I know the maximum number of bends in emt is 360 before a box of condulet must be installed.

My journeyman on my job also believes that you cannot have more than a 90 degree bend in emt. In otherwords, it would be a violation to take a stick of emt and over bend a 90 to lets say a 120 degree bend. I could not find anything in article 358 to support this. -erik w.

Eric W.:
Your right on this one, 358.24 and 358.26 says it all. I have installed bends that were more than 90 degrees many times on jobs and they have all passed inspections. Your journeyman is wrong.

I once had a helper that thought you could put up to 360 degrees of bends between fittings. I am glad I caught him before he started to right his name with the stuff....

spyder,

That's fuuunnnny!

Dave

Actually that is exactly what the code wording said up until the '90 code. In the '90 code cycle a proposal pointed out that a coupling is a "fitting" per the Article 100 definition and that the code permitted up to 360° between "fittings". The '90 code replaced the word "fitting" with the words "pull point". This problem occurred because of a difference in the "code meaning" and the "field meaning" of the word "fitting". In the field this word is normally accepted to mean a "conduit body" and that was the intent of the usage in the code prior to 1990, but when you apply code rules you must always use the code meaning of the terms so the code rule was changed to make the rule match the code meanings and to make it enforceable.
Don

Don,
Here, in the field a "fitting" never was thought to be only a "conduit body".
Try 1942 from IAEE "American Standard Definitions of Electrical Terms"
Fitting:
"A fitting is an accessory (such as a locknut or bushing) to a wiring system that is intended to perform a mechanical rather than an electrical funtion"
When did it change, and then change again??



[This message has been edited by electure (edited 03-23-2003).]

electure,
What do the electricans in your area mean when they say "fitting"? In this area it means something like a LB or a T. I've never heard a field electrican call a coupling or a locknut a "fitting".
Don

Don,
Electure and I are from the same area and I have to agree with him. A “fitting” to an electrician around here is a coupling or connecter. I guess it's just one of those terminology differences in different parts of the country.

its amazing how fast one can produce a total of 360 deg. i recently did a rough in involving a concrete slab. had a 90 (pvc) up into the panel and a 90(pvc) up into the wall at a recpt box location. had to offset each riser(emt) in order to attach to their respective boxes. offsets only 2" to 3" not a difficut pull however more than 360 deg.
i imagine each of the offsets = 90 deg.

Somewhere someone told me that any bend is considered a "quarter bend" are are therefore limited to four bends, regardless of degree. I consider that hogwash.

I use 30º offsets and figure 60º total for each offset. I never bend offsets at 45º unless it can't be avoided.

As far as bending in excess of 90º, I have seen circumstances that needed S-bends, but they are rare.

[This message has been edited by sparky66wv (edited 03-24-2003).]

While an LB or "T" is merely a fitting, if it is exposed after all the finish work is completed by others, it qualifies as a pulling point. Does it not?
bob

What a mind melt in regards to what a "Fitting" means in different parts of the USA!!!

Like Nick and Electure, "Fitting" means "Coupling" or "Connector" to me, and must be a "California Thing"???

If I asked someone for a "_____" Fitting and that person returned with an LB/LL/LR/C or T, my head would be spinning!
(fill in the blank with an example fitting)

On the flipside, if I was on a job with people from other States and was asked to get a certain size fitting, when returning with a Coupling or Connector, that person may seriously doubt my trade experience and knowledge!

I need to remember this thread for future "Termology Debates / Issues"

Scott35

When someone started to enforce the deduction for a "locknut and bushing" when calculating box fill, the result was the addition the following sentence to the 370-16 or 314.16 code:

"No allowance shall be required for small fittings such as locknuts and bushings."