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Adtec Electrical Services

Outdoor and Garden Lighting Installation

Wall lights, path and driveway lighting, garden lighting and outdoor sockets, wired to suit the weather and the way you use the space.

Outdoor electrics have a harder life than anything inside the house. Rain, frost, garden tools and the occasional spade all take their toll, so cable routes, fittings and protection need more thought than an extra light in the lounge. Adtec Electrical has been wiring homes around Wantage since 2014. Here is how we approach outdoor lighting and sockets, and what to think about before you start.

What homeowners ask us for

  • Wall lights by the front door, back door and patio, often on a sensor.
  • Driveway and path lighting so you can see where you are walking after dark.
  • Garden lighting: bollards, spike lights in borders, or lights on a pergola or seating area.
  • External sockets for the mower, hedge trimmer, a pressure washer or festive lights.

Indoor sockets and lighting are covered on our sockets and lighting page.

Planning cable routes outside

There are two broad ways to get power across a garden. The first is buried cable, usually steel wire armoured cable laid at a suitable depth and marked so it can be found later. It is neat and well protected, but it means digging a trench, which is far easier before a lawn or patio goes down. The second is a surface run, clipped along a wall, fence line or the outside of the house, using cable and fixings suitable for outdoor use. Surface runs are quicker but need a route where the cable will not be knocked or cut.

Most gardens end up with a mix. We walk the route with you, look at where the cable can leave the house, and suggest the option that suits the ground and your plans. This is general guidance; the right method depends on the site.

Hallway and staircase with new downlights

Protection outdoors

Outdoor circuits and sockets need RCD protection, which cuts the power quickly if current leaks to earth, for example through a damaged cable or water in a fitting. Everything outside also needs to be suitable for where it is going. Fittings carry an IP rating showing how well they resist dust and water, and a light under a porch faces less than a spike light in a flower bed. We check the rating of every fitting against its position.

Switching, PIR sensors and timers

How you switch outdoor lights makes a big difference to how useful they are. PIR sensors turn lights on when someone approaches, ideal for doors and driveways. Timers and photocells suit decorative garden lighting that you want on every evening without thinking about it. A switch inside the house lets you override either. We can wire different areas separately, so the patio lights are independent of the path.

Fitting alongside landscaping or extension work

The best time to plan outdoor electrics is before the garden is finished. If you are having landscaping done, we can lay ducts or cable while the ground is open and return to fit the lights once the paving and planting are complete. The same applies to extensions, where wall lights and outdoor sockets are easy to include in the main electrical work. We work with builders on this regularly; see our page for builders and developers.

Testing and certificate on completion

New outdoor circuits are tested before handover, and you receive the right certificate for the work: an Electrical Installation Certificate for a new circuit, or a Minor Works Certificate for an addition to an existing one. If existing outdoor lights trip the electrics, especially after rain, that points to a fault, and our fault finding service can trace it.

Areas

We install outdoor lighting in homes around Wantage and across Oxfordshire, including Abingdon, Didcot and Witney. Call 01235 430442 (Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm) or tell us about your garden for a quote.

Frequently asked questions

Not always. A couple of wall lights can often be taken from an existing indoor lighting circuit if it has capacity and suitable protection. Garden lighting, several fittings or outdoor sockets usually work better on a dedicated, RCD-protected circuit, so a fault outside doesn't take out lights inside.

Yes. Outbuildings normally need a properly sized supply cable, buried or fixed along a suitable route, feeding a small consumer unit in the building. We size it for what you plan to use there.

Yes. PIR sensors suit driveways, paths and doors. Timers or dusk-to-dawn photocells suit decorative garden lighting. Many people combine them, with a manual switch inside as an override.

Ideally, plan the electrics before the landscaping and install the buried cable while the ground is open. We can then come back to fit and connect the lights once the hard work is done.

Either. We can suggest suitable fittings, or install ones you have chosen as long as they are rated for outdoor use in the position you want them.

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