at this 12v system, there are others around too.
http://www.qvsdirect.com/lighting-lamps/light-fittings-fixtures/outdoor-lighting/outdoor-plug-play-lights/where/p/2

Do you have test equipment to verify that the modified circuit will still operate within it’s design criteria? Ie, will the circuit breaker still trip in time after you have extended the earth conductor down to the bottom of your garden?

Confidence is great but it can’t beat actually understanding what you are working with.

Sorry if this sounds abrupt, I’ve seen far too many diy bodge jobs that have the potential to kill 🙁

murf – Member
Do you have test equipment to verify that the modified circuit will still operate within it’s design criteria? Ie, will the circuit breaker still trip in time after you have extended the earth conductor down to the bottom of your garden?

Confidence is great but it can’t beat actually understanding what you are working with.

Sorry if this sounds abrupt, I’ve seen far too many diy bodge jobs that have the potential to kill

Good advice cheers

Like the plug and play stuff maybe safer for me !

Low voltage all the way, you could chew through the cable and not even notice 😉

Our rabbit seems to be able to chew through live mains cables and not get a shock. I think all this safety thing is scare mongering by people with a vested interest 😉

OP much easier to just go 12V. But you may want to watch the voltage drop if it’s a long way so use a decent sized cable.

Outside circuits need to be installed by a qualified electrician, pretty sure if you break 17th edition you can invalidate house insurance as well.

Thanks one and all low voltage for me.

Thanks for the “lightening” quick replies 😀