CONDUIT WIRING SYSTEM

An electrical conduit is a tube used to protect and route electrical wiring in a building or
structure. Electrical conduit may be made of metal, plastic, fiber, or fired clay. Most conduit is
rigid, but flexible conduit is used for some 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
US National Electrical Code (NEC) and other building codes.

Comparison with other Wiring Method

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 customized composite cable. Wiring systems in buildings may be 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conduit, as existing conductors can be withdrawn and new conductors installed, with little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. Non-metallic conduits resist corrosion and are light-
weight, reducing installation labor cost.

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 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. Special tube bending equipment is used to bend the conduit
without kinking or denting it.

The cost of conduit installation is higher than other wiring methods due to the cost of materials
and labor. In applications such as residential construction, the high degree of physical damage
protection may not be 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 (derated) 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.

Some types of metal conduit may also serve as a useful bonding conductor for grounding
(earthing), but wiring regulations may also dictate workmanship standards or supplemental
means of grounding for certain types. While metal conduit may sometimes be used as
a grounding conductor, the circuit length is limited. For example, a long run of conduit as
grounding conductor may have too high an electrical resistance, and not allow proper operation
of overcurrent devices on a fault.
Types of Conduit Wiring System

Conduit systems are classified by the wall thickness, mechanical stiffness, and material used to
make the tubing. Materials may be chosen for mechanical protection, corrosion resistance, and
overall cost of the installation (labor plus material cost). Wiring regulations for electrical
equipment in hazardous areas may require particular types of conduit to be used to provide an
approved installation.
Metal

Rigid metal conduit (RMC) is a thick-walled threaded tubing, usually made of coated steel,
stainless steel or aluminum.

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. It is designed to protect wire and connectors.
Intermediate metal conduit (IMC) is a steel tubing heavier than EMT but lighter than RMC. It
may be threaded.

Electrical metallic tubing (EMT), sometimes called thin-wall, is commonly used instead of
galvanized rigid conduit (GRC), as it is less costly and lighter than GRC. EMT itself is not
threaded, but can be used with threaded fittings that clamp to it. 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.

EMT weights and dimensions (North America)

Nominal wt. per 100 feet Nominal outside Nominal wall

EMT sizing
(30 m) diameter thickness

US Metric lb. Kg in. mm in. mm

1/2 16 30 13.6 0.706 17.9 0.042 1.07

3/4 21 46 20.9 0.922 23.4 0.049 1.25

1 27 67 30.4 1.163 29.5 0.057 1.45

1
35 101 45.8 1.51 38.4 0.065 1.65
1/4

1
41 116 52.6 1.74 44.2 0.065 1.65
1/2
 2 53 148 67.1 2.197 55.8 0.065 1.65

2
63 216 98 2.875 73 0.072 1.83
1/2

3 78 263 119.3 3.5 88.9 0.072 1.83

3
91 349 158.3 4 101.6 0.083 2.11
1/2

4 103 393 178.2 4.5 114.3 0.083 2.11

EMT is available in trade sizes 1/2" through 4", and 10′ and 20′ lengths.

Some manufacturers also produce EMT in a range of colors for easy system identification.

Aluminum conduit, similar to galvanized steel conduit, is a rigid tube, 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 galvanized conduit unsuitable. Aluminum 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. Aluminum conduit is generally lower cost
than steel in addition to having a lower labor cost to install, since a length of aluminum conduit
will have about one-third the weight of an equally-sized rigid steel conduit.
Non-metal

Plastic tubing for use as

electrical conduit

PVC conduit has long been considered the lightest in weight compared to steel 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. Most
of the various fittings made for metal conduit are also available in PVC form. 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, by using special heating tools designed for the purpose.

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 (such as Ericson)
are not required. Since PVC conduit has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than other
types, it must be mounted 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 densely packed cables, because the conduit will deform when heated.
Reinforced thermosetting resin conduit (RTRC) or fiberglass conduit is light in weight
compared to metallic conduits, which contributes to lower labor costs. It is sometimes referred to
as FRE which stands for "fiberglass reinforced epoxy", however this term is a legally registered
trademark of FRE Composites. It may also provide lower material cost. RTRC conduit can be
used in a variety of indoor and outdoor applications. Fiberglass conduit is available in multiple
wall thicknesses to suit various applications and has a support distance very similar to steel. High
temperature, low smoke, no flame, classified area (Class I Division 2), and zero halogen versions
are also manufactured for specialty applications such as subway tunnels and stations and in the
US can meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 130 requirements. Like other non-
metallic conduits, a bonding conductor may be required for grounding. Joints are epoxy-glued,
which requires some installation labor and time for joints to set. RTRC conduit may not be bent
in the field and appropriate fittings must be used to change directions, nor is RTRC conduit
approved to support luminaires.

Rigid nonmetallic conduit (RNC) is a non-metallic unthreaded smooth-walled tubing.

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 some fittings
might be.
Flexible

Flexible metallic conduit used in an

underground parking facility
Flexible conduits are used to connect to motors or other devices where isolation from vibration is
useful, or where an excessive number of fittings would be needed to use rigid connections.
Electrical codes may restrict the length of a run of some types of flexible conduit.

Flexible metallic conduit (FMC, informally called greenfield or flex) is made by

the helical 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, and can
flex freely.

FMC may be used as an equipment grounding conductor if specific provisions are met regarding
the trade size and length of FMC used, depending on the amperage of the circuits contained in
the conduit. In general, an equipment grounding conductor must be pulled through the FMC with
an ampacity suitable to carry the fault current likely imposed on the largest circuit contained
within the FMC.

Liquidtight flexible metal conduit (LFMC) is a metallic flexible conduit covered by a

waterproof plastic coating. The interior is similar to FMC.

Flexible metallic tubing (FMT; North America) is not the same as flexible metallic conduit
(FMC) which is described in US National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 348. FMT is a raceway,
but not a conduit and is described in a separate NEC Article 360. It only comes in 1/2" & 3/4"
trade sizes, whereas FMC is sized 1/2" ~ 4" trade sizes. NEC 360.2 describes it as: "A raceway
that is circular in cross section, flexible, metallic and liquidtight without a nonmetallic jacket."

Liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit (LFNC) refers to several types of flame-resistant non-
metallic tubing. Interior surfaces may be smooth or corrugated. There may be integral
reinforcement within the conduit wall. It is also known as FNMC.
Underground

Conduit may be installed underground between buildings, structures, or devices 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 (sometimes with
reinforcing rebar to aid against shear forces). Alternatively, a duct bank may be installed in
a utility tunnel. A duct bank will allow replacement of damaged cables between buildings or
additional power and communications circuits to be added, without the expense of re-excavation
of a trench. While metal conduit is occasionally used for burial,
usually PVC, polyethylene or polystyrene plastics are now used due to lower cost, easier
installation, and better resistance to corrosion.

Formerly, compressed asbestos fiber mixed with cement (such as transite) was used for some
underground installations. Telephone and communications circuits were typically installed in
fired-clay conduit.
Cost comparison

Cost relative to rigid galvanized steel (RGS) conduit, 3/4 inch (21 metric)
size

Type Labor Weight Material cost

RMC 1.0 1.0 1.0

Aluminum 0.89 0.55 0.99

IMC 0.89 0.76 0.84

EMT 0.62 0.42 0.35

PVC 0.55 0.20 0.43

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 (North America) are representative.
FITTINGS
Despite the similarity to pipes used in plumbing, purpose-designed electrical 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 the conduit is to be watertight, the idea is to keep water out, not in. In this
case, gaskets are used with special fittings, 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 can be used to provide pulling access in a run of conduit, to allow more bends to
be made in a particular section of conduit, to conserve space where a full size bend radius would
be impractical or impossible, or to split a conduit path into multiple directions. Conductors
may not be spliced inside a conduit body, unless it is specifically listed for such use.

Conduit bodies differ from junction boxes in that they are not required to be individually
supported, which can make them very useful in certain practical applications. Conduit bodies are
commonly referred to as condulets, a term trademarked by Cooper Crouse-Hinds company, a
division of Cooper Industries.
Conduit bodies come in various types, moisture ratings, and materials, including galvanized
steel, aluminum, and PVC. Depending on the material, they use different mechanical methods
for securing conduit. Among the types are:

 L-shaped bodies ("Ells") include the LB, LL, and LR, where the inlet is in line with the
access cover and the outlet is on the back, left and right, respectively. In addition to
providing access to wires for pulling, "L" fittings allow a 90 degree turn in conduit where
there is insufficient space for a full-radius 90 degree sweep (curved conduit section).
 T-shaped bodies ("Tees") feature an inlet in line with the access cover and outlets to both the
cover's left and right.
 C-shaped bodies ("Cees") have identical openings above and below the access cover, and are
used to pull conductors in a straight runs as they make no turn between inlet and outlet.
 "Service Ell" bodies (SLBs), shorter ells with inlets flush with the access cover, are
frequently used where a circuit passes through an exterior wall from outside to inside.