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Right guys need advice

I have an electrician lined to up put some power into the greenhouse and heating.

Originally it was going to be a single power cable through the underground pipe which then powered a thermostatically controlled pipe heater.

I was thinking about this and now think it would be more practical to have a double outdoor socket put into the greenhouse this would allow a light to be plugged in as well as a heater and most heaters only have a 2m cable so would not be long enough. Only question would be Where would i mount the sockets and what type of heaters do people recommend???

Cam

You might get some ideas here!

This is my set up, let me know if you want any further info.

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Greenhouse%20heating/Greenhouse%20Heating.htm

It really depends on how much you are willing to spend on the electrical supply but I would go for a couple of sockets over a wired in heater every time just to allow for future flexibility in case you wish to use a propagator, soil warming cable or even electrically controlled watering system.

Two sockest in the GH on an RCD circuit would be my solution. make sure you can get to the inside switch easily , be good for heat light ventilation , music :) 

Having a 6 way consumer unit added to garage and the landscapers are putting in new door to back of greenhouse for access.

This is coming from the main electrical box in house via armored cable into garage so i can shut of power from house as well.

QuoteHaving a 6 way consumer unit added to garage and the landscapers are putting in new door to back of greenhouse for access.

This is coming from the main electrical box in house via armored cable into garage so i can shut of power from house as well.

Hi Camb

I went out this morning and photographed the electrics in my greenhouse so you can see how I dealt with my electrics.

Like you I have run an overhead armoured cable from the house via an RCD adjacent to the main consumer unit in the house.

This means my ouside electrics are isolated from the rest of the house so if something blows outdoors it does not affect the house.

The cable runs along a six foot high boundary fence to my greenhouse in to my Electric box which I have fitted in the greenhouse to protect the socket boxes from accidental water splash as you can see here:



(The control to the side of it is the thermostat to my fan heater.)

This is what is in the box:



In the top right hand corner is the spur box that connects the outside supply.

Then I have spurred off a supply to 2x2 socket boxes.

OK they are not waterproofed outdoor boxes but twenty or so years ago Health and Safety was not so stringent and the fact they are in there own closed box I thought then that this was protection enough. Up to press I have never had the system trip out  so it must be working OK.

As you can see I have my fan heater supply in one socket, my soil cable in another and the third is a supply to the strip light.

The fourth one served as a power supply to the grow light I had once fitted, but now I just have it as a spare.



I have also spurred of to give me a couple of spare sockets for operating my outdoor tools, eg. the lawn mower and my wireless/tape recorder.



This is a long view of my set up:



The next picture shows my fan heater, hot bed and the soil cable thermostat.



The reason for the tape is the thermostat control is quite slack and I have often bumped against it which would either increas or lower the heat setting either of which is not good news.

The tape prevents this happening.

So I hope this gives you some ideas on  how to set up a greenhouse electrical system.....Tg

Check your "tame" electrician is registered to Part P regulations. Do not stop him doing it to those regulations, your life may depend upon it. A little more spent on the correct fittings to IP 65 ? will help. Ensure that the earthing is not compromised in the future, do not leave powertools, radios and table lamps in the greenhouse, and do not touch any fittings. Pull switches with non-conductive links (as bathroom) are preferable. Use gravity to advantage so that condensation runs away from the installation. Be very careful with watering.

We had the electrics in the greenhouse replaced by an electrician as the original wiring did not meet any standards.  We had a waterproof light switch fitted and a double plug socket again to the correct standard and two waterproof strip lights.  The cable is also armer platted due to the route it had to go to get to the greenhouse.

Hi Guys,

Electrics completed and looks great need to sort out the mounting for my double socket and i love the idea of a cabinet that i can use to hide the plugs. Will pick up a fan heater and a a bar heater to go under the seeds.
Light screwed to the greenhouse and cable cable tied out of the way.
As far as i know hes qualified as is the 2nd guy that he brought with him as our usual guy recommended him (he is on holiday this week).

I will contact the guy who does some of my carpentry and see if he can make me something :)

Cam