Cheap Generator Hire?

[ProDave]

My long extension lead is made of 2.5mm 5 core YY. It was a work of art getting two 2.5mm into the L and N terminals of the plug.
 

[Steptoe]

10 minutes ago, ProDave said:

My long extension lead is made of 2.5mm 5 core YY. It was a work of art getting two 2.5mm into the L and N terminals of the plug.
 

Rather you than me,,,,

Two methods I can suggest to terminate 4mm to a normal plug,

1st is to use a 16a plug, then a short patch lead of 13a plug to 16a socket in 2.5mm

2nd is simply to use one of the proprietary inline IP rated connection tubes/tunnel thingies (I think that's the technical term) 

I prefer the first tbh, all my 'made' extension leads are done with 16a plugs/sockets and I have short changeover patch leads for each end, some of my stuff needs 16a, and some of my outside sockets are 16a, as is my house inlet (for Genny) and van inlet. 

[TerryE]

One subtle tweak: maybe you put a plug/socket break at the boundary and slip the meter in at that point.  Put it in a heavy duty polythene sleeve and ducktape it up to keep it weather-tight.  That way both you and the neighbour can read it.  The neighbour can be confident that all of your electricity is being metered and you can be confident that only your electricity is being metered.

 

You can pay  him 2× or even 3× the standard electricity tariff.  It will still work out a lot cheaper than buying a genny.

[Jeremy Harris]

5 hours ago, TerryE said:

One subtle tweak: maybe you put a plug/socket break at the boundary and slip the meter in at that point.  Put it in a heavy duty polythene sleeve and ducktape it up to keep it weather-tight.  That way both you and the neighbour can read it.  The neighbour can be confident that all of your electricity is being metered and you can be confident that only your electricity is being metered.

 

You can pay  him 2× or even 3× the standard electricity tariff.  It will still work out a lot cheaper than buying a genny.

 

You could also consider fitting one of the cheap, DIN rail meters, perhaps together with an RCD, in a waterproof box at that junction.  I fitted one of those small meters to my electric vehicle charge point, just so I can record the energy use, they aren't expensive and are even approved to the right accuracy spec for charge metering, and they are pretty versatile, the one I have reads energy since installed, a resettable energy meter a bit like a car trip odometer, the PF, voltage and current, just by repeatedly pressing a button.

 

Be good to have an RCD as well, having experienced the state of some contractors electrical kit, like the guy we had who's trench pump had a fault that made the case live (albeit through an internal leak of around 600 ohms), and had probably been like that for some time, as he had it on a bit of rope and so had probably never touched the case with it running.  The leakage could have been enough to kill him, had he ever touched the thing when it was running from the mains.