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What is a commando socket and do I need one?

A commando socket is the everyday name for a round, weatherproof industrial-style socket that takes a matching locking plug, often used outdoors for caravans, motorhomes and some hot tubs. Fitting one usually means new wiring from the fuse board, so it is a job for a registered electrician.

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By the QuoteZila editorial team. Editorial policy.

What is a commando socket?

"Commando" is a trade nickname, not a product name. It describes the round industrial-style sockets and plugs you see on campsites, building sites and event stages. The plug pushes in and twists or latches, and the socket has a hinged, spring-loaded cover that closes when nothing is plugged in. They are colour-coded, and the blue type is the one most people meet, because it is the type used for caravan and motorhome hook-ups.

You may also see them called industrial sockets, hook-up sockets or by the number of the British and European standard they are made to. Whatever the label, the plug on your lead has to match the socket: a different colour or pin layout will not fit, which is deliberate.

QuoteZila is starting in Cheshire, with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach among the first towns, and anyone in the UK can post a job. This page explains what to ask an electrician about a commando socket at home. It does not tell you how to fit one.

Where might a home use one?

Most homes never need one. The common reasons people ask about them are:

  • A caravan or motorhome on the drive. A hook-up point lets you charge the leisure battery or run the fridge before a trip, using the same lead you use on site.
  • A hot tub. Some tubs come with a plug that suits an ordinary socket, and others need a dedicated supply. The tub's own instructions say which.
  • A workshop, garage or garden room. Some power tools and heaters come with industrial plugs.
  • Events and outdoor equipment. Marquees, catering trailers and some garden machinery use them too.

If you are not sure which case you are in, take a photo of the plug on the equipment and its rating plate. That is the single most useful thing to send an electrician.

Why is this a job for an electrician?

An outdoor socket for a caravan or a hot tub is not just a socket on the wall. The electrician has to work out the load, the length and route of the cable, how the cable is protected outside, what protection the circuit needs at the fuse board, and whether the existing board can take another circuit.

Much of that is building regulations territory. The Planning Portal says that in England a complete new circuit counts as notifiable work, as does replacing a consumer unit, and that work in the spaces around baths and showers is notifiable too [S1]. It says a registered installer can self-certify notifiable work, and that if the installer is not registered, building control has to be told before the work starts [S1]. GOV.UK says that when your project needs approval and you would rather not apply yourself, you can use a tradesperson registered with a competent person scheme [S2].

Even small electrical jobs that are not notifiable still have to be done properly. The Planning Portal says non-notifiable work must still meet the wiring standard BS 7671, and that a qualified electrician doing it should give you a Minor Works Certificate [S3].

There are no DIY steps on this page. Do not open the fuse board, add a circuit or wire a socket outdoors yourself.

Electrical Safety First: find a registered electrician; NICEIC; NAPIT. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.

You can look up a registered electrician through Electrical Safety First, the NICEIC or NAPIT.

What to tell the electrician

A clear first message saves a site visit that ends in "I'll need to come back". Include:

  1. What it is for. Caravan, motorhome, hot tub, workshop or something else, and the make and model if you have it.
  2. The plug. A photo of the plug and the label on the equipment showing what it draws.
  3. Where the socket should go. On the house wall, on a post by the drive, or in an outbuilding, and roughly how far that is from the fuse board.
  4. The route. Whether a cable could run inside, along a wall, or would need to go underground across a garden.
  5. The fuse board. A photo of the board with the cover closed, so they can see its age and whether it has spare ways.
  6. Timing. Whether you need it before a particular trip or delivery date.

Ask each electrician to say in writing what certificate they will give you at the end, and whether the price includes any work on the fuse board, digging or making good.

How to compare quotes

Prices for this job vary with the cable run and the state of the fuse board, so this page does not print a figure. When you compare written quotes, check that each one covers:

  • the same socket position and the same cable route
  • any new protective devices or changes at the fuse board
  • trenching, ducting or fixings outside, and who fills any trench afterwards
  • testing and the certificate, and how the work will be signed off
  • whether VAT is included

A quote that leaves out the fuse board or the outdoor cable protection is not a lower price for the same job. It is a smaller job. Ask why it differs before you choose.

Jobs you might post

These are examples, not taken from real job posts.

  • "Need a blue hook-up socket on the front of the house for a touring caravan. Fuse board is in the hallway, about six metres from the drive."
  • "New hot tub arriving next month. Manufacturer says it needs a dedicated supply. Garden is behind the house, board is in the garage."
  • "Garage workshop needs an industrial socket for a welder. Would like advice on whether the existing supply can take it."

Get quotes from electricians

Describe the equipment, where the socket should go and your postcode. Up to five matched local businesses can send you a quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].

Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.

Posting a job is not open yet

See our electricians page and the electrician cost guide for how electricians usually set out a price. For related questions, see what a fused spur is and what an EICR involves.

Questions about commando sockets

What is a commando socket used for at home?

At home it is mostly used to give a caravan or motorhome a hook-up point on the drive, to feed some hot tubs, or to power a workshop or outbuilding. The locking plug and weatherproof cover suit outdoor use better than an ordinary square-pin socket.

Can I plug a caravan into a normal household socket instead?

Running a long extension lead from a house socket to a caravan is not the same as a proper outdoor supply with the right protection. Ask an electrician to look at what the caravan or tub needs and to suggest a safe way to supply it, rather than improvising with leads and adaptors.

Does fitting a commando socket need building regulations approval?

It depends on the work. The Planning Portal says that in England a complete new circuit is notifiable, and that a registered installer can self-certify it, while other routes mean telling building control before work starts. Ask the electrician which applies and what certificate you will get.

Do I need a registered electrician for a commando socket?

For anything involving a new circuit, yes, that is the sensible route. GOV.UK says that if the work needs approval you can hire a tradesperson registered with a competent person scheme instead of applying yourself. This page gives no steps for doing the wiring yourself.

Does QuoteZila check the businesses?

No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.

This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.

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Sources

  1. QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and jobs-for-tradesmen copy.
  2. QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ and app README.
  3. S1: Electrics: building regulations general information, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations-general-information
  4. S2: Building regulations approval, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval
  5. S3: Electrics: building regulations minor works, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations-minor-works