Why conduit comes in 10-piece bundles

Why conduit comes in 10-piece bundles · 10-08-2009, 12:13 AM

Boy bending conduit is not simple! Let me share a few tips here:

35 3/4" - 6" is NOT 31 3/4". It's 29 3/4". Check it with a calculator. Remember this, there will be a quiz later.
If you're going to drop a piece of conduit, do not drop it on the open box of screws that's on the step stool. Unless, of course, you've been curious about the texture of your shop floor.
That hole in your handy metal box is not flush with the wall. You could of course have discovered this by doing something sophisticated, like, oh, LOOKING AT IT, but that's cheating. It's much more fun to measure, mark, cut and bend your first perfect piece of conduit, only to discover it's now floating 1/2" off the wall.
When practicing your first box offset bend to address aforementioned floating problem, do not do it on the actual piece of conduit you just carefully measured, marked and bent. Do it on a piece of scrap! Otherwise, you get to measure, mark, cut and bend another perfect piece of conduit because I can guarantee you'll mess up your first box offset.
You'll also mess up your second box offset. I don't know about the third one, I quit for the night. But I have a feeling....
35 3/4" - 6" is still NOT 31 3/4". But you already knew that, right?
When combining Philips head screws and square drive screws on the same project, make sure you have the right screwdriver in hand before going up the ladder.
Assuming you have the correct screwdriver while on the ladder, do not drop it on the open box of pipe straps that's on the step stool next to the open box of screws. Picking up a few scattered pipe straps is not so bad, but there is a significant chance that dumping said scattered pipe straps back in the box will accidentally cause the box of open screws to tip over. See shop floor texture tip above
Buy conduit in bundles of 10. Buy multiple bundles.

2 1/2 hours of work, one piece of pipe and one box mounted, no wires pulled. I'll be woodworking by November!

November 2010.

NCPete · 10-08-2009, 12:16 AM

ROFLMAO. Sounds like the way too many of my recent attempts have turned out.

Gotcha6 · 10-08-2009, 06:15 AM

Are you sure you're not my twin?

BTDT - and more.

Sealeveler · 10-08-2009, 06:24 AM

Tough one huh.Sound like fun.When is the wiring party.Tony

Rob · 10-08-2009, 06:52 AM

Was there beer involved?

timf67 · 10-08-2009, 07:19 AM

two words that might help:

FLEXIBLE CONDUIT

McRabbet · 10-08-2009, 08:18 AM

One word: Romex...

Douglas Robinson · 10-08-2009, 10:12 AM

I still have that large coil of Romex just a few miles from you....

Glennbear · 10-08-2009, 10:47 AM

Thank you for sharing Bas, makes me SOOOOO thankful my shop wiring and feed from the house was completed months ago.

When completing my shop after a few times playing "100 piece pickup" I learned that a nail apron can be your very best friend.

scsmith42 · 10-08-2009, 10:54 AM

Travis Porter · 10-08-2009, 11:24 AM

Dude!!!!!

Too funny!!!!

That is why I run plastic instead of metal. I remember many a day seeing how the electricians do those offsets for boxes, bends for 90's, etc. They definitely follow a certain order about things to minimize what you are experiencing.

The fact that you can bend the pipe without putting a kink in it is further than I ever got so congratulations!!

PS - Think about it this way. By the time you get done with it, you will have mastered doing conduit and such and then will forget all that you learned before you use it again!

Don Sorensen · 10-08-2009, 01:05 PM

buy pre-bent offsets - it's just a little more work with the screwdriver.

erasmussen · 10-08-2009, 02:59 PM

14 115 v outlets, 1 240 v outlet, 1 switched outlet, 2 runs of lights, 1 240 v run to my air cleaner.
3 switch boxes, 7 ckt brk's. wired it all in 1 day and passed inspection.
Using romex.

Gofor · 10-08-2009, 10:38 PM

You go, Bas!! There is the easy way, the right way, and also the way you want it done. Looks to me like you have a plan in mind and, despite the set-backs, it IS coming together. What you learn from one bad day will make the rest of the days shorter, and the results more enjoyable. Hey, if it was too easy, everyone would be makin' the big bucks doin' it.!!

Hang in there and know that the end result will be what let's you sleep easy at night because its done the way you feel it needs to be.

JMTCW from someone who goes to be tired from doing more than what I'm told needs done, but sleeps sound with my own conscience.

Go

Bas · 10-08-2009, 11:45 PM

Originally Posted by Gofor

You go, Bas!! There is the easy way, the right way, and also the way you want it done. Looks to me like you have a plan in mind and, despite the set-backs, it IS coming together. What you learn from one bad day will make the rest of the days shorter, and the results more enjoyable. Hey, if it was too easy, everyone would be makin' the big bucks doin' it.!!

Hang in there and know that the end result will be what let's you sleep easy at night because its done the way you feel it needs to be.

JMTCW from someone who goes to be tired from doing more than what I'm told needs done, but sleeps sound with my own conscience.

Go

Mark, you hit the nail on the head, although I have to admit I sort of blundered into things. The main reason I wanted to use metal conduit is because you can simply fasten each piece with a set screw. I envisioned pulling some wire, sliding the next piece of conduit over it, etc. If I had used PVC, I'd have to glue things first (you don't want to glue once the wires are in...).

Of course, what I didn't realize at the time is that pulling wire is going to be a relatively simple operation, because the runs are relatively short. I plan to put an outlet every 4 feet, so lots of short sections.

The other benefit of using metal conduit is that you can use the conduit itself as the ground. That's one less wire. But...after reading some advice and getting some hands-on experience, I decided that running a separate ground wire is good insurance. It would only take one loose connection somewhere in a junction box near the ceiling to break the ground. The extra $50 is money well spent, in my opinion.

Of course, these are all things you realize _after_ you've spent $400 on electrical supplies

As for using Romex, that's definitely a lot easier. The wiring that is. Cutting a trench in the drywall, drilling through the studs and then patching everything...not so much

I hate messing up bending conduit, but not as much as I hate sanding drywall

I'm happy to report that after another 2 hours and several failures I now have the first piece of conduit mounted. It has a beautiful 90 degree bend, the offset is within 1/8" of the wall (meaning the straps fit!) and everything is reasonably level and plumb. There were several times when I was getting ready to throw in the towel, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

I l like the way the conduit looks, and if I ever need to change something, I can easily adapt the layout, add an outlet box, or upgrade the wire gauge. And I learned something new