1/2" SS EMT

[gadfly56]

you mentioned this one a while ago.... when they care enough to spend the very most.....

well, any time you move past the engineer to a lighting consultant, and a colorist,
you might as well set a pail of money in the driveway, and set it on fire....

have they feng shui'd the place yet? i can sense a doorway that is blocking the flow
of qui, from way over here..... do they need a consultant? i can tune up their meridians,
so they have hot and cold running energy thru the entire structure.... my consultations
start at $33,683 + expenses. that number works well in the customers numerology,
as the exact digital representation of their state of consciousness.

I would almost pay money to watch you deliver that spiel with a straight face! :lol:

 

[iwire]

sounds like you need a weldor onsite to TIG weld the joints so you have no couplings.

Seeing as it kept being mentioned.

300.18 Raceway Installations.

(B) Welding. Metal raceways shall not be supported, terminated,
or connected by welding to the raceway unless
specifically designed to be or otherwise specifically permitted
to be in this Code.

 

[edlee]

All good info- TY.. I suspected that a hand bender would work but wasn't certain.

The architect wants SS because he doesn't want to see any rust down the road. Apparently he doesn't want to paint it, powder coat it or anything like that so SS is what he will get. Personally I think it is a lot of money for a little show.

Yeah, but think of the extra money you'll make from his design.

 

[FionaZuppa]

How do you avoid weld crud inside the pipe that could interfere with pulling wire?

i guess post #42 kills the idea, but NEC should allow it by a qualified TIG person. why is it we can weld pipe to transport dangerous chemicals under high pressure yet we cant weld some conduit for electrical wires??

but easy, joints are prepared correctly, which should be easy for pieces that are of same OD/ID, and then you prep inside using Solar Flux to prevent sugaring of the inside. you can also back purge with argon. see http://www.solarflux.com/Pages/Whyuse.html

 

[Aleman]

I used some 3/4 SS EMT from McMaster Carr. It worked fine and bent well. 1/2 should be even better.
Kind of lame though as I used standard water tight EMT fittings. Didn't see SS fittings on McMaster.

 

[Aleman]

How do you avoid weld crud inside the pipe that could interfere with pulling wire?

You need to TIG weld and purge the inside of the pipe with Argon. That's how sanitary stainless is done.
The inside comes out smooth and purty.

 

[FionaZuppa]

You need to TIG weld and purge the inside of the pipe with Argon. That's how sanitary stainless is done.
The inside comes out smooth and purty.

purging is not always an option, thats where Solar Flux is used. NSF application, then sure, must be purged. this application is a pipe ("raceway") that surrounds wire of which the wire itself is already protected. baffles me as to why a proper weld procedure is not allowed, maybe because inspecting it is very difficult?

 

[gadfly56]

i guess post #42 kills the idea, but NEC should allow it by a qualified TIG person. why is it we can weld pipe to transport dangerous chemicals under high pressure yet we cant weld some conduit for electrical wires??

but easy, joints are prepared correctly, which should be easy for pieces that are of same OD/ID, and then you prep inside using Solar Flux to prevent sugaring of the inside. you can also back purge with argon. see http://www.solarflux.com/Pages/Whyuse.html

Or you use an orbital welder, as I said up thread. Hook up a bottle of argon and away you go. No flux, no muss, no filing, sanding, grinding or anything else.

 

[FionaZuppa]

Or you use an orbital welder, as I said up thread. Hook up a bottle of argon and away you go. No flux, no muss, no filing, sanding, grinding or anything else.

ah, an orbital, now thats getting a tad fancy for some non-structural non-critical piping. a simple 120v inverter TIG with some 030 or 023 SS wire to add a little fill should suffice, then an easy buff to clean it up, remove the color. but, i would certainly love to see an orbital in the field on some 1/2".

but NEC doesnt allow it unless the piping/fittings are listed for welding.

 

[kwired]

ah, an orbital, now thats getting a tad fancy for some non-structural non-critical piping. a simple 120v inverter TIG with some 030 or 023 SS wire to add a little fill should suffice, then an easy buff to clean it up, remove the color. but, i would certainly love to see an orbital in the field on some 1/2".

but NEC doesnt allow it unless the piping/fittings are listed for welding.

Stainless raceway is not exactly something most electricians will run into, some may never see such a thing. But if a fitting were listed, and listed to be welded, it would not be a violation to weld it.

Most elecricians would not have the skills to perform some of the methods described anyway - but maybe see pipefitters that do it frequently.

I will admit to having used stainless (not listed as raceway) as raceway before. Even had the stainless guys weld it to a stainless box. Makes the sanitary inspector types happy, even if not NEC compliant:happyyes: