Pad or joint needed on electrical conduit?

[wessroy]

Anyone know code/requirements for concrete work and putting pad/joints around electric and cable conduit (main supply on exterior of house)?

Had a guy come lay a slab of concrete out our back door which happens to be where electric and fiber optic cable main source to the house comes in. The main line electric and meter box are here, and he didn’t put any pad or foam or insulation around the conduit on any of it, not even the main electric supply conduit.

Anyone know the code on whether he was required to put padding around it, and against the walls? I’m worried as the slab settles it’s going to put too much pressure and weight on the meter box and pull it out of the wall.

I wasn’t happy with the way he did this, he said it’s all up to code and nothing wrong with it at all.

 

[Zeke]

I'm not going to compliment him on his finishing skills. Was this discussed beforehand? If not, that's the way I've seen it done all along. Footings are different.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Ive never seen padding placed in that manner. Sometimes thin foam is wrapped around the conduits but that isnt to stop the concrete from pulling on the conduit

 

[Joemctag]

Ive never seen padding placed in that manner. Sometimes thin foam is wrapped around the conduits but that isnt to stop the concrete from pulling on the conduit

Don’t think it’s required, but I’m like you and do it. You could honeycomb around them a couple inches clear, break out the concrete, wrap and patch with just about any concrete or grout product. Honeycomb with a hammer drill. Can rent.

 

[signcrafter]

We always wrap with expansion. Concrete moves. Not sure if it will do any harm to the conduit but it's easy to wrap and ensures no issues. Most new conduit they put a slip fitting in to allow for movement.

 

[wessroy]

I'm not going to compliment him on his finishing skills. Was this discussed beforehand? If not, that's the way I've seen it done all along. Footings are different.

I thought it was clear and discussed. He said he changed his mind when he didn’t think code required it. I’m not sure about it.

 

[wessroy]

We always wrap with expansion. Concrete moves. Not sure if it will do any harm to the conduit but it's easy to wrap and ensures no issues. Most new conduit they put a slip fitting in to allow for movement.

My friend works for local power company (XCel energy) and he told me he has to resecure boxes of repair connection where conduit pulls out. Concrete moves and always settles, what it doesn’t do is stay in place or rise.

 

[Zeke]

I thought it was clear and discussed. He said he changed his mind when he didn’t think code required it. I’m not sure about it.

I bet he changed his mind when he didn't have the material to wrap.

Disclaimer: I live in SoCal and always have I don't know how things are commonly done where things freeze. We never have freezing.

 

[mikedodge]

I've seen it through concrete like that before and never seen issues. It's not like the concrete is going to move by much and if it's going to shrink its also going to loose its hold on the conduit.
The guy who did the work should have known the situation and how the install should or shouldn't have been done.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I'm not sure why concrete guys seem to hate any type of expansion joint or material. The two times I hired concrete work done I wrapped pipes or conduit coming through the slab. Both times I caught the workers taking it off when they thought I wasn't paying attention. They grumbled when I put it back and told them to leave it.