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An electrical conduit is a purpose-designed electrical piping system used for protection and routing of electrical wiring. Electrical conduit may be made of metal, plastic, fibre, or fired clay. Flexible conduit is available for special purposes.

Conduit is generally installed by electricians at the site of installation of electrical equipment. Its use, form, and installation details are often specified by wiring regulations, such as the U.S. NEC or other national or local code.

Early electric lighting installations made use of existing gas pipe to gas light fixtures (converted to electric lamps). Since this technique provided very good protection for interior wiring, it was extended to all types of interior wiring and by the early 20th century purpose-built couplings and fittings were manufactured for electrical use.

Comparison with other wiring methods

Electrical conduit provides very good protection to enclosed conductors from impact, moisture, and chemical vapors. Varying numbers, sizes, and types of conductors can be pulled into a conduit, which simplifies design and construction compared to multiple runs of cables or the expense of customised composite cable. Wiring systems in buildings are subject to frequent alterations. Frequent wiring changes are made simpler and safer through the use of electrical conduit, as existing conductors can be withdrawn and new conductors installed, with little disruption along the path of the conduit. A conduit system can be made waterproof or submersible. Metal conduit can be used to shield sensitive circuits from electromagnetic interference, and also can prevent emission of such interference from enclosed power cables.

When installed with proper sealing fittings, a conduit will not permit the flow of flammable gases and vapors, which provides protection from fire and explosion hazard in areas handling volatile substances.

Some types of conduit types are approved for direct encasement in concrete. This is commonly used in commercial buildings to allow electrical and communication outlets to be installed in the middle of large open areas. For example, retail display cases and open-office areas use floor-mounted conduit boxes to connect power and communications cables.

Both metal and plastic conduit can be bent at the job site to allow a neat installation without excessive numbers of manufactured fittings. This is particularly advantageous when following irregular or curved building profiles.

The cost of conduit installation is higher than other wiring methods due to the cost of materials and labour. In applications such as residential construction, the high degree of physical damage protection is not required so the expense of conduit is not warranted. Conductors installed within conduit cannot dissipate heat as readily as those installed in open wiring, so the current capacity of each conductor must be reduced (Ampacity Derating) if many are installed in one conduit. It is impractical, and prohibited by wiring regulations, to have more than 360 degrees of total bends in a run of conduit, so special outlet fittings must be provided to allow conductors to be installed without damage in such runs. While metal conduit can be used as a grounding conductor, the circuit length is limited. A long run of conduit as grounding conductor will not allow proper operation of overcurrent devices on a fault, for example.

Types of conduit

Conduit systems are classified by the wall thickness of tubing, mechanical stiffness of the tubing, and material used to make the tubing. Tubing with thicker walls in the same material offers better protection from impact, but increases the weight and cost of the conduit and also increases labor cost to install the system.

Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC)

Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC) is a thick threaded tubing, usually made of coated steel, though it may be aluminum. Thicker-walled than IMC.

Rigid Nonmetallic Conduit (RNC)

Rigid Nonmetallic Conduit (RNC) is a non-metallic unthreaded tubing.

Galvanized rigid conduit (GRC)

Galvanized rigid conduit (GRC) is galvanized steel tubing, with a tubing wall that is thick enough to allow it to be threaded. Its common applications are in commercial and industrial construction.

Electrical metallic tubing (EMT)

Electrical metallic tubing (EMT), sometimes called thin-wall, is commonly used instead of galvanised rigid conduit (GRC), as it is less costly and lighter than GRC. EMT is not threaded. Lengths of conduit are connected to each other and to equipment with clamp-type fittings. Like GRC, EMT is more common in commercial and industrial buildings than in residential applications. EMT is generally made of coated steel, though it may be aluminum.

Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing (ENT)

Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing (ENT) is a thin-walled corrugated tubing that is moisture-resistant and flame retardant. It is pliable such that it can be bent by hand and is often flexible although the fittings are not. It is not threaded due to its corrugated shape although the fittings might be.

Flexible Metallic Conduit (FMC)

Flexible Metallic Conduit (FMC) is made through the coiling of a self-interlocked ribbed strip of aluminum or steel, forming a hollow tube through which wires can be pulled. FMC is used primarily in dry areas where it would be impractical to install EMT or other non-flexible conduit, yet where metallic strength to protect conductors is still required. The flexible tubing does not maintain any permanent bend.

Cutting FMC requires a specialized hand tool with a rotary abrasive disc to creates a small incision into the ribbing so that a twisting motion separates the segments. The disc cuts deep enough to sever the armor coil but not so deep that it could damage the inside conductors.

Short segments of FMC called whips are often used as circuit "pigtails" between fixtures and a junction box, especially in suspended ceilings. Whip assemblies save a great deal of repetitive labor when installations require several pigtails for several fixtures.

Flexible metal conduit coated with a UV-resistant polymer is liquid-tight when installed with appropriate glandular fittings containing liquid-tight features such as O-rings.

Wiring regulations vary; in locales following the U.S. National Electric Code (NEC), flexible metallic conduit may serve as an equipment-grounding conductor. Other areas may require a bonding wire for equipment grounding. The bonding wire in direct contact with the interior of the conduit creates a lower resistance grounding conductor than the conduit alone.

Liquidtight Flexible Metal Conduit (LFMC)

Liquidtight Flexible Metal Conduit (LFMC) is a non-metallic and liquidtight jacket covering a flexible metal interior. The interior is similar to FMC. Originally designed and manufactured by Kopex International

Flexible Metallic Tubing (FMT)

Flexible Metallic Tubing (FMT) is a liquidtight metallic tubing but unlike LFMC, it lacks a non-metallic jacket.

Liquidtight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit (LNFC)

Liquidtight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit (LNFC) refers to several types of flame-resistant non-metallic tubing. Interior surfaces may be smooth or corrugated. There may or may not be integral reinforcement within the conduit wall. It is also known as FNMC.

Aluminium conduit

Aluminium conduit, similar to Galvanised Metal Conduit (GMC), is a rigid conduit, generally used in commercial and industrial applications, where a higher resistance to corrosion is needed. Such locations would include food processing plants, where large amounts of water and cleaning chemicals would make galvanised conduit unsuitable. Aluminium cannot be directly embedded in concrete, since the metal reacts with the alkalis in cement. The conduit may be coated to prevent corrosion by incidental contact with concrete. The extra cost of aluminium is somewhat offset by the lower labour cost to install, since a length of aluminium conduit will have about one-third the weight of an equally-sized rigid steel conduit.

Intermediate metal conduit (IMC)

Intermediate Metal Conduit (IMC) is a steel tubing heavier than EMT but lighter than RMC. It may be threaded.

PVC conduit

PVC conduit is the lightest in weight compared to other conduit materials, and usually lower in cost than other forms of conduit. In North American electrical practice, it is available in three different wall thicknesses, with the thin-wall variety only suitable for embedded use in concrete, and heavier grades suitable for direct burial and exposed work. The various fittings made for metal conduit are also made for PVC. The plastic material resists moisture and many corrosive substances, but since the tubing is non-conductive an extra bonding (grounding) conductor must be pulled into each conduit. PVC conduit may be heated and bent in the field. Joints to fittings are made with slip-on solvent-welded connections,which set up rapidly after assembly and attain full strength in about one day. Since slip-fit sections do not need to be rotated during assembly, the special union fittings used with threaded conduit (Ericson) are not required. Since PVC conduit has a higher thermal coefficient of expansion than other types, it must be mounted so as to allow for expansion and contraction of each run. Care should be taken when installing PVC underground in multiple or parallel run configurations due to mutual heating effect of cable

Other metal conduits

In extreme corrosion environments where plastic coating of the tubing is insufficient, conduits may be made from stainless steel, bronze or brass.

Underground conduit

Large diameter (more than 2 inch/50 mm) conduit may be installed underground between buildings to allow installation of power and communication cables. An assembly of these conduits, often called a duct bank, may either be directly buried in earth or encased in concrete. A duct bank will allow replacement of damaged cables between buildings or additional power and communications circuits to be added, without the expense of excavation of a trench. While metal conduit is occasionally used for burial, usually PVC, polyethlyene or polystyrene plastics are now used due to lower cost. Formerly, compressed asbestos fibre mixed with cement was used for some underground installations. Telephone and communications circuits were installed in fired-clay conduit.

Comparison of some types of conduit

Exact ratios of installation labor, weight and material cost vary depending on the size of conduit, but the values for 3/4 inch (21 metric) trade size are representative.

Fittings

Despite the similarity to pipes used in plumbing, purpose-designed fittings are used to connect conduit.

Box connectors join conduit to a junction box or other electrical box. A typical box connector is inserted into a knockout in a junction box, with the threaded end then being secured with a ring (called a lock nut) from within the box, as a bolt would be secured by a nut. The other end of the fitting usually has a screw or compression ring which is tightened down onto the inserted conduit. Fittings for non-threaded conduits are either secured with set screws or with a compression nut that encircles the conduit. Fittings for general purpose use with metal conduits may be made of die-cast zinc, but where stronger fittings are needed, they are made of copper-free aluminum or cast iron.

Couplings connect two pieces of conduit together.

Sometimes the fittings are considered sufficiently conductive to bond (electrically unite) the metal conduit to a metal junction box (thus sharing the box's ground connection); other times, grounding bushings are used which have bonding jumpers from the bushing to a grounding screw on the box.

Unlike water piping, if it the conduit is to be watertight, the idea is to keep water out, not in. In this case, the fittings have gaskets, such as the weatherhead leading from the overhead electrical mains to the electric meter.

Flexible metal conduit usually uses fittings with a clamp on the outside of the box, just like bare cables would.

Conduit bodies

A conduit body is used in electrical wiring to enable the installation of conductors (wires) being placed within a conduit. Conduit bodies are different from junction boxes: a junction box is commonly used to provide space for splicing wires, while a conduit body is only used to access wires for pulling. Conduit bodies are also commonly referred to as condulets; "condulet" is a term trademarked by Cooper Crouse-Hinds company.

Conduit bodies come in various types and moisture ratings, using different mechanical methods of securing the pipe like conduit to the body: LB, LL, LR are types where the opening is on the back, left and right, respectively. A type T ("Tee") conduit body is like the capital letter of the alphabet — a combination of an LL and LR. The type C (coaxial) conduit body is used to pull conductors in a straight run of conduit or tubing, as it makes no turn between inlet and outlet conduit opening.

"L" fittings (LB, etc.) are also to enable a 90 degree corner in the conduit where there is insufficient space to mount a full-radius 90 degree sweep (curved conduit section). "Ells" are also frequently used external to a building where a circuit passes through the wall either to underground conduit or up a wall via exterior wiring.

Other wireways

Raceway (wire molding)

This type of "decorative" conduit is designed to provide an aesthetically acceptable passageway for wiring without hiding it inside or behind a wall. This is used where additional wiring is required, but where going through a wall would be difficult or require remodeling. The conduit has an open back and is placed over the wire and secured to the surface. Plastic raceway is often used for telecom wiring, such as network cables in an older school, where it is not practical to drill through concrete block.

Advantages

• It allows one to add new wiring to an existing building without removing or cutting holes into the drywall or lath and plaster.
• It allows circuits to be easily locatable and accessible for future changes thus enabling minimum effort upgrades.

Disadvantages

• Its appearance may not be acceptable to all observers.

Trunking

The term trunking is used in the United Kingdom for electrical wireways, usually made from PVC (for mounting on walls) or metal (for embedding into walls).

Mini Trunking is a term used in the UK for small form-factor (usually 6mm to 25mm square or rectangle sectioned) PVC wire ways.

In North American practice "wire trough" or "lay-in wireways" are terms used to designate similar products, but these are never used enclosed in masonry or a wall.

Passive fire protection

Conduit is of relevance to both firestopping, where they become penetrants, and fireproofing, where circuit integrity measures can be applied on the outside to keep the internal cables operational during an accidental fire. The British standard BS476 also considers internal fires, whereby the fireproofing must protect the surroundings from cable fires. Any external treatments must consider the effect upon ampacity derating.

See also

• Electrical wiring
• Cable tray
• Junction box
• Electrician
• Pipe
• Cable
• Fitting
• Circuit integrity
• Passive fire protection
• Firestop

Notes

1. R.K. Clidero Applications of Electrical Construction, General Publishing Co., Don Mills Ontario Canada, 1975, ISBN 0-7736-5011-3
2. John H. Chiang, (Ed), RS Means Electrical Cost Data 30th Annual Edition, RSMeans Construction Publishers, Kingston MA USA, 2007, ISBN 0-87629-856-0
3. Cauldwell 2002:109.
4. Mini Trunking PVC White 25 x 16mm Pack of 20 - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys

Bibliography

• Cauldwell, Rex (2002). Wiring a House (For Pros By Pros). Newtown, CT, USA: Taunton Press. ISBN 1-56158-527-0.

External links

• NEMA: National Electrical Manufacturers Association
• IBEW: International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers
• NECA: National Electrical Contractors Association

• Cables
• Electrical wiring