Does underground PVC conduit get glued?

[MushCreek]

I was planning on gluing my PVC conduit that I'm going to bury from the house to the barn. A friend of mine says not to bother. Pros? Cons? One thing I wonder about is water standing in the conduit. I had a shop with an underground phone line. The PVC conduit was constantly full of water- I assume from condensation, as both ends of the conduit were terminated out of the weather. I had to replace the phone line periodically as the water would eventually compromise it. If I don't glue the conduit, yes, ground water can get in- and get out. Thoughts? Does Code address this?

 

[Average_Joe]

Just glue it.

 

[Speedy Petey]

Anyone that says don't glue electrical conduit has NO idea what they are talking about.

You do not need primer, but you absolutely need to glue it. Yes, water will get in, it's expected, but this is why we need to use wet rated conductors and cables. If you need to replace your phone line so often then you are definitely using the wrong cable. They have direct bury phone cable, that never needs to be replaced unless it is physically damaged, because it is rated for the environment.

 

[pepi]

I would think common sense would tell most yes that is a good idea.

 

[bry@n]

Underground phone lines have a gel coating on it. Generally you don't even need to put it in a conduit. So I would run it along side the pipe unless you're concerned with it getting crushed.

I'd glue it personally.

 

[MushCreek]

This isn't for phone line; I was just relaying the experience I had. This will be power lines that are rated direct-bury; I just prefer to put it in conduit.

 

[Norcal]

Needs to be glued.

 

[Cmreschke]

Yes to be glued.

 

[aircommuter]

Conduit is best, glued is a must. I once worked for a large utility company when underground was just starting and they tried direct bury. It was a big mistake for several reasons.
The wire you use can make a difference too as (thwn) is the water proof variety.
Check the the conduit picture in my shop construction photos to see the many uses.

 

[matt_i]

Glue.

In general things that "save time" on a building project ("you don't need to do that!") are some way of doing a lesser quality job.

 

[G_P]

Glue it. Just slapping it together is likely to result in a conduit full of roots after a while.

 

[Mr_fixit]

with friends like that...


Glue it. Water gave you a problem with your phone wire since you didn't use the right type of wire. You should be using a direct bury type line.

 

[CNGsaves]

Glue It and don't pull any wire until glue completely dry is what I've read.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Anyone that says don't glue electrical conduit has NO idea what they are talking about.

You do not need primer, but you absolutely need to glue it. Yes, water will get in, it's expected, but this is why we need to use wet rated conductors and cables. If you need to replace your phone line so often then you are definitely using the wrong cable. They have direct bury phone cable, that never needs to be replaced unless it is physically damaged, because it is rated for the environment.

 

[checkthisout]

I didn't glue but should.

I think not gluing probably let's fine dirt infiltrate the pipe over time.

Hard to when you're feeding the pipe over the wire....

 

[larry4406]

I didn't glue but should.

I think not gluing probably let's fine dirt infiltrate the pipe over time.

Hard to when you're feeding the pipe over the wire....

I think that is why you pull the wire thru the glued conduit with a pull rope/tugger vs slipping the conduit over the wire as you go...

 

[Falcon67]

Prime and glue like it was going to run water.

 

[Norcal]

The conduit needs to be completely installed prior to pulling any wire by code.

 

[roguegts]

Prime and glue like it was going to run water.

Yep, treat it like an irrigation line. It takes almost no time, why not?

 

[MushCreek]

I might assemble the straight run, thread the cable through it, then thread the elbows on and throw it in the ditch. 2/2/2/4 could be pretty hard to pull without equipment. I remember pulling huge service through conduit one place I worked. We used the fork lift to pull it, and it was still a struggle!

No one will be there to see if the conduit was fully assembled and in place before the cable was pulled.

 

[checkthisout]

I think that is why you pull the wire thru the glued conduit with a pull rope/tugger vs slipping the conduit over the wire as you go...

Yeah I know but that means a lot of extra steps. I did it that way for my service entrance line of course but when you're just pulling some 14-2 for a chicken coop or lamp post.....

 

[Trey T]

I would glue it. However, the standing water is a totally different issue. The ends need to be terminated properly to prevent water from coming in.

 

[checkthisout]

I would glue it. However, the standing water is a totally different issue. The ends need to be terminated properly to prevent water from coming in.

Water gets in no matter what. Doesn't matter how it's terminated.

 

[MushCreek]

The conduit for my shop's phone line was terminated inside a building on one end, and under a big overhang, and inside an electrical box on the other. No way rain got in, and FL soil is pure sand, and I know the water table wasn't that high. I assume it was condensation from the humid air. It was always full of water, even after I sucked it out with a shop vac. Within a couple weeks, it was full again. I never was able to find a decent phone cable. The cheap stuff lasted about 6 months; I got 2 years out of some more expensive stuff.

 

[Trey T]

Water gets in no matter what. Doesn't matter how it's terminated.

How? I'm talking about rain water, not condensate.

 

[Cmreschke]

How? I'm talking about rain water, not condensate.

Because electrical pvc is not designed as sealed. It is glued but will still weep water from the ground. We don't prime our pipe like plumbers do, and our pipe fits just a tad looser than plumbing pvc.

 

[checkthisout]

How? I'm talking about rain water, not condensate.

What difference does it make? Either way it gets water in it.

 

[Speedy Petey]

What difference does it make? Either way it gets water in it.

Exactly. Don't understand why this is so hard to grasp.

Inside an underground conduit is by definition a wet location. Doesn't matter how or why.

 

[Speedy Petey]

Prime and glue like it was going to run water.

No need for this. Primer is not necessary. This is electrical conduit, not plumbing.

 

[Norcal]

No need for this. Primer is not necessary. This is electrical conduit, not plumbing.

It's not, but the bond seems to be better, one of those things where you are not wrong because primer was not used, there is a lot of PVC conduit out there that was installed without primer, but it's also fine if you do.

Puppies and kittens will still be born blind, the world will not end. What can be done wrong is glue wet and/or dirty joints or not use glue at all.

 

[checkthisout]

They make conduit that has the "primer" already in it.

For that reason, it takes longer to dry but it works fine.

Primer is just acetone and mek. It softens the plastic before you apply the glue to it. The combo glue just has more mek and acetone in it and for that reason it takes longer to cure.

 

[rodm1]

It definitely will get water in it. On one of the electrician boards some said they make a small hole then add stone in the low areas.

 

[sberry]

How big is the pipe, the number 2 can be pulled by hand thru 1 1/2, 2 inch is easy.

 

[Junkman]

Water gets in no matter what. Doesn't matter how it's terminated.

I installed a weather head at the top of the conduit, where it goes up the pole, and have never had any water in any of my conduits. I know this because of the elevation from where its first bend is to go to the garage is about 10' higher than where it terminates in the garage. If there were water in that conduit, it would have leaked out into the electrical box, and dripped onto the floor. That is specifically why I used a weather head at the pole, and when the electric company hooked up the wires, they created a drip loop below the weather head, as I requested. The telephone company and the cable company also did the same. I learned from the bad experiences of my neighbors.

 

[MushCreek]

My conduit is 2"; I'm pulling a little over 100' The POCO left me a roll of flat nylon pull tape they use, so I have something to pull with. A little liquid soap works wonders, too.

 

[checkthisout]

I installed a weather head at the top of the conduit, where it goes up the pole, and have never had any water in any of my conduits. I know this because of the elevation from where its first bend is to go to the garage is about 10' higher than where it terminates in the garage. If there were water in that conduit, it would have leaked out into the electrical box, and dripped onto the floor. That is specifically why I used a weather head at the pole, and when the electric company hooked up the wires, they created a drip loop below the weather head, as I requested. The telephone company and the cable company also did the same. I learned from the bad experiences of my neighbors.

It's depends on environmental conditions as well but it most likely gets some water in it from time to time....by and by.....over the years, it just doesn't fill up at rate fast enough to spill over before it evaporates.

 

[Falcon67]

What difference does it make? Either way it gets water in it.

My 2" feed line is dry. And the 1" for data/TV was dry until I whacked the **** out of the L with the weed whacker and we then got 4" of rain in one night.

 

[Cmreschke]

I installed a weather head at the top of the conduit, where it goes up the pole, and have never had any water in any of my conduits. I know this because of the elevation from where its first bend is to go to the garage is about 10' higher than where it terminates in the garage. If there were water in that conduit, it would have leaked out into the electrical box, and dripped onto the floor. That is specifically why I used a weather head at the pole, and when the electric company hooked up the wires, they created a drip loop below the weather head, as I requested. The telephone company and the cable company also did the same. I learned from the bad experiences of my neighbors.

You have water in your conduit! Water takes its own level, water level for your install I'm pretty sure is not higher than your grade level. Water in your conduit will never on its own come gushing out of the junction box because it's not pressurized. Water level in your underground conduit will only be as high as waterlevel in the ground. Your electrical conduit is not sealed, water gets into your conduit underground and exits your conduit underground. To test this if you don't believe us pressurize your conduit at your junction box and watch some water come out at your weatherhead.

 

[checkthisout]

My 2" feed line is dry. And the 1" for data/TV was dry until I whacked the **** out of the L with the weed whacker and we then got 4" of rain in one night.

I'm going to go put my head through the drywall now.

 

[gtae07]

My conduit is 2"; I'm pulling a little over 100' The POCO left me a roll of flat nylon pull tape they use, so I have something to pull with. A little liquid soap works wonders, too.

That's exactly what I did with mine (2-2-2-4 through 100 ish feet). It was no problem at all with liberal application of wire lube (it looks like squeezable butter). Don't use soap; the correct stuff is only a couple bucks at a big box store. I pulled from one end while my wife applied the lube and fed it through the other end. Took us about 10 minutes.