Water feature supply

[charlie76]

Evening all. I got called out to a lady who had received a slight tingle through the wet grass when standing near her water feature. I dug around near the feature to find the flex which comes with the unit had been very poorly glanded into a JB and another flex glanded into it run under the patio slabs back to a plug top in the garage. The JB was full of condensation. There is enough flex on the water feature to reach the garage but obvioulsy I can't just bury this.

I was thinking armoured up to as close as poss to the unit and then JB to the flex. IP65 or above box and bury the lot 500mm tape over back fill and run back to the garage. Sound acceptable?

Other option is armoured to an IP65 socket outlet and plug the water feature in but there is no where really near the feature where the socket could be discreetly mounted its in an open part of the garden. All buried would be best.

Any tips?

 

[Andy-1960]

Presume you are fitting RCD on the supply?

 

[charlie76]

Thanks Andy, I hadn't thought about that . Its already RCD'd.

Just the installation method I was after a hand with

 

[Deleted member 9648]

A socket mounted on a small post is the way to go discreet or not. The water feature pump will fail at some point and require replacement, buried joints and you are back to square one. Plus any buried joint other than a resin one will let moisture in eventually regardless of what manufacturers state.

 

[Specialist]

Could you use one of the pre-made garden sockets with spike attached ? They blend in pretty well.

 

[Andy-1960]

Thanks Andy, I hadn't thought about that . Its already RCD'd

Is it a 30mA RCD or is it faulty? I am surprised it had not tripped with the leakage to earth you described in your initial post. - May be worth checking.

 

[charlie76]

Is it a 30mA RCD or is it faulty? I am surprised it had not tripped with the leakage to earth you described in your initial post. - May be worth checking.

Yes, first question I asked the customer when she called me was did anything trip, she said not. First thing I did when I got to site was tested the RCD and it was all fine. I can only assume it was a very high resistance leakage to earth hence < 30mA and why she only got a tingle and not a bolt and why the RCD did not trip.

 

[Pat H]

Did you test the RCD using the manual test button or actually measure its trip timings?

 

[DPG]

I was thinking armoured up to as close as poss to the unit and then JB to the flex. IP65 or above box and bury the lot 500mm tape over back fill and run back to the garage. Sound acceptable?

This bit doesn't sound good to be buried underground.

 

[HandySparks]

Did you test the RCD using the manual test button or actually measure its trip timings?

Ha! Next, you'll be asking, "Are you an electrician?".

 

[charlie76]

Did you test the RCD using the manual test button or actually measure its trip timings?

Yes, I got my meter out the van and did a proper test.

Anyway, job completed today. On ripping out the old mess it was quite apparent it had been installed by a complete muppet although the client assured me it had been done my an electrician. The 3 core flex from the pump had been really badly JB'd to a 2 core flex and buried unprotected back to the garage i.e. completely un-earthed. I told the client she was extremely lucky this could have been a lot worse.

I ended up running an armoured into a IP66 wiska box. Within the wiska box I then used a smaller connector box to make my connection to the flex to the pump using WAGO lever cage connectors. I then packed around the connectors with Prysmian R391 sealing putty (brilliant stuff, not used it before) to make the connection water tight. Buried all, marker tape over, back filled and paving back on top.

Tin Hat On...

 

[Marvo]

I can't comment on the Wiska box and putty stuff, we don't get either item here so I've never used them. I'd have just left a bit of spare SWA cable in the ground for future and fitted a resin filled SWA joint to connect the flex assuming no local isolator or OCPD is required.