[Nigel]

I'm sure there's a more appropriate place to put this query but no doubt it wouldn't get read. I'd prefer to caress the brain cells of a wider audience.

I've got an outdoor board in a lean-to woodshed, which is open at the front and one side. I plan to weather proof it against any nasty weather that God forbid might happen this winter if we're very unlucky. This is gonna leave it pretty dark in there, so I need some lighting. Question is:

- Do I get rechargeable lights, if so what are the best? Any recommendations?
- Or do I wire up a light from inside? I've got access to a plug socket that I don't pay the leccy for, but I can't have owt permanent, so any info on exterior extension leads would be brill (can you just use a normal one? In the rain etc.?)

I'm also gonna need a heater of some kind, any thoughts? Calor gas, another leccy one on an extension? Cheers chaps.

[Stubbs]

Ther board I train at is a similar setup, i think it started as open air then the shed bit was built around it.  We have a standard  outdoor extension lead (like you might use for a lawn mower or whatever) leading from the inside plug socket into the shack, then there's a 4 way adaptor attached to this. For lighting we just have one of the sort you see on construction sites, it's very bright if you look straight at it, but does a good job of lighting the wall area, and even provides a bit of heat.  We also have a leccy heater and a stereo on the four plug adaptor, and we havn't had any problems even in heavy rain.  The extension lead has a surge protector/trip switch thing on it, so i guess if the cable did get damaged this should stop any chance of getting a shock.  When not training the extension lead is taken in and the other bits left by the board.

Hope this helps.

[Nigel]

Nice one yoot that sounds like the simplest and best way round things. Is the outdoor extension cable different from an inside one? Is it OK in the rain?

[Monolith]

Screfix were selling free standing rechargeable lights ar a reasonable price a few months back when I was looking into building a board. I'll see if I can find them and feed back.

[Stubbs]

Is it OK in the rain?

Yeah it's one of the ones that you'd use to plug your lawnmower into it's on a red reel that you can wind in and has a cut out switch which i don't think inside ones do.  To be honest I reckon an indoor one would be ok as long as there was no holes in the sheath (hur hur) as both the business ends will be indoors out of the rain right?

edit: like this http://www.abbeypowertools.co.uk/miscellaneous/extension-reels-sockets/showitem-10697-72718.aspx

[Nigel]

Good beta, cheers for this boios. I think I got confused by Google, which brings up vast quantities of stuff about specialist outdoor electrical cable, but it all seems to be US based, which has different electicity which don't take no backtalk off those terrorist suckers, but goes postal in the rain. It looks like in this country you just use any old cable. Bargain.

[slackline]

Good beta, cheers for this boios. I think I got confused by Google, which brings up vast quantities of stuff about specialist outdoor electrical cable, but it all seems to be US based,

Try http://www.google.co.uk and selecting the ickle button underneath that says "pages from the UK" if you want more homely results in the future.

[Monolith]

Screwfix seem to have ceased supply of the freestanding lights. Give them a bell and ask for some advice. They're sometimes quite helpful.