How to install a power outlet on the street

Often there is a need to use electrical appliances on the street. For example, you need to connect a New Year's garland to an electric network, a luminous figure or some electrified instrument.

It is not possible to install the outlet on the street in the same way as indoors, since in the open area, that is, outdoors, the outlet will be affected by various negative factors: splashes, drops or a stream of water, dust, as well as mechanical stress. The socket must be protected from these factors. Consider the question of how to install an outlet on the street.

The first thing to do is to choose a place to install the outlet. The socket intended for outdoor installation must have a housing that has a maximum degree of protection - IP65. But, in any case, this does not mean that the outlet must be installed in the open. When choosing the installation site, preference should be given to the safest option, both from the point of view of possible mechanical effects and direct exposure to precipitation.

That is, the outlet should be mounted at a sufficient height so that it is not accidentally damaged. In order to minimize the direct effect of rainfall on the outlet, you can choose a closed place, for example, under a canopy or ledge of the roof of the house.

Connecting the outlet to the electrical wiring of the house

The outlet is powered from the nearest switchboard. If the main switchboard is installed in the courtyard of the house, then you can connect the cable to power the outlet in it. If the input of electricity is made into the shield inside the room, then the cable is connected from this shield. In the latter case, to lead the cable out of the room to the outside, it must be protected at the point of transition through the wall with a pipe segment.

The cable that will run outdoors to the outlet must be additionally protected by a corrugated pipe or metal hose. A cable that has adequate protection for outdoor installation is routed without additional protection.

The socket must be mounted on non-combustible surfaces, or if it is nevertheless required to install the socket on a combustible surface, it is necessary to ensure complete insulation of the mounted socket from this surface.

You should also pay special attention to the correct connection of the cable to a mounted outlet. The place where the cable is connected to the outlet must be tight: the rubber sealant of the case must fit snugly against the cable. Otherwise, the degree of protection of the socket housing declared by the manufacturer will not be ensured.

Usually, two places for connecting the cable are provided on the body of the socket - at the bottom and top of the socket. To ensure maximum moisture protection, connect the cable from the bottom of the outlet.

It should be noted that electrical appliances operated on the street carry a greater danger than indoors. This is due to the fact that a person may be in direct contact with the ground when operating electrical appliances. Therefore, it is very important to ensure reliable protection of a person from electric shock.

It is necessary to install a socket with a grounding contact and connect it to the common grounding circuit of the house. It should also be mandatory to install on the line wiring that powers this outlet a residual current device. In the event of a current leakage through the damaged insulation of the wiring or the electrical device, the RCD will protect not only from electric shock, but also prevent the occurrence of a fire.

The socket is designed for a specific load (power).If an electric appliance with more power is included in it, then it will be damaged. Therefore, in order to protect the outlet, as well as the cable that feeds it in the distribution panel, in addition to the RCD, it is necessary to install a circuit breaker.

Installing a wall outlet in the shield

There is an alternative option - installing an outlet on the street in the shield. This method is relevant if you want to install other elements outdoors. For example, in a house there is a three-phase input and it is planned to install a switch in a mounted shield, clamps for connecting a three-phase consumer and a socket for connecting single-phase consumers.

A characteristic feature of this method is that the protection of the elements mounted in the shield, including the plug socket, is carried out by the shield itself, the housing of which has sufficient protection for outdoor installation, that is, a value of at least IP65.

In this case, the degree of protection of the socket housing and other elements mounted in the shield does not play a role. It is determined by the operating conditions of these elements. That is, if the socket will not be subjected to any mechanical stress, then you can choose a conventional socket for indoor installation with a degree of protection IP20.

Which of the two above methods to choose: install the outlet in an open way or put it in the shield? In this case, it all depends on what this outlet is for.

If you plan to periodically turn on electrical appliances for a short period of time, for example, an electrified tool for the duration of the work, you can choose either of two methods.

If electrical appliances for a long time will be included in this outlet, for example, New Year's street decorations (garland, glowing figures), then it is better to install the outlet in an open way. The socket in the panel in this case is not suitable, since when the electric device is plugged into such a socket, the panel itself remains open, therefore protection from external negative factors is not provided.