Corrosion resistant grounds lighting for a seaside villa, west of Anzali

The brief

A villa a few hundred metres from the shore whose garden and path lighting had all but failed after two winters. The fittings had filled with water, the screws had rusted solid, and the house RCD tripped every rainy night. The grounds lighting was fed from the same circuit as the indoor sockets.

How it was done

1. 01 Insulation testing to find the water-filled boxes that were tripping the RCD
2. 02 Grounds lighting moved to its own circuit and RCD so an outdoor fault no longer darkens the house
3. 03 IP66 fittings in painted aluminium or UV stable polycarbonate housings
4. 04 Stainless steel screws, brackets and posts, with a sealed gland on every cable entry
5. 05 New buried cable in protective duct, and terminations in sealed boxes with dielectric grease
6. 06 Lighting controlled by photocell and timer, so the villa is lit at night even when empty
7. 07 An annual visit scheduled to open the boxes and check the terminations

The outcome

The grounds lighting ran through the following winter without a failure, and the house RCD stopped tripping on rainy nights. At the annual visit, the boxes were dry inside and the terminations free of oxidation.