# Conduit in Condo



## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

So, we are adding and modifying the electrical in a 1975 built condo. The thing is, everything is in FMC, I mean everything. Back boxes with mud rings and so forth. 

To make it even better, the labels in the small GE panel don't exactly match the areas, for instance, the breaker marked Disposal, powers everything but the disposal. Breakers do the lights and outlets in various parts of the place without a whole lot of logic. Anyway, I'm going around taking switches and outlets apart looking for where they spliced to go to other areas. 

I haven't seen residential with conduit throughout ever. Not even in my condo which was built in 1977. I do admit that I only do a few residential a year and they are newer. But I have done my share of knob and tube. 

Anyone else out there see conduit throughout in a residential ? Other than some backwater places like Chicago. 

BTW, here's a pic of a buried box I found while tracking down splices:


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

cwatbay said:


> So, we are adding and modifying the electrical in a 1975 built condo. The thing is, everything is in FMC, I mean everything. Back boxes with mud rings and so forth.
> 
> To make it even better, the labels in the small GE panel don't exactly match the areas, for instance, the breaker marked Disposal, powers everything but the disposal. Breakers do the lights and outlets in various parts of the place without a whole lot of logic. Anyway, I'm going around taking switches and outlets apart looking for where they spliced to go to other areas.
> 
> ...


:laughing:

Yes. Nearly everything must be in conduit here. Exceptions include disposal and dishwasher whips for example where you need the flexibility.

The last few full basements I did averaged 700 feet of pipe per job.

Some AHJ's even want a lot of the low voltage in pipe. Such as one town wants the little tiny wire that connects to the water meter to the outside remote reader in pipe.

I'm so used to it that anything else actually looks odd to me.:clap:

PS-EDIT I notice that on that buried box pic, there is no green screw sticking out of the back, so they likely didn't run the ground wire either.


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## ScipioAfricanus (Sep 13, 2008)

I see this in So. Cal. all the time but usually only in the demising walls for condos.

Same stupid, illogical wiring as you are describing also.

Andy.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

rselectric1 said:


> :laughing:
> 
> 
> 
> Some AHJ's even want a lot of the low voltage in pipe. Such as one town wants the little tiny wire that connects to the water meter to the outside remote reader in pipe.


Orland Park???

Doing LV undercabs, runs are in EMT. 

Done the wall chase in Orland a few times. 

Tom


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

I don't do NM, but I believe it is limited by the type of construction classification.

Tom


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

tjbnwi said:


> Orland Park???
> 
> Doing LV undercabs, runs are in EMT.
> 
> ...


No, that particular one is Glen Ellyn.

I'm starting a job next week though in Woodridge where they want the concealed LED runs in pipe.

Naperville used to require all LV runs to be in romex, but now nobody is sure what they want with the LED runs after the driver. Depends on the inspector and they all explain the local amendments to the NEC differently based on their opinion I guess. (Bunch of newb inspectors there too now who want to change the world) The older guys that inspected me for years never seem to be the ones assigned anymore. Even the most hard ass electrical inspector who has a rep for failing *everything* and quoted the NEC from memory even better than 480, a couple of times drew smiley faces next to the approval on the stickers. The other inspectors all commented every time that he never does that.

The AHJ's have not decided how to handle the LV runs in general from my perspective with the recent arrival of these super low voltage LED systems.


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## TxElectrician (May 21, 2008)

Ron, do you rough in a lot of your home runs in the slab, at least the larger loads?


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

TxElectrician said:


> Ron, do you rough in a lot of your home runs in the slab, at least the larger loads?


Luckily not. Almost every home has a basement or at least a crawlspace here. First floor usually gets piped from the bottom and second floors usually get piped from the first floor for receptacle runs. The home runs for each floor run near the panel, vertically straight up and then we work from a deep box with an extension ring to go from there on each floor. Around here, for the second floor, the home run from the panel usually is in a second floor closet light nearest the panel vertically.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

rselectric1 said:


> Luckily not. Almost every home has a basement or at least a crawlspace here. First floor usually gets piped from the bottom and second floors usually get piped from the first floor for receptacle runs. The home runs for each floor run near the panel, vertically straight up and then we work from a deep box with an extension ring to go from there on each floor. Around here, for the second floor, the home run from the panel usually is in a second floor closet light nearest the panel vertically.


I know it's par for the course for you but I'd be pretty interested to see you rough in a house.

What do you pipe with?


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

cwatbay said:


> So, we are adding and modifying the electrical in a 1975 built condo. The thing is, everything is in FMC, I mean everything. Back boxes with mud rings and so forth.
> 
> To make it even better, the labels in the small GE panel don't exactly match the areas, for instance, the breaker marked Disposal, powers everything but the disposal. Breakers do the lights and outlets in various parts of the place without a whole lot of logic. Anyway, I'm going around taking switches and outlets apart looking for where they spliced to go to other areas.
> 
> ...


Locally most non combustible construction is BX, you may see the odd old one piped in flex. Most often communications are piped in ENT or Flex. ENT being a fraction of the price it's vastly more popular in non visible areas.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> I know it's par for the course for you but I'd be pretty interested to see you rough in a house.
> 
> What do you pipe with?


EMT is the most common conduit here. 

Tom


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Pretty common to hear ENT called smurf tube. 

Tom


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

tjbnwi said:


> Pretty common to hear ENT called smurf tube.
> 
> Tom


Or by the brand Corline


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

Looks like your average FL condo.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> Or by the brand Corline


Never heard it called that or of the brand. Maybe a Canadian brand?

Never heard ENT referred to as/by any brand. 

Tom


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

tjbnwi said:


> Never heard it called that or of the brand. Maybe a Canadian brand.
> 
> Never heard ENT referred to as/by any brand.
> 
> Tom


Yeah, smurf tube is an oddity. One of our counties says all coax, phone wires, etc. MUST be in it, but one of the cities WITHIN that county forbids it since it causes toxic fumes when on fire.


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

When I used to frame a lot of condos, the rule was if it was considered four story then you needed an electrical room with the cable going to each unit, inside conduit. Three story condo didn't need any conduit. I remember the electrician on one three story condo I did running all the main cables going to every unit through the kitchen cabinet soffit drops on one unit. He said if I saw all these cables going through here, I wouldn't buy this unit! EMF's are for real! Those were his words


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

KennMacMoragh said:


> When I used to frame a lot of condos, the rule was if it was considered four story then you needed an electrical room with the cable going to each unit, inside conduit. Three story condo didn't need any conduit. I remember the electrician on one three story condo I did running all the main cables going to every unit through the kitchen cabinet soffit drops on one unit. He said if I saw all these cables going through here, I wouldn't buy this unit! EMF's are for real! Those were his words


Oh yeah, makes the dog walk funny and your kids get addicted to it. Next thing ya know they start eating magnets.


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## MechanicalDVR (Jun 23, 2007)

KennMacMoragh said:


> When I used to frame a lot of condos, the rule was if it was considered four story then you needed an electrical room with the cable going to each unit, inside conduit. Three story condo didn't need any conduit. I remember the electrician on one three story condo I did running all the main cables going to every unit through the kitchen cabinet soffit drops on one unit. He said if I saw all these cables going through here, I wouldn't buy this unit! EMF's are for real! Those were his words


I think that causes cancer in Cali. :thumbsup:


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

Inner10 said:


> Oh yeah, makes the dog walk funny and your kids get addicted to it. Next thing ya know they start eating magnets.



It's weird I haven't heard that myth in a long time. It used to be a big deal. Maybe everyone forgot about it when we got shook up over global warming and plastic bags?


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