Conduit & Fittings Battle Creek MI

Electric Metallic Tubing (EMT), Intermediate Metal Conduit (IMC) and Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC) make up the metallic offerings for use as raceway systems for electrical wiring in residential, commercial and industrial occupancies. The difference between each resides in their thickness and strength. EMT and Rigid steel conduit are the most common types of conduit used in non-residential construction.

"For reason of cost and ease of installation, EMT is most commonly used," says David R. Burnette, national sales manager-electrical division, Wheatland Tube Co.

However, Burnette points out that rigid conduit offers additional protection from physical damage. It is also used where there is a need to have hot dipped galvanized product for additional corrosion protection.

Nonmetallic liquid-tight conduit is suitable for a variety of applications where extra flexibility and moisture protection are needed. Another nonmetallic conduit, High density polyethylene (HDPE), is commonly used in telecommunications cabling and trenchless applications. Non-metallic offerings include Type B PVC conduit, Type B PVC tubing, Type A conduit and Nylon Liquidtight tubing.

When choosing non-metallic conduit, it is important to ask about temperature rating to ensure the conduit is designed to withstand extreme temperatures, light exposure for UV resistance and direct-burial and water exposure ratings.

Choosing the right conduit for the right application is often a matter of knowing the environment in which it will be installed in and the type of cabling that will run through the conduit; however, when in doubt about whether the choice of conduit or fitting is correct for the application, consult the NEC.

After these choices are made, it's important to plan ahead even further. Contractors can save time and labor simply by planning when conduit is delivered and installed.

Burnette illustrates, "On multi-story buildings, the contractor may wait until the last minute and send the conduit up via the construction elevator to the upper floor for installation. By planning ahead, the material can be sent up by crane before the building's walls are even on the building. This reduces the amount of time spent moving conduit and can even result in the possibility of using longer length conduit for some projects."

Just like most other electrical products, even conduit is taking part in the green movement. According to the Steel Recycling Institute, many conduit manufacturers use recycled steel in their conduit and tubing products.

While conduit currently is not recognized as an LEED-certified product, its 'green' aspects are certainly there. When conduit is finally discarded at the end of its long service life, it is virtually completely recyclable.

Fittings for conduit are made up of elbows, nipples, couplings and conduit bodies. Elbows are bent sections of conduit or tubing used to change raceway direction or bypass obstructions. Nipples are short lengths of conduit or tubing used to extend a conduit system. They are often used to connect conduit with items such as fittings, boxes, enclosures. Couplings are located on one end of RMC and IMC conduit to connect conduit runs together.

Current trends in conduit and fitting products that are making contractors jobs easier include color-coded conduit and fittings for easier identification, length markings on conduit to help facilitate cutting in the field, and while the standard length for conduit is 10-feet, longer lengths are now offered by some manufacturers to reduce inventory and speed up installation.

Some manufactures even offer customized conduit, in which the conduit is cut to your specifications and numbered for easy assembly on the jobsite, significantly reducing installation time.