Homeowner guide
Garden & outdoor electrical safety
Damp ground, rain and metal tools make outdoor electric shocks far more dangerous than indoor ones. These simple rules keep you, your family and visitors safe.
If you cut through a cable
Do not touch it. Turn off the RCD or main switch at the consumer unit before going anywhere near the cut. Then call a registered electrician — a damaged mains cable is not a DIY repair.
Three rules before you plug in outside
Always use a 30 mA RCD outdoors
Any equipment used outside — mowers, strimmers, jet-washes, hedge-trimmers, outdoor lights — must be supplied through a 30 mA RCD. Modern consumer units cover this on all socket circuits, but if you are unsure, plug into a good-quality portable (plug-in) RCD at the socket every time.
Outdoor sockets must be weatherproof
Sockets fitted outside must be at least IP66-rated (dust-tight and jet-proof), on their own RCD-protected circuit, and mounted so rainwater cannot pool inside. A £10 splash-cover screwed over an indoor socket is not an outdoor socket.
Never run indoor extensions outside
Standard indoor extension leads are not rated for damp conditions. If you must use one temporarily, use a heavy-duty outdoor-rated lead with a portable RCD at the plug end, keep the connections off the ground, and unroll cable reels fully so the flex does not overheat.
Outdoor gear
Working safely with garden equipment
Mowers, strimmers & hedge-trimmers
Check the flex for nicks or exposed conductors before every use. Keep the cable behind you and to one side so you cannot cut it. Never use corded garden tools in the rain or on wet grass. If the RCD trips, stop — do not keep resetting it.
Ponds, fountains & pool pumps
Pond and fountain pumps must be SELV (low-voltage via an isolating transformer) or mains equipment specifically designed for water use, with the isolator and any 230 V connections inside a weatherproof enclosure well away from the water.
Outdoor lighting & garden power
Festoon, wall and post lighting should be a fixed installation on its own RCD-protected circuit, using SWA or armoured cable buried at the correct depth (or mechanically protected where surface-run). Plug-in fairy lights left running through winter are a common cause of nuisance tripping and corrosion.
Don't do this outdoors
- ✕Cut the grass or trim hedges in the rain.
- ✕Splice or tape up a damaged cable — replace it or bin the tool.
- ✕Run cables across a path where they can be tripped over or crushed.
- ✕Leave a portable RCD or extension reel outside overnight.
- ✕Cover a bare joint with a plastic bag and hope for the best.
- ✕Plug high-current tools (jet-washes, chainsaws) into a partially wound-up cable reel — it can overheat and catch fire.
Related guides
Outdoor socket, garden lighting or a proper armoured supply?
Paul installs weatherproof outdoor sockets, garden lighting circuits and SWA cable to sheds, garages and outbuildings across Brighton, Hove, Sussex, Kent and London — all RCD-protected and certified.