Residential use of pvc conduit: wire colour, stranded vs solid thhn, other questions...

[Chip C]

Hi,

I'll be needing to wire a garage/workshop for lights and power, and I plan to do it all surface-mount since the walls are concrete block and even the ceiling is partly concrete slab and partly fire-rated drywall, which I don't want to cut into. So I'm thinking that running separate wires in pvc conduit is the way to go, partly for protection from damage and partly because I'll want to run several circuits and switchloops together, which would otherwise require multiple cables. (14/4 and 14/2/2 don't exist here.) The conduit ought to provide a good clean-looking long-lasting installation.

I haven't worked with conduit before and the usual d-i-y wiring books are pretty scant on conduit.

I do understand the ampacity de-rating tables for multiple conductors sharing a conduit, and that the conduit and boxes need to be installed prior to pulling wires.

My current questions are:

- Is it code-compliant, and the usual practice, to pull *stranded* wire in conduit? or is solid conductor the way to go?

- Are there special rules or restrictions on the use of stranded? Like do switches and outlets and breaker panels need to be specially endorsed for stranded?

- For residential use, is it ok to use grey, or white-striped-with-a- colour, as neutral, where there are multiple circuits in one conduit?

- Is it ok to use one ground conductor shared by all the circuits within the conduit?

- Can the ground conductor be a gauge smaller than the load conductors? This seems to be the case in romex cable.

- Should the ground conductor be bare? or green insulated?

- What else will I wish I'd known before I started?

Info on Canadian code would be great but references to US NEC and general best-practices are very welcome.

Thanks,

Chip C Toronto

[RBM]

Stranded pulls easier, is less likely to get all tangled when pulling multiple wires, but making connections can often be easier with solid

Are there special rules or restrictions on the use of stranded? Like

None that I'm aware of for what you're doing

Neutrals should be white or natural gray. I suppose you can mark them with tracers , or numbers to determine what goes where

It would have to be rated for the largest conductor . The smallest Romex cable with a reduced grounding conductor is #8. all smaller cables use equal size grounding conductors. I would use green insulated wire. It just pulls more easily. Don't forget to use plastic threaded bushings on the PVC male adapters