Where is the cable from?

[LLL]

Hello, I found a cable in my garden, the end is enclosed by tape without connection anything/pls see the pic. Seems the cable is from my house and I went to the main switches and there is a residual current device, the cable below seems the same as the one I found in my garden - the switch is off. Can anyone tell if this could be the switch for the cable? I should never switch on the cable if it is, especially considering children playing in the garden. 

meanwhile, the switch box and the circuits are in a storage room, the door typically closed but could be open by my child, the main issue is the switch is very low (50cm from ground), is there any potential safety issues? I was thinking to make a wooden box to cover it, it is better? 
thanks 

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

Buy and fit one of these and then you're safe for the immediate concern, but tbh that cupboard is a whole lot of "no go" for little fingers so best to get a lock on it if you're that worried.

 

LINK

 

Get an electrician out to make it safe ASAP, or maybe ask them to put an outside socket on it for you if that would be useful where the cable is?

[LLL]

thanks Nick. The issue is that the storage room is used a lot and not convenient to lock, sometimes even kept open.  How sure are you that the switch is for the garden cable? 

[ProDave]

Get an electrician to test it and confirm that is indeed the cable you think.  Then if the cable is good I would use it by getting an outside 13A socket connected to the end of it. But you would need to change the B40 MCB for a B32 or smaller if just feeding a socket.

 

Was there a shed there before that a previous owner took down?  If so and if he was responsible you would find the SWA disconnected inside that housing so it is safe, and a note saying where the other end is would be a real bonus (but unlikely)

[LLL]

I believe there was no shed at the point, but there was a shed quite far away from the end of the cable. The cable is now just on the ground! 

 

Actually, there is another cable from the garage for the garden light, but I plan to change it to 12v for safety reasons. This one might be used in the future. But how can I keep it safe, share I contact it to something like a deadend? The tape seems not durable. 

[ProDave]

Take the cover off the RCD box that feeds it and post a picture of what you find inside.

[SteamyTea]

Pop into B&Q with a tenner and get a cable tester. Useful thing to have anyway.

 

https://www.diy.com/departments/live-ac-voltage-detector-tester-pen-led-torch-non-contact-detect-cable-wire-mains/5055538125065_BQ.prd

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

8 hours ago, LLL said:

thanks Nick. The issue is that the storage room is used a lot and not convenient to lock, sometimes even kept open.  How sure are you that the switch is for the garden cable? 

I'm not, hence....

21 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

Get an electrician out to make it safe ASAP

Erm, why are you still  messing with this, sorry! Get a sparky in, chop-chop  

[LLL]

4 hours ago, ProDave said:

Take the cover off the RCD box that feeds it and post a picture of what you find inside.

Here is what I can see inside RCD, likely the "sockets in the extension" is something controlling the small RCD in the right of this RCD. 

 

Also there is a CM below the "kitchen sockets" i have no idea what does it mean 

 

[dpmiller]

no RCDs in that box...

 

Suggest calling a spark in soonest.

[ProDave]

 

 

No, this box,  That is the one feeding the SWA.

 

Undo the 2 recessed screws either side of the switches and take the cover off and photograph the inside.

 

The SWA might already be disconnected, but if not it will be simple to disconnect it thus making that cable safe and ensuring it does not get turned on by accident.

[dpmiller]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

The SWA might already be disconnected, but if not it will be simple to disconnect

 

presuming it's actually the correct cable?

[LLL]

thanks for the discussions, 

1, there should be RCD in the main switch box and I don't have it, is it correct? if so I will find an electrician to install one, is it an expensive work? 

2, even though the small separate RCD box for SWA is off (I can lock by someone suggested above), but it is still not safe, I need to physically disconnect the cable inside the box, is that correct? 

 

thanks, always good to learn something new 

[ProDave]

Your main consumer unit is old, wired to a very old version of the wiring regulations before an RCD became a requirement for even some of the circuits, so probably 15th edition.  That does not automatically make it dangerous but it is certainly less safe than a modern install.

 

If you want to get it upgraded, get an electrician first to do an EICR.  That will recommend a consumer unit change which is about £200 worth of parts (or more) and best part of a days work.  But the EICR will tell you if the wiring itself is okay and suitable just for a CU change or if there are other problems as well.

 

The outside cable, without seeing inside that little box feeding it we won't know, but if you have an electrician there anyway, it is a trivial amount of extra work for him to make sure it is disconnected and can't just be turned back on.