Conduit bends for large conductor power feed?

[Innovate1]

For large conductors such as the run from meter to main panel or panel to garage sub panel it seems like LBs would require too small a bend radius to be allowed as well as being next to impossible to get the stiff wire into. Are the choices a 90 sweep or a box big enough to allow the needed radius? How is this normally handled when a fairly tight bend is needed like going from an outside meter base to a panel directly below it inside? There isn't enough offset for a sweep 90 unless the panel is shimmed out substantially.

 

[Jim greengo]

Depends on the situation,sometimes it takes a combination of an lb and a 90.

 

[awdblazer]

it takes experience with lbs to stuff wire in it

 

[AntonLargiader]

My shop is fed with 250MCM through 2.5" conduit with two LBs.

 

[Terry D]

LB's can be a pain in the ***, especially if the are back to back. So you are saying the panel is below the meter socket, and you are set on running conduit and not a SEU/SER cable. You could oversize the conduit or just oversize the LB's with bushings. If you just talking about a 200 amp service and using 4/0 aluminum, aluminum bends easier, you will have no problem. Install 2 1/2 conduit if you want. They do make large sweep 90's, but that is for underground applications. What to remember about this, if there is a LB on the out side, and a 90 on the inside going down to the panel. The panel might set out from the wall due to the radius of the 90.

 

[MattT]

going from an outside meter base to a panel directly below it inside?

A short simple run like that an LB will be easy to deal with because the wires can be pushed individually. Longer runs where the wires have to be handled as a bundle can be a pain though.

Also going one size up on the conduit makes life easier with LBs.

 

[Innovate1]

Situation for meter to panel (I think) will be out of the meter box back side through the rim joist and then down into the top of the panel. For the current house I used a regular sweep 90 PVC - think it was 2" with copper. I remember bending the copper just to line up with the lugs was some work. Used the hole in the handle of an adjustable wrench that was smooth to get some leverage as I recall.

Using cable without conduit is something I hadn't considered until recently. Conduit seems good for protection but with it not on the outside of the building and in a wall inside it is pretty well protected without conduit.

Run to garage is still an issue if I want to run in conduit but I can upsize for more room and the smaller conductors will be much easier to deal with. Had planned to run in conduit the whole way but the soil is just clay and the utility feed is not in conduit so that suggests maybe I should skip the conduit.

 

[alfredeneuman]

There are mogul conduit bodies available too, but expensive and harder to source.
https://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/cata.../mogul-conduit-bodies-and-pulling-elbows.html

 

[ard]

There are mogul conduit bodies available too, but expensive and harder to source.
https://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/cata.../mogul-conduit-bodies-and-pulling-elbows.html

Interesting. The BUB in a 2" size will give you a 90 degree bend in (approx) 9.5 inches, near as I can tell.