Outdoor SWA Distribution Circuit; Can it be clipped to a FENCE?

[Colonel Hathi]

Hi SMB
Clearly a lot pf people disagree with Grantr about always using a trench.
Don't you agree though that there are customers who will - as Grantr says - always look just for the easiest/cheapest route; and leave the electrician who obliges them liable if anything later goes wrong?
In the case I was asking about, the client didn't even come back to me to discuss options; I suspect he simply went for the electrician who told him what he wanted to hear.
I should stress also that in suggesting that a trench was needed, I wasn't trying to "talk up the job" - I wasn't going to dig the trench myself anyway - it made no financial difference to me.
I know this will not be a popular suggestion but here goes ...
Why not add a special locations section to the regs at some point in the future for Gardens and/or supplies to outbuildings?
I know many people will not want to add even more stuff to the regs - but loads of people are adding power to gardens for lights, outbuildings etc and the garden is surely one of the areas of highest risk.

What do you think?

 

[SMB]

Hi.
I do agree that people want the cheapest route possible.
Safety is the important issue here.
If the fence is in sound condition then clipping a swa to it should be fine.
but........
fences do rot.
errrmm....
not many swa cables that are buried in gardens are correctly covered.
food for thought.

 

[andyb]

fences do rot.
errrmm....

So do wooden sheds,

 

[adam.h]

If the customer was going to dig the trench then what's to say you lost the work just over that factor? Are they having the garden re-done so are able to have a trench dug easily anyway?

I have seen many swa's clipped to fences along the lower beams as well as laid along the ground along the fence. I have also clipped swa to fences before. Albeit they have all been new fences and as others have said I also wouldn't do it on a run down or even a new flimsly fence.
If clipping to a fence rcd the cable as well.

There are many garden lights, like the spike spot lights that have a rubber flex that lays on the ground in flower beds, or if you use underground junction boxes you still have some degree of rubber flex on show a dog, goat, child or squirrel could chew

 

[Jamie1990]

i've done it before, see no problem with it at all, as long as it looks neat and the customer is happy.

 

[wade88]

I took it as a spoof

i thought the dramatic, "you will go to jail and be done in, sued for millions, buggered by large hairy men, be struck down by lighting, eaten by pirahnas etc" was quite funny! Thats true emphasis of a point...i like it

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Many building sites across the country have lights on temporary exterior fences.
Most are wooden, but some of the fences are the metal mesh held up by concrete block type.

 

[FAA Greenie]

I quoted on a fairly big job recently. After the quote was accepted the client asked me if i could wire up his new electric front gates. 'should be easy, there is already a power supply down there' he told me. When i started the job, i had a look for this power supply. It was 1.5mm T&E run about 50M down his picket fence to 3 outhouses supplying 5 lights and 3 twin sockets. I told him i would quote seperately for the supply to the gates and perhaps a new supply to his outhouses!

 

[Steve Wright]

On my view when you design an installation you decide what cable to use, You would also ensure the appropriate installation method is used, consider the best method for the life of the installation. The fence has a life much less than your installation by nature of the material it's made from. if you bury or catenary it is likely to last for the life of the installation. Pinning on Walls is more robust as long as you have assessed the probability of physical damage.

 

[Farmelectrics]

its ok to clip to fence done it myself clipped direct method thats quoated in bs 7671