BG Electrical Outdoor Weatherproof Double Switched Socket Kit with RCD Plug

I was going to get an electritian to fit an outside socket, but then I saw this and decided to give it a try. An hour or so after opening the box, I had an outside socket! An electritian fitted socket would look a bit neater as the cables would be hidden, but it doesn't bother me as It is hidden on the inside by my dryer anyway. If you can hide the cable inside then this is well worth a look if you don't fancy paying the £50 call out and £80 an hour we were quoted by a couple of Electritians. I have an internal socket near where I wanted the external socket, so the 3m cable was perfect. If you need a longer run, then you can buy exterior grade flexible cable in 5-10m reels, or even more. The cable is 1.25mm2 twin and earth external grade flex, although if you need a longer run, you would be better off buying the parts seperately as it'll be cheaper. I also bought some cable bushings to make the cable entrance and exit looks neater on the wall. The 8mm internal diameter cable bushings are the perfect size for this cable for a super tight fit, so no water can get through. The bushings are for use with a 10mm drill bit, then they just push into the hole for a tight fit. I squirted a bit of clear silicone in the hole before inserting the cable with bushing and also drilled the hole with slight upward angle, so no water can track inside if it does get past the silicone. The socket comes with some little keyhole brackets on the back, but I think removing these and mounting the box straight to the wall with 4 screws is a better solution, That way it's nice and solid and wont unclip from the brackets. All in all I am very happy with the ease of fitting and quality of the product. I can't comment on durability, but it looks be be very high quality and should hopefully last a long time. No more putting extention leads through windows every time I mow the lawn!

I used this as a stand in for my fridge freezer whilst i waited for a wired socket to be installed due to the RCD on it. It was solid, easy to install, efficient and my fridge ran fine on it. I've now taken it out as I have a wired plug and i'm going to install it outside as intended so I have electricity outside. I'll update my review in the summer but i expect this perform well enough.

This is the second socket I've bought from Amazon. The first was returned because it was impossible to open & close even for a lug like me. You'd have risked breaking it. This one from BG is better in that way but still nothing like as easy to close as say a Hamilton brand socket. Whether you're plugging in a 13 amp heavy duty rubber HO7RN-F cable or a bit of lamp flex it closes with the same difficulty - which is comical but at least it can accommodate the heavy cable! It seems water proof - I've checked it after two rain storms & it was dry inside. The model I chose comes connected to 13 amp flex & fused RCD plug, the idea being you can go through an outside wall & then attach the RCD, plugging it into a 13 amp outlet in the house. This is very handy because otherwise, if you're attaching a socket via a spur you're going to need an FCU on it (regulations, regulations) AND because it's an outside socket it'll need an RCD too. Since 2005 only a sparky is supposed to fit those & certify the work. But this is a ready made item - & it has the fused non- latching RCD which is great. The socket comes on two mounting brackets for the outside wall. Er, no. I tried them & it was ridiculous - the socket often detached from the wall when I was latching or unlatching it. Plus it hangs off the wall looking very amateurish indeed. Fortunately if you read the instructions it does say you can remove the brackets & using the holes they're attached to, mount the socket onto the wall permanently in the usual way. That is easy to do & works perfectly. The socket itself seems fine, it's enclosure seems adequately strong. A tiny dab of grease on the closures makes them easier to use.

Easy to set up, works well.

I bough this as I didn't have an outside socket and this pack price was a great deal. I drilled through from my garage (single brick wall) and fitted this on the outside. The socket box comes with 2 hanging hooks which I removed and opted for fitting the box directly to the wall for a more permanent installation. Make sure you have a long enough masonry drill! the one I used was just a bit too short so I had to measure and drill from the other side too to marry the holes up. The amount of wire you get it OK and was just enough for me to tack it tidily around the wall and up to my garage power socket to plug in. The RCD just wires on like a plug and plugs in - very easy. You can of course opt to buy an additional RCD spur and wire into that. I am happy with the plug in option as I don't want the outside socket live all the time. If you turn the plug on/off when you use it you will need to reset the RCD every time you turn it back on. I would definitely recommend this as a very quick and easy way to fit an outside socket yourself.

An effective and well designed unit that provides external power for appliances both cheaply and safely. Importantly, if fixed correctly, (read the instructions before you start!), the unit meets the required electrical standards without the need for a qualified electrician. A competent DIYer should be able to complete the wall fixing and wiring of the circuit breaker within an hour or so. I used a couple of hole tidy grommets and silicone sealant on both sides of the drilled wall to keep the cable secure and the elements out. Tip: to ensure the unit does not wobble on the outside wall if using the brackets on the back of the unit (as reported in some reviews), make sure you insert the screws far enough into the rawl plugs so that it is a tight fit when you push the unit down into place over the screw heads. Also, you may hold a small piece of timber along the top of the unit when it is in position and gently tap it with a hammer so that the unit is firmly fixed down on the screws. If there is still any movement, remove the unit from the wall, slightly tighten the screws into the wall and repeat both steps again until the fitting is really secure and there is no movement when an appliance plug is inserted into a socket. Thoroughly recommended, an excellent buy. And the price for everything that is included is cheap too!

I ordered this on Saturday afternoon and it arrived on Sunday morning. It’s well made and like other reviewers have stated it has LED lights that light up when the power is on. It also has on and off switches on the main box and has very secure clips to keep it shut and water tight. It comes already wired up and all you have to do is to fix the box to the wall and run the already wired cable to your desired three pinned plug (this may require you to drill a hole in your wall) poke the cable through the wall (outside to inside) and then wire the Power Protction Fuse (PPF) in the same way you would wire a three pinned plug. Test and reset the PPF and you are ready to go.

These sockets seem to have been well thought out and appear to be manufactured out of high quality materials. The IP 66 rating required for outdoors relies on good seals and the casing seems to be very well protected. The sockets have a tinted Perspex cover with clips that clamp the cover shut when not in use. The switches have LED indicators so you can see if you have left a switch on when the cover is shut. There are numerous options for feeding in the cable but for me the default at the bottom as shown in the picture was fine. I mounted it on an outside garage wall with the RCD plug easily plugged into a socket in the garage when required. The unit is screwed to a surface using picture hook type mount points. An external socket was something we forgot to specify when we had our house rewired and this has been a very quick, cost effective and neat solution. I have only used them for a short time but can see no reason why they shouldn't last a considerable period of time.