billdozier 78
Member
- Location
- Orlando
In concealed spaces above ceilings behind walls do you guys install box offsets?
Box offset or no
- Thread starter billdozier 78
- Start date
- Status
renosteinke
Senior Member
- Location
- NE Arkansas
If the pipe is running flat to the ceiling, yes I do. If the pipe is hung from mini's or beam clamps, no.
- Location
- Massachusetts
Buried in Sheetrock walls? No, I don't put any extra bends 'for looks'.
Above a suspended ceiling? Usually yes but maybe not. Picture a steel truss building with 10' - 15' between the bottom of the truss and the dropped ceiling no. Or conduits run inside the 'Z purlins of a corrugated steel building etc. I sacrifice craftsmanship for speed in areas out of sight.
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- Service Manager
I probably would have always made box offsets, until you brought it up and Bob said that. Now I'll be on the fence next time. 
mike7330
Senior Member
- Location
- North America
cowboys
plumb bob
Member
Box offsets are for looks? I know this isn't very common, but I'm just curious, would you change your opinion if the conduit was your EGC? Seems like Conduit "fits" better when not forced together. Of course, my PM would say if it's faster don't use offsets! And in the same breath ask me why it looks like crap.
:roll:
- Location
- Massachusetts
None of my conduits are 'forced together'.
Are you suggesting these conduits need offsets? (Not my work, just an example)
I thought the question was about areas not in sight?
Cow
Senior Member
- Location
- Eastern Oregon
- Occupation
- Electrician
I just found these a year ago or so. Great timesaver in certain places.
http://www.erico.com/products/CADDYcfcCS812ScrwOnConSuppt.asp
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
With the support 3' away and having made up the connector before installing the support, I don't see any issue with not having a box offset on the EMT. Of course that would be for concealed work only.hmmmm- I would say conduit in a stud wall is much easier to cheat. On a flat surface, I feel even emt won't slide into a box connector squarely without an offset. My PM likes to bust my chops whether its exposed or concealed, I think it's just his nature
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
In areas where looks don't matter you can get away with it on 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch. Larger raceways don't always like to cooperate with even minor offsets unless you bend the offset or use hanger straps.
krisinjersey
Senior Member
- Location
- Hackettstown, New Jersey
Buy a squisher and stop cutting corners. If box offsets are going to save you that much time and make/break the job you are cutting things way too tight. Presentation is eveything and if the inspector sees the effort put in here on the rough, that respect will carry through io the final and onto the next job. Plus, who can't whip in an offset in less than a few seconds, the bender is right there. That was the first thing I learned to bend. Those "buried" conduits in the stud wall going to the sconce box look like junk and if my guys did that, they wouldn't be my guys for long. Sorry it's late and maybe I'm just crabby. I'll give you the Erico fittings are nice and cowboys save you the bend, but I'm not crazy about cowboys either. So to answer the OP, yes we put a box offset everywhere one is needed, no wingin it there!:slaphead:
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
That's just it. Conduit that slides together easy slides apart easy. When you have to tweek the pipe and kind of jamb it together it puts a extra pressure on the fittings and lock rings. This makes the conduit as an EGC better.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Might be fine with steel fittings, die cast fittings just break if pipe puts strain on the fitting.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
There is an art to it. It's gotta be workmanlike jamming and tweeking.
- Location
- Massachusetts
Yeah, I don't think anyone is talking that extreame.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Maybe, I used to see a lot of broken die cast fittings. I don't seem to see as many as I used to. It is either because people take more care when using them, they have gone to using steel fittings, or the die cast are stronger than they used to be (which I find very hard to believe).
electricguy61
Senior Member
What's a squisher? An offset bender?
- Status