No matter what you use your log cabin for, you’re probably going to what electricity. I use my cabin as a home office by day and during the evenings and weekends, my kids use the cabin as a playroom. Without electricity, it wouldn’t work as either an office or playroom.
Important: I am not an electrician, so do not take what I say below as professional advice.
How Do I Get Electricity To A Log Cabin
There is really only one answer to this question, and that is to get a professional electrician in. Who will do the job properly and safely.
There is one shortcut method and that is to use an extension lead from your house to the log cabin. This is the method I am using, but not recommending.
Using an Extension Lead To Get Power To A Log Cabin
When I was installing my log cabin I used a long extension lead from my house to the cabin. I needed the power for things like lights and power tools when I was assembling the cabin.
Once the cabin was assembled I planned on getting an electrician in to properly wire the cabin up to the mains. However, three years later, I’m still using the extension lead to provide power to the cabin. The extension lead is now powering lots of electrical items in the cabin, including computers, a games console, TV screen, computer monitors, a fan heater and a convection heater.
Everyone and everything I read tells me using the extension cable in this way is a bad idea. But, I’ve been using the extension cable this way for three years and never had any problems.
How I use the extension cable to power my log cabin
I have a 40 meter extension cable running from a plug in my kitchen. The cable runs out of the house through an unused air vent and then makes its way down to the bottom of my garden to the log cabin.
The cable is raised off the ground to try and prevent mice from chewing the cable and also to keep it away from water that collects in the garden after heavy rain.
I’ve drilled a small hole in the cabin wall for the power cable to go through into the cabin.
Safety precautions
I am not recommending using an extension cable to power a log cabin as it is not considered a safe method. I am just sharing how I have powered my log cabin with an extension for the past three years.
- Physical checks – About every three months I check the length of the cable to make sure that there is no damage. I also do random checks on the power sockets to make sure they’re not getting hot.
- Smart plug – The power socket that the extension lead plugs into in the kitchen has a smart plug. The smart plug allows me to see the power consumption \ cost and it also has a number of safety features:
1) Monitoring Load – The smart plug monitors the electrical load going through the plug. In the UK the maximum load on a power socket should be no more than 3000 watts (3kW) or 13 amps (13A). If the load reaches the maximum levels the smart plug powers off.
2) Schedule Shutdown – The smart plug has a schedule configured that turns off the power during the night when the cabin is not being used. It then turns the power back on again in the morning. - Extension cable – I’ve used a high-quality 40 meter extension cable that has heavy-duty cable and has a few safety features built-in, like thermal cut-out and it is fused.
In the years that I’ve used an extension cable to supply power to my log cabin, I’ve never experienced any problems. None of the plugs have got hot or even warm, the cable is in good shape and the power surge protection has never been triggered by the smart plug.
Professional Installation Of Electricity Supply To A Log Cabin
I have always planned on getting an electrician in to install a power supply to my log cabin. The problem is the quotes I’ve had have been over £1000 which seems a lot of money to run a power cable 30 meters and connect up both ends. Especially as the extension cable currently supplying power to my log cabin cost in the region of £50.
As with everything these days there’s quite a bit of red tape that has to be navigated when installing power to a log cabin. So, make sure that the electrician you get to do the work has all the relevant qualifications and knows about the planning regulations and certificates that have to be obtained.
