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Posted By: Admin Bending EMT - 04/04/05 10:49 PM
Quote
I was a little disappointed to see that NEC 358.24 only says that bends "be made so that the tubing is not damaged." I suppose, though, that the further specification that the radius "shall not be less..." could apply to finding a violation to the sort of free-hand bending as is shown in this photo.

Why spend $8 for a bender, when you can tweak the pipe between studs, bricks, or a handy bumper? :-(

- renosteinke
[Linked Image]
Posted By: electure Re: Bending EMT - 04/05/05 12:22 AM
Reno,
I do think the tubing is damaged.
Aah, maybe I'm just picky [Linked Image]
Posted By: Ryan_J Re: Bending EMT - 04/05/05 01:21 PM
Does it make the electrical installation unsafe if the tubing remains undamaged?
Posted By: electricman2 Re: Bending EMT - 04/05/05 07:36 PM
No Ryan, but if I installed the pipe in the pic, I would certainly hope nobody ever found out who did it.
Posted By: Dave55 Re: Bending EMT - 04/06/05 10:59 PM
I think this might fail the "workman-like" test. I confess that I've improved the angle of a conduit over my knee several degrees occasionally when deep in an attic or crawl-space.

Dave
Posted By: renosteinke Re: Bending EMT - 04/07/05 12:54 AM
I suspect that one of the bends made is too small in radius to comply with code...and the EMT almost certainly has a "flat spot-" even if this guy stopped just short of a kink.

With workmanship like this, no one should be surprised to see that the EMT is completely unsupported, or to find #12 wires serving a 30 amp water heater (yes, he did that also.) And, of course, no ground wire- even though there is flex used.
Posted By: DougW Re: Bending EMT - 04/07/05 02:59 AM
Quote
no one should be surprised to see that the EMT is completely unsupported, or to find #12 wires serving a 30 amp water heater

That sounds OK... if he used 2 per leg [Linked Image]

Of course, about the grounding wire... if the flex is under 6', is is required?

[This message has been edited by DougW (edited 04-06-2005).]
Posted By: renosteinke Re: Bending EMT - 04/09/05 12:37 AM
Good catch, Doug....that is one of our local requirements: all flex, sealtite get a ground wire.
Posted By: rabowen Re: Bending EMT - 04/10/05 02:16 AM
WM, 110.12 issue there too. Looks like a 90 with 2 kicks, a twist, and a curl. Unbelievable.
Posted By: nesparky Re: Bending EMT - 04/13/05 02:17 AM
Joe handy man at work.
Posted By: BruceNelson Re: Bending EMT - 05/23/05 05:13 PM
I think that Dave55 & Renosteinke comments regarding workman-like & workmanship are appropriate. I object to nesparky's comment "Joe Handyman".

Having a license (journeyman status) does not guarantee good work. I am a handyman, not a licensed electrician, but I would not do work this poor. I have cleaned up a lot of messes left by persons who were supposed to be professional licensed journeymen: conduit not deburred, no box covers, tape splices (tape dries out, falls off), multiple voltages in same conduit, undersized wiring, no ground, loose bond screws, etc.

And no, I don't try do everything: I refer work regularly to a licensed plumber and a licensed electrician. I also pay the electrician to inspect my work, just to be safe. Most of my work is for charities & lower income persons who cannot afford to hire electricians for the grunt work.

Remember, schooling and licensing do not guarantee competency & professionalism -- personal ethics do.

Bruce

By the way, a good plumber would be as unimpressed as you guys are.
Posted By: electure Re: Bending EMT - 05/24/05 12:18 AM
Bruce,
Although important, personal ethics alone do not guarantee any degree of professionalism or competency.
A combination of that with knowledge is necessary, whether it be school or otherwise.
A license guarantees some accountability.

Most handymen don't (in fact can't) pull permits for any of their work. The electrician that may inspect the work actually should have a REAL inspector inspect his inspection! You wouldn't feel good about having a nurse look at the operation that the intern just did on you without even consulting the surgeon.



[This message has been edited by electure (edited 05-23-2005).]
Posted By: renosteinke Re: Bending EMT - 05/24/05 01:31 AM
Bruce, I am sure that nobody meant to insult you, or your choice of trade....but I must say there sure are a fair number of self-appointed jacks-of-all-trades that give the trained, competent folks a bad name.

Our local code limits the electric work a plumber, HVAC guy, handyman, maintenance man, etc to 10 ft. The pic shows a good deal more than that! There are other clues- such as the lack of a disconnect- that suggest that this guy was no sort of professional at all.

I posted the pic as a good example of poor pipe bending. I sincerely hope that the only person who get offended is the nincompoop who did this hack job! :-)
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