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Are the surface-mounted wires placed in raceways or are they just stapled directly to the wall? Doesn't that expose the wires to potential damage?

Here, when people do surface mount wiring, they either put individual wires in raceways or conduit attached to the wall.

Conduit is used IN walls, not ON walls.

You see: cables are in danger when they are in the wall. Someone might put a nail in them, drill into them or something like that.

Surface mounted, they are perfectly safe. In fact, one of the popular cable types is only approved for visible surface mount. The reason for this is simple: to give the cable a nicer apperance they have cut down on the insulation and up until two years ago the metal shield was ungrounded. Then the European harmonization forced them to add a thin ground wire to the shield. You're not allowed to use it as equipment ground, it's only there to ground the shield. (The electric safety authorities ensure that it is safe to ground it: There is a thin layer of plastic around the shield which prevents anyone from touching it.)

The rest of the world seem to do everything backwards! I learn that Americans put the cable on the wall and then staple it. [Linked Image] We do it the other way round: First hammer in the staples, then put the cable in the staples! (You use pliers to fold the staples around the cable)

[Linked Image from i.kth.se]

[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 10-14-2002).]