Outside lights and socket

[123bill]

Wiring up an outside socket , light switch and light all outside , under a covered way and attached to the house. All weatherproof obviously and in conduit , spur in the kitchen to the outside socket and then from the socket to a 3amp fuse (used as switch) and then to the light. Is that the correct way or is there a better way ? All help appreciated.

 

[brianmoooore]

A 'better' way would be to take the socket from a socket circuit, and the light from a lighting circuit, but your way is perfectly acceptable, as long as the socket you connect to in the kitchen is not already a spur off of a RFC, and the outside socket must either be a RCD type, or the circuit it comes from must be RCD protected.

 

[123bill]

So in this case you can spur of a spur ?? As it would be socket - spur - outside socket - spur (light switch) - light.

 

[brianmoooore]

The fused spur must go before the existing outside socket if it is already an unfused spur off of a 32A fused RFC

 

[pc1966]

When you say "from the socket to a 3amp fuse (used as switch) and then to the light." do you mean a FCU?

For more than one socket/appliance off as a spur the first point that feeds the spur should be a FCU (fused connection unit) so it is limited to 13A for all of that section.

Generally nothing wrong with what you have done, only real concern would be if the supply is not RCD protected. You can get RCD sockets and RCD FCU to feed outside stuff, and any outside socket (or internal one likely to be used for outside) should be RCD protected in some way.

 

[123bill]

Just a thought, if the spur inside is the switch for the socket and light then I won’t be able to have the socket on without having the light on. If I connect the socket to the supply side and the light to the load that should do it yes ? To save using an extra spur for a light switch ?

 

[brianmoooore]

You'll need a second 3A FCU for the light. It can be combined with a switch for the light, or you can use a separate switch, and, of course, it all needs to be IP55 rated.
I advise against using the type where there is a transparent plastic flexible membrane in front of an ordinary switch, since these have a limited life.