ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion My Little Project

Mike,

I was going to say it looked like PVC, but then it seemed way too straight.

Bill

Bill,
Yes I know what you mean there!.
It was really hot up on the roof over the time that I was up there installing all the conduit work and cabling.
Had to really work hard to keep the PVC from getting a permanent bend in it, due to the heat.
But it all turned out OK in the end.
The only thing I hated about the conduit in this job, was the fact that I had nowhere to put the jar of conduit solvent, while I was using the brush to apply glue to the joints, there wasn't a level place anywhere!.

i like the 'boots' there Trumpy

~S~

Mike,

I have found a thousand and one uses for this device. It may not have worked as well on a metal roof like you were on, but works wonders on most others. You also might not find them in your area. I'm in a large city and have only seen them in one place. It's extremely strong, but it was expensive (like $85US).

http://www.provisiontools.com/prod1.htm

Bill,
Thanks for re-sizing my pictures!.
There's not many things more annoying than having to scroll sideways and up and down to see the whole picture.
Sparky,
I find the Dek-tite's really annoying to install, lots of rivets and RTV Silicone Sealant is used when I install one.
After installing the 12 in this job, I was just about seeing stars.
BTW, is there a similar thing on the market in other countries?.
We use these things for water-proofing protrusions through roofs and walls, what do you guys use?.
Gene,
Thanks for the compliment, , mind you, I really hate seeing shoddy work, especially with exterior conduit, even though mine is up on the roof, that's no reason to do a messy job.
But, even though I was under a bit of pressure to get this job done before the kids started back at school,this is the result of sitting down for a few moments and just thinking about how the wiring/conduit is going to be done and what gear will be needed.
Paul,
I realise that you guys use PVC conduit in the UK, but do you guys still use Conduit wires inside them?.
The reason I ask this, is because, we gave up doing this a few years ago, apart from in Industrial installations.
In most cases, it's a lot easier to pull TPS through the conduits, before it's assembled, that's how I did this job.
Just means that you need a size larger than normal.

Yes, we still pull individual cables through conduit. I use PVC conduit mostly in light commercial applications, such as shops. For domestic work, about the only places it gets used is somewhere like a garage or home workshop, where something a little better than surface run twin-&-earth is a good idea.

Paul,
Do you mean wires, as in Conduit wires?.
How much is 16mm conduit used in the UK?.
We usually start at 20mm and work up from there.
Only with Flexible Non-Metallic (PVC) Conduit is it used in this size (16mm) and this is only where Flex requires mechanical protection, under a Hot Water Cylinder.

Residential work here means for flush work either NYM (round cable with solid conductors, el cheapo style) or non-metallic flex conduit from 16mm up with individual wires. Surface-mount work in garages, basements and other exposed locations means NYM in rigid non-metallic conduit, usually just straight runs with the cable being exposed in the bends and near fittings. Otherwise surface-mount work just means NYM stapled to the wall surface. I've also seen electricians nail up 3x0.75mm2 flex to supply an additional kitchen receptacle.
@ Andy: Is it really true that the Germans just recntly went to metric conduit sizes? I remember hearing something like that. here in Austria conduit has been metric for ages, probaly since after WWI when the monarchy died and along with that metric units were introduced. The nails I've been pulling out here from our floors are still pre-metric.

You can buy 16 mm flex conduit complete with wires in some European countries, including Sweden. 16 mm conduit is the norm here as the boxes are designed for this size. Boxes that accept 20 mm conduit are less common.

Our boxes usually have concentric knockouts for 16 and 20mm or 4-section-knockouts. 1/4 for round cable, 2 sections out for flat cable and all 4 for whatever kind of conduit. Since most wires are solidly buried in plaster all the way strain relief doesn't seem to be much of an issue here, so most people use whatever they get. And it's sometimes near impossible to get out the inner part of the very flimsy concentric knockouts, so you usually end up using the 20mm one anyway. With thel old-style metal boxes I've seen holes punched in everywhere to allow for some more wires or wires from angles the orignal designer never even dreamed of... (long long ago there was a smaller kind of box with a different support for the device, small tabs to the left and right that would be gripped by 2 pieces of metal that were pulled together with screws. Those boxes only had one knockout. In our stairway they daisy-chained the pushbuttons, running the wires up from the basement. To do this they hacked tiny holes into the boxes and pulled the wires. The makeshift knockouts had very sharp edges and I had to replace the wire because the insulation was almost chewed down to the bare copper. I think the boxes disappeared after WWII when modern style devices with screws or claws were introduced.