Conduit on walls questions/examples

[sberry]

Living proof you can gob on as much as you want.

 

[sparky 1971]

I prefer set screw fittings. Not for looks but they work better. It's sometimes a pita to get the pipe past the compression ring. Beyond that, I have seen waaay too many fittings that came apart. They may or may not have been properly tightened. I have never seen a set screw come loose. Seen many that didn't get tightened in the first place though. Seen lots of loose lock nuts too, but they were also probably not tightened properly either. Not a fan of handy boxes, but I do keep a couple of 2-1/8 deep on the truck because there are times where they are...handy. When running a lot of pipe , I usually use Caddy 812 supports. Some people use minneralacs (minnies), but I don't like messing with the bolts and some are even a bolt and nut. Others like one hole straps, but box offsets take time and sometimes are a ***** to make two alike. I only use one holes if matching something already there or when the pipe isn't going to be seen-no box offsets then.

 

[u2slow]

The zinc set screw connectors are ugly. I don't mind the steel ones.

Steel needs bushings, unless you get the plastic throated ones.

 

[Norcal]

Steel needs bushings, unless you get the plastic throated ones.

No requirement for that unless it's in the job specs. Unless it was written in the Urban Legend Code, right next to the no splices in panels requirement.

 

[u2slow]

No requirement for that unless it's in the job specs.

Its workmanship. Why chance skinning 1 or more wires on a long wire pull into conduit?

My Code requires raceways to be installed such that conductors can be drawn in/out without damage.

 

[EngineerNate]

Why would a setscrew connector increase the chance of skinning a wire?

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[sparky 1971]

Steel needs bushings, unless you get the plastic throated ones.

Nope. It's not rigid. Why is a steel connector more likely to skin a wire than zinc?

 

[EngineerNate]

Yeah I'm real confused here. The setscrew is on the outside of the conduit and the end to end connectors I use are pinched in the middle a bit to give the conduit a place to 'seat' which should protect the wire from any conduit edges.

On top of that, I deburr and give all of my conduit a bit of a chamfer on the inner edge using either a chamfer tool or a step drill after cutting it to length. I also run a finger around the full circumference to make sure there's no sharp edges left.

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[u2slow]

Why is a steel connector more likely to skin a wire than zinc?

Its sharper... like the rigid.

 

[sberry]

I had to try and find a picture without too many code violations. Ok, the second pic was what I was looking for but they were the first fixtures in the place. About half a dozen still there. Its a little convoluted if a guy looks real careful, can see the handi box on top of the girt allowed a 3 way split to send a wire to outdoor light and boxes both sides of the door to end that debate. The left box is gfci and also shoots thru the wall to outdoor. I looked, its now utilizes with a couple power strips to my buds electronic bench.
The first pic is a panel light and a service light over the steamer,,, which is slang for hot pressure washer.

 

[sparky 1971]

Its sharper... like the rigid.

I just went and got one off my truck. It's no sharper than an old zinc that has been laying on the floor of my shop for the last 10 years. Rigid is sharp. Cut your finger sharp. Maybe bushings are required in Canada, but not here. A wire can be skinned on a zinc connector just easy as steel. That is from operator error not letting the wire go straight in the end of the pipe. Besides that, I know of nobody that installs bushings before the wire goes in. Well, sometimes when it's a pull through box, but that doesn't happen very often.

 

[sparky 1971]

Yeah I'm real confused here. The setscrew is on the outside of the conduit and the end to end connectors I use are pinched in the middle a bit to give the conduit a place to 'seat' which should protect the wire from any conduit edges.

On top of that, I deburr and give all of my conduit a bit of a chamfer on the inner edge using either a chamfer tool or a step drill after cutting it to length. I also run a finger around the full circumference to make sure there's no sharp edges left.

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I think he means steel vs zinc.

 

[EngineerNate]

I guess he's specifically talking about conduit to box connectors. I was trying to figure out how the connection type between two lengths of conduit could possibly matter.

I've not noticed any of mine being overly sharp either. I've put in about 120' of 3/4" in the house for data and power up to the second floor from the basement. I wanted them in the same studbay so I ran conduit for the shielding.

I did however find that the zinc inserts that go inside sealtight connections can sometimes be sharp. I give them a quick hit with the step drill to give it a bit of chamfer before assembly.

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[sberry]

They didn't have a box store near here when I did this, was all a pain in the ***. Jobbers were an hour away. Over the years some got moved and removed, started screwed to a door jamb, duh, moved and clamped to building frame, some could be consolidated and blanked but no one cares. As I mention once the dust settled I could combine 3 or 4 circuits in about every panel. Where I design and build it was a little better and better utilized and not all that much more convoluted.
Where I pre plan for every what if I got a lot of extra stuff. I have steel buildings so the column points catch it all.

 

[ford33]

I have conduit mounted externally on the walls and ceiling. I like the look. I also used strut in most locations again for looks and ease of attaching conduit to walls and ceiling.