Christmas lights from an outdoor socket

[cantkeepawayforever]

This year, we are planning to put Christmas lights up outside, on a new pergola. It’s the full length of the garden distance from the house, and has an outdoor power socket - the heavy duty sort with a cover.

I’ve just been browsing in B&Q, and ALL their strings of lights say that the transformer must be plugged into an inside socket, even though the lights themselves can go outside.

Are there any suppliers who sell string lights that can be plugged into an outside socket, or any obvious workarounds?

All new to us….

I've got multi coloured rope lights in my garden and they're plugged into an outdoor socket. I've had several sets over the years all just plugged into the socket.

We have something like this. Extension lead plugs into the outdoor socket, transformer sits in the box and cable runs then to the outdoor lights. www.diy.com/departments/timeguard-tps401-weatherproof-power-enclosure-with-4-gang-socket-ip55/5012483011386_BQ.prd?srsltid=AfmBOor7w1asR1wcCFh0rDVk-GXe-liTOVenq_DZB6gN2YPBhMiZAslQF08

Well I don't know this for sure but it's probably because a lot of outdoor 13A electrical sockets are not sealed to a proper standard when a plug is engaged. It is better for them to say no outdoor sockets than try and second guess whether your outdoor socket (which could be one of thousands of different types) and their transformer together would be a suitable combination for long term outdoor use.

So the ‘transformer must be inside’ is about waterproofing, as the lid of the outdoor socket might not close over transformer? Or am I missing an obvious danger?

This ^ because the plug is bigger than a standard plug and you cannot close the lid down to seal it and lock it in place. Our outdoor socket is under the storm porch at the front and Dh just tapes a heavy duty plastic bag around the non-fully closed socket with duct tape. We risk it because the storm porch is meant to protect you from the elements, the socket isn't exposed to the weather as it is under a roof.

I do have what @mousehouse123 has inside my summer house because I needed more than 2 sockets. It too can be used outdoors as it has rubber gaskets that "seal" the cable entry points. Again this has a transformer plug inside it for my string lights.

I plug an extension lead into the outdoor socket, then plug the lights into the extension lead socket and wrap that and the transformer in a plastic bag to keep water out. Never had a problem.

Exactly what i do too. And have done for years.

I wrap them in 2 bags too just to make sure and seal it with tie wraps / tape.

We have an extension cable with a plug box that holds the transformers nice and dry.

We have outdoor Christmas lighting and we have weatherproof boxes we purchased from Screwfix. Cost about £20 and waterproof and absolutely do the job.

wickes/b&q/ Homebase will do them too I’d imagine…

my neighbours one year decided that it’d be a good idea to put the transformer in a plastic bag, they learnt their lesson when it blew their entire electrics to their house - very very lucky not to have had a fire…..

We have a house near us which goes totally overboard on lights. Today we noticed a company setting it all up for them! It's a terraced three bedroom house!!

We just plug it inside, doesn't affect the door.

It is too far from the house to have the transformer inside - it is the far end if the garden. We thought it would brighten up the garden for us to look out at - it won’t be visible from the street.

The outdoor socket is a weatherproof version with quite signifucant depth in the hinged ‘lid’ over the sockets. Looking at it, it may well seal to accommodate the flatter type of transformer anyway. If not, we’ll get an extra weatherproof box as suggested here. It’s under the pergola so quite protected anyway.

i fail to see how putting a plastic bag over a transformer could blow the whole house ? Even if the transformer developed a fault it would only trip the circuit it’s plugged into……just unplug the faulty transformer and turn the circuit back on.. plus any fire would have only been on the faulty transformer which was outside in the plastic bag. ……..i think someone is telling stories

Depends what the electrics are like inside the house I guess and what protections are in place.

I have seen a lot of horror stories in UK domestic wiring.