Part P of the current Building Regulations provides contractors with an opportunity to increase business using IP56 rated outdoor socket outlets and switches. Ashley Robinson, Product Specialist for Crabtree, outlines the opportunity this presents.
Part P of the Building Regulations define outdoor installations as: “in or on land associated with the buildings (e.g. fixed garden lighting and pond pumps); in outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and greenhouses.” This ensures that electrical contractors and installers working on outdoor installations must be ‘competent persons’, but more to the point, it means that installing electrical circuits, switches and outlets outdoors is definitely not allowed to be undertaken by non-professionals.
Under Part P, a spur from the mains circuit into a kitchen, bathroom or outdoors has to be installed by a certificated electrician; DIY installation is now a thing of the past! Ignoring this fact could cause the homeowner a problem when moving house, as such an installation needs to be backed by a certificate. It is not unheard of for householders to connect electrical equipment used in their gardens to conventional 13A socket outlets located inside their houses. This can entail the cable running from a power point in the kitchen and passed out through an open window even running over the kitchen sink! Electricians who discover householders who do this should waste no time in telling them how much safer and convenient it would be for a 13A socket outlet to be located outside the house.
On the other hand, perhaps there is already a 13A socket outlet installed outside the premises, but it may not meet the requirements for an external socket? It needs to be waterproof and more robust than socket outlets installed indoors, and it needs to be RCD-protected. And the design of the socket must not raise safety concerns by not being able to seal against an inserted plug with rigid cable tails? So what equipment is the best to recommend to installers to make the most of this business opportunity? Although most manufacturers won’t admit it, there are very few electrical accessories on the market that really do live up to the task of being permanently sited outdoors in an unsheltered position. For instance, socket outlets really must close, and more importantly seal, when a moulded plug with a rigid cable tail is inserted. Given that plugs like these are fitted to most outdoor electrical equipment today, a little knowledge before a sale can avoid complaints later, and benefit the user with improved safety. What use after all is an electrical outlet, that doesn’t seal on its live supply, especially when the British weather means that a rain shower is probably just a few minutes away! Worse still might be using a pressure washer with the power connection exposed to the resulting spray. On the positive side, this 'explosion' of demand for the provision for outdoor electricity in gardens clearly opens up profitable business opportunities.
Waterproof RCD protected 13A socket outlets ought to be used in any part of a house or annexe such as a conservatory, or in a standalone building like a garage, where water might be sprayed e.g. for washing down cars. In any event, homeowners are increasingly treating their gardens as extensions to their living space, looking to enjoy all the facilities provided by connection to the electricity and data supply that they enjoy in the interiors of their homes. Many of them like to celebrate special events with decorative outdoor lighting and, occasionally, for parties, will set up sound systems in their gardens. Barbecues are increasingly popular, and among them now are electric versions, or those that just need power for specific features like spit roasting. And on warm summer days, home-workers might operate their PCs linked by an Ethernet connection to the Internet in the garden, where their home Wifi signal just doesn’t reach. This is all in addition to the mains-powered garden equipment, such as lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, and pressure washers that are now widely used. It is a market that electricians cannot afford to miss out on.
CRABTREE Weatherseal waterproof 13A socket outlets have only recently been introduced into the UK market, but show significant advantages over established brands, with most of the limitations of existing products addressed and designed out. They have an IP rating of 56 while in use; the seal between the lid and main body is made from a brand new, specially developed and highly effective material, differing from the gel-like substances that easily attracts dirt, currently used by other manufacturers. This makes them impervious to external dust and water ingress, and helps the accessory retain its IP 56 rating after repeated use and even when dirty. Also, when a standard 13A plug is inserted into the socket and the cover closed, the plug is entirely sealed off against strong jets of water from any direction and also against dust and small particles. This of course makes Weatherseal ideal for use in grimy or dirty manufacturing environments as well as the everyday domestic garden, a useful fact to have at your disposal.
Strangely there are many products on the market where the IP rating only applies with the cover closed but without the plug inserted! Such designs allow the plug to hold the cover open, and are therefore in fact manifestly unsafe for unprotected domestic outdoor use. As well as being waterproof, socket outlets for outdoor use need also to have high mechanical strength to withstand all the knocks that they are likely to get outdoors. Professional Electricians looking for 13A socket outlets for outdoor use that will withstand the test of time are advised to choose those made of ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) like Weatherseal. This is one of the toughest thermoplastics available today, and does not discolour, crack or fade in UV light. It has a better resistance to chemicals than many other plastics including Polycarbonate, and will maintain its high resistance to impact even in extremes of heat and cold. Weatherseal offers one-gang un-switched and two gang switched sockets with RCD protection if required. The range also includes 10A retractive and 20A 1 and 2 gang switches, and data outlet modules are available for computer users who want to connect to the Internet while in areas that may be subject to hosing down for cleaning purposes.
In common with other Crabtree products, all the multimedia outlets are configurable on site, making it easy for contractors to accommodate specific customer requirements, or even make last minute amendments. An extensive range of enclosures is also available, and in addition, a unique padlockable feature renders Weatherseal proof against unauthorised use.
Finally, it’s worth remembering that the home market is not the only area for a business opportunity using Weatherseal. With these 13A outlets now providing such an excellent seal while closed on an energised outlet, light commercial opportunities now present themselves, where perhaps in the past, an industrial connector would have had to be used. Weatherseal is ideal for use in stables, abattoirs, factories, garages, tyre services, warehouses, loading bays, especially those in the food processing industry, and also in chemical disposal or processing plants. And with the credit crunch ensuring more and more of us look to the UK for this year’s holidays, another buoyant market is the caravan park or marina, all of which provide power to their customers’ pitch or mooring from an outdoor socket.