So, I am going to install this subpanel. 6 ga individual wires, 3/4" conduit. about 60 feet, 3 turns. Should I install conduit first and fish wires, or keep pushing wires through every conduit piece as I am installing? I am leaning towards the latter, but need some opinions, preferably educated.
Are they long-radius bends, or tight turns?
Put up all the conduit first, but don't strap it down tight in case you need to take it apart if you have trouble running the wires.
Two #6's and two #8 will be a lot easier than four 6's. I'm not sure if you can put four 6's in a 3/4" conduit. I've pushed three 6's in a 3/4" and it was pretty tight. (If you use #8 wires, they have to be the right color; white neutral and green ground.)
Use lube and you should be able to push the wires thru, but I've never pushed more than 20 or 30 feet -- sometimes they hang at the couplings.
Bob
long radius, it is up to me, I have a bender and a couple of ready elbows.
I need 3 6's, the conduit will be the ground conductor.
No, I have 3 wires: white neutral, red hot and black hot.
That's why I want to push them as I go. Insert wire first, then shift conduits to be snug together.
i
Locally, three #6 wires can't be fished through a 3/4" conduit. After you get the proper size (Google will find you a chart) then run a pull string when you put in the conduit.
Jeff
I've done that before many years ago, but if I were to do it again I would always run a ground wire; maybe a bare stranded #8. I don't trust the conduit joints to stay tight -- unless you are talking about rigid or intermediate metal conduit (threaded connectors).
All you really need for a neutral is a #8. The grounded conductor of a
120/240V circuit that only carries the unbalanced current is allowed to be one size smaller than the hot conductors. But if you want to run three 6's, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm pretty sure four 6's is too full for a 3/4" conduit, but three 6's and a 8 is OK barely.I have two sixes with an eight gauge neutral for my 60A garage feeder, and the chickenshit inspector that gave me grief about *everything* else noticed it and thought it was just fine.
You might want to use an "entrance ell" for the last turn. I have trouble pushing or pulling the wire thru more than 2 bends. You can take the back off the entrance ell and use it as a pull point.
Bob
This is Turtle.
I run your 2 # 6 wire and a # 8 Green or White ground wire and it says to use 1" conduit but you can cram it through it but it is just hard to do so. Now Also it says it is not suppose to be used this way and doesnot meet the NEC spec.s. Go a head if you have good homeowners insurance I guess.
Now you can still put 3 # 6 through a 1" conduit and be legal.
TURTLE
It does depend on what kind of wire. You can run more THHN wires than you can TW or R-whatever. But I would use 1" for a long run with 3 sixes. (I may go dig around in the garage and see if I can find my maximum conduit fill tables.)
Best regards, Bob
Thanks. Great point about the neutral wire, I wish I could think about it earlier. In fact, what I really need for a neutral is a #10 at most (20 amps). I could save a bunch. Maybe I will try to sell my neutral wire on ebay.
iSubject: fishing 6 gauge wires through conduit Newsgroup: alt.home.repair => Ignoramus14233 So, I am going to install this subpanel. 6 ga individual wires, 3/4"
Install the EMT first, then fish the wire. Do you own a fishtape (yet)?
Up to four #6 AWG wires will fit into a 3/4" conduit at 40% fill.
Just to make sure I nuderstand you: you say to use a 1" conduit and also that 3/4" would not be legal. Did I understand you correctly?
i
Thanks. Do you have some reference material that I could check? Thanks
i
No, you need a 6 or an 8 if you want it to be kosher.
If you have the wire already, use it. Just buy some 1" conduit instead of the 3/4". And don't trust the conduit to be your ground unless it has all threaded connectors, "grounding bushings", etc.
Bob
It's in a table in the back of the National Electric Code. I haven't gone looking for my copy yet because I'm watching a movie.
Bob
Here's a raceway fill calculator that I found:
Bob
Subject: Re: fishing 6 gauge wires through conduit Newsgroup: alt.home.repair => Ignoramus14233 Thanks. Do you have some reference material that I could check? Thanks
Here is a conduit fill chart:
thanks, that's great news!
i
For some strange reason that I can not understand, multiple pulls are against code. I have no idea how they'd know you did it or why it is a bad idea.
However... the price of conduit is not all that different between 3/4 and one inch or 1.25 inch. It makes things a hell of a lot easier if you use bigger conduit. Also, those "sweep bends" (not sure if that's the name) are easier than a right angle adapter. Yes, it takes two couplers and a sweep rather than a single adapter, but it's sure easier pulling wire through it.
The first time I ran power down to my barn, I used 3/4 PVC conduit and
10/2 UF wire inside it to protect from rocks. The next time I used 6/3UF and 2.5 inch PVC. Never use "just big enough" wire. Actually, I could have used 10/3 but if I had to redig the trench, why not put in a huge feed? I never wanted to do this again.
If it where me I would put a pull box about half way between both ends and do a double push from that point to each end. If that doesn't work out then you need a wire puller that could be rented cheap enough.
YMMV, Rich
Thanks, I also decided to buy a pull box.
iHomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.