Steve Hewish, Approved Electrician at Turrell Electrical Contractors, reviews the LINIAN fire-rated cable clips.
One of the biggest revolutions that we’ve seen in ‘installed’ products over the last few years has been the various metal cable/containment supports that have appeared on the market in order to help our work to comply with the latest regulations – especially around fire safety.
I’ve personally tried a number of products from different manufacturers in recent times and one of the best solutions I’ve found that will fulfil this regulation change is LINIAN’s range of cable clips.
I’ll admit that, at first, I thought the clips might be a bit of a ‘gimmick’ product. After using them in multiple different installations and scenarios, I’ve realised just how very wrong I was! This is a product that is here to stay, making the lives of electricians and data/CCTV/alarm installers much easier at the same time.
The hidden gem
The clips are so unobtrusive that I’ve had clients asking where the supports on the conduit/cable are after I’ve used these clips on the installation. It’s at this point that they realise that the clips actually blend in perfectly with the cable/containment – a welcome change from the client complaining that the conduit looks rough and stands out like a sore thumb. Instead, they have the impression that the installer takes pride in their work, and cares about the end result for the client.
As I’ve gained more experience with using the clips, I’ve found a realtime-saving application that will be a huge bonus for most electricians: you simply drill a row of holes into the item you’re looking to fix and then place the clips one-by-one into the pre-drilled holes.
This provides you with a consistent, neatly finished installation without having to go through the tedious task of unscrewing (and potentially losing) the little screws from a conduit saddle, or having to install red plugs and then counting out screws for the number of fixings required. With these LINIAN clips, all you need is the bag of fixings and an appropriately sized drill bit and the world is your oyster.
I would recommend that you wear a pair of gloves when installing or removing the clips from cable/conduit, as they have spiked prongs that hold them in place once installed and will provide an even stronger fixing.
Another nice feature with the LINIAN clips is that they’re currently produced and available to match all the popular colours and sizes of cable and conduit. They’re also coated with a salt-spray tested and UV stable finish to minimise the sort of discolouration that can occur over time in harsh environments.
Overall, I’ve been really impressed with the LINIAN fire-rated cable clips. Their design has clearly been thought out with the electrician at the forefront of the process, and they’ll provide you and your client with the added piece of mind that your installations will be compliant with the latest regulations.
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