Electrical conduit coupling sticking out of the wall

Mar 02, 2009 12 Replies

I have a junction box on a wall where 3 parallel 1/2" rigid EMT conduits runs down to.



For some reason the conduits all run to about 8" above the box, the electrician put in the EMT coupling and continue on down to the box.



This results in the three coupling being very close to each other running in parallel.



The coupling all have two screws that stick out. Normally you can loosen them turn them closer to the wall, and tighten them again to avoid them from protruding out beyond the furring strips.



But because they are side by side, I cannot get this to work. If I turn them inward there is no room for me to tighten it sideways. Any suggestions?



MC


Can you remove the screws and trim the excess thread off, and then try to rotate at least 45 degrees, the two outside ones should be easy to rotate and the center one partially. Take a divot out of the drywall if the screw still stands proud of the furring strips so that the drywall sits flat.

Replace "normal" screws with Allen (hex) setscrews.

Or turn them & tighten with mini-chanel locs or mini alligator jaw vise-grips.

cheers Bob

That is a handy "out of the box" idea. Can't think of anything electrical to rob Allen screws from to keep from having to go to the supply house though. :)

In a tight, just cut the heads off with a hacksaw. The chances of ever removing the conduit whole will be very low.

Or you could change them to the "liquid tight" variety.

formatting link
Ken

In a tight, just cut the heads off with a hacksaw. The chances of ever removing the conduit whole will be very low.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com posted for all of us...

How does one get them installed without pulling the wires?

Thanks, however I don't want to rewire everything again.

I think I will just try allen screws for the conduits on the sides for the middle one I might saw it off.

Just be sure it is tight before you saw it off. I still like the allen idea. They can be pretty short ones and not even stick out of the hole. On the outside ones you should just be able to rotate the connector so the screw is parallel to the wall. Is there a ground in the conduit?

You would have to pull the wires out. If its only a short distance to the box, then it wouldn't be a big deal for someone who knows what they are doing.

Ken

The other problem is a compression fitting is larger in diameter than a set screw fitting so it usually won't work behind a 3/4" furred wall.

yes there is ground in the conduit.

that would not work, on that same wall i have a 1/2" pvc conduit for an underground wire coming up and the 1/2" pvc is connected to a female pvc adapter which is then screwed into a EMT male adapter and continue on with EMT conduit. That fitting assembly was too "thick" in diamter and I chipped out some concrete to offset it into the wall and back out.

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required