Every electrical item comes with a plug fitted these days, right? Not if it’s a pond pump, as the rules are different for outdoor sockets and permanent outdoor electrical installations.

Pond pumps are supplied in the UK with no plug fitted by law.

Part P of the government’s building regulations state that any permanently wired electrical socket fitted outside and connected to the house mains must only be installed by a qualified electrical contractor. 

If you already have permanent weatherproof outdoor sockets with armoured cable and they were installed by a qualified electrician, simply fit a three-pin plug (with correctly sized fuse,) to the pond pump’s electrical cable, plug it in and you’re away. 

If you don’t have permanent outdoor sockets and didn’t plan on paying for an electrician this weekend there is another way. Outdoor electrical kits are available which granted, will involve you drilling a hole through your wall, but plug them into an RCD and then into an indoor electrical socket that was installed by an electrician inside and you can be ok then too. 

In order to run several items of pond equipment like a pond pump, UV and pond lighting, invest in a Switch Box or junction box that you wire the items into, then run a cable from the box, through the hole in the wall, through an RCD plug, and then into a conventional socket. 

Because this is not classed as a permanent outdoor electrical installation you don’t need to be a qualified electrician for these pond electrics and you don’t need to notify your local building control.  

Plugs are available here.