"Nick Atty" wrote in message
...
I want to put a socket outside to plug our patio water feature into (gad
that horrible, still at least it's not decking!).

The proper way to do it is obviously to put an RCD protected spur in,
and a proper waterproof socket. But of course this would require Part
P hoops to be jumped through.

But, right near where I want it is a double socket we never use because
it's stuck behind furniture. This is protected by the whole house RCD,
but it would be nice to have a local one.

Is it against the rules to drill a hole through the wall, mount a
waterproof socket outside, run a flex (rather than cable) through the
hole and put an RCD plug on in? Then squeeze something that won't
attack the flex into the hole to keep the wind out. Obviously this is
something of a bodge, but it's quick, easy, cheaper (why are RCD sockets
many times the price of RCD plugs and plain sockets?) and Part P immune.

In fact, getting silly, is it legal to take the plug off the pump, run
the flex through a hole in the wall and put the plug (or an RCD plug) on
and just plug it in inside when necessary?
--
On-line canal route planner: http://www.canalplan.org.uk

(Waterways World site of the month, April 2001)

I did something very similar to what you are proposing for an outside water
feature. It's one of those old barrels with a "hand pump" on the top.
Admittedly this was before Part P. . . . no actually, honest it was. I used
an outside socket wired to chunky flex, drilled a hole through wall, lined
the hole with 15mm copper pipe, mounted the external socket on the wall and
siliconed around it. Changed the faceplate on the other side of the wall to
one of those double sockets with built in RCD protection and put a plug on
the end of the flex. The outside socket is in effect just an extension lead,
albeit a short one and is RCD protected. Can also use the lawn mower off it.
As I understand from this group you are aloud to change faceplates under
Part P, there should still be no problem with doing this.