Outside lighting and cable run around a lake

I get customers that think you can just magic cables into position without disruption sometimes as well. Not much help here though.  What about a mole. What sort of distances are you looking at.

Gary

if its traditional  lamp posts, then overhead cable between them may be possible.
SWA is OK above-ground regs wise but in practice is  prone to damage if it can be driven or walked over, and if you are not careful even if when tacked up to concrete posts or a fence it can end up looking like railway track-side wiring, which may not really be the customer's intention...  

It might be worth considering a mix of exposed on fences or similar and shallow burial under paving slabs or similar 

As above moles, either the slit-plough kind or the two trenches air  impact hammer kind  can be very good, but you need to know what is already underground there to avoid it, and putting the catch trench for the impact kind in the right place is a bit of a knack. . There are companies that specialise in putting ducting in that way but its not as simple as hiring the kit and assuming that it always works.

Solar lights might be an option, but not if any real brightness or reliability is required.

Mike

Thanks for the reply Gary and Mike, very helpful. it’s the usual client response. I need it done yesterday so a mole being a brilliant solution but not time practical. I was unsure if SWA would be compliant in this scenario , as, with the regs, they leave it slightly open to your judgment, saying it must be protected from impact ect ect .. I will need to think on this some more and possible quote with SWA direct on floor with visible markings at certain points, it will come up to posted and glanded every 10m or so to go to a spike light too, so it will be visible, I may also, put a risk assessment in and a document that the client signs to show they have been explained all the risks? Again, many thanks for your replies

Are they talking about chucking the SWA on the ground an leaving it there? The chances are that a lawnmower or brush cutter won't penetrate the armour. But after shredding the outer sheath and scraping the armour, there's a risk of it turning to rust armoured cable after a few years.

Having seen SWA buried under an inch or so of soil a couple of years after it had been laid on the surface it is not a solution I would recommend especially if, as in this case, the armour had not been connected to any earth. Apart from lawn mowers there is the possible damage to the sheath by  sharp toothed fauna.

If visibility on the ground is a problem, you might consider using fp500 red swa

There are plenty of places with cables are routed across the ground by design - pop festivals, building sites, funfairs and fixed  sites like Alton Towers come to mind, but the installations are temporary or at least short-lived, and where they are not , they are supervised - and even then stuff regularly gets broken and needs  checking and replacing on the hoof . For crossing paths  there are drive-over cable guards that are rather like a traffic calming ramp.

None of it is as robust as a proper underground installation and that will be reflected in the operational life and mean time between failures.

Mike.

Worth considering Extra-Low Voltage (ELV) systems like 12V or 24V or 36V DC.  36V would be for long cable run to offset the volt drop, don't forget to check the cable size for the longer runs as well

Install solar rechargeable bollard lights.

Running cables around lakes and through areas with lots of tree roots can be tricky. I would recommend you be looking at SWA cable buried at the correct depth with warning tape or using ducting where future access or root movement is likely. Also consider voltage drop if the lighting runs are long. further more if you are using smart lighting or controllers, make sure any Wi-Fi devices still have reliable router coverage around the property, as large outdoor areas often create weak signal spots.