Grounding Conductor

[Alwayslearningelec]

If you guys have branch in ALL EMT do you run ground wire to each receptacle along with the hot/neutral or use the conduit as EGC? Just a regular 20A duplex.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Most commercials job spec a wire type equipment grounding conductor and I think most members here run a separate equipment grounding conductor anyway.

 

[tom baker]

See 250.118 for the allowed types of EGC.
the answer will become similar to the ground up or ground down, IE, personal preference

 

[LarryFine]

I'm a big fan of using the EMT for grounding, as well as self-grounding methods where applicable.

 

[infinity]

If you guys have branch in ALL EMT do you run ground wire to each receptacle along with the hot/neutral or use the conduit as EGC? Just a regular 20A duplex.

We pull an EGC if someone is paying for it otherwise no wire type EGC's get pulled.

 

[ActionDave]

Your thread title is about grounded/neutral conductors. What you are asking about is Equipment Grounding Conductors.

I don't pull a green in EMT unless specs require it.

 

[James L]

I pull a ground wire.
I don't know if I've ever seen a 40-year-old installation that still has all of the joints intact.

I'm sure it has to do with expansion and contraction, not installation issues.

So from what I've seen, it's almost a guarantee that your receptacles are not going to be grounded at some point in the future if you only rely on those fittings

 

[ActionDave]

I pull a ground wire.
I don't know if I've ever seen a 40-year-old installation that still has all of the joints intact.....

You must be in a place dominated by a lot of lousy electrical work. I did service work for more than 15 years and many of the places I was a regular at had EMT installed in the '60s and '70s and was just fine.

I'm not saying I've never seen EMT pulled apart, because I've seen plenty. I've also seen green wires come bouncing out of wire nuts when I pull the cover off a j box. It's all about the execution, not the method.

 

[tom baker]

If you were to make a proposal for the 2026 NEC to have an EGC in EMT, the CMPs answer would be, it’s not a product issue, it’s a workmanship issue.

 

[James L]

You must be in a place dominated by a lot of lousy electrical work.

I am, for sure.
Kansas City area.
Shoddy workmanship in almost every trade.

Can't see it from my house
Looks good from the street
Close enough for government work

But I honestly have always attributed EMT fails to expansion and contraction. You may have a point, though

 

[Greentagger]

Conduit coming apart really prevalent on older rooftop installations.

 

[Alwayslearningelec]

Your thread title is about grounded/neutral conductors. What you are asking about is Equipment Grounding Conductors.

I don't pull a green in EMT unless specs require it.

correction meant grounding

 

[Alwayslearningelec]

Your thread title is about grounded/neutral conductors. What you are asking about is Equipment Grounding Conductors.

I don't pull a green in EMT unless specs require it.

so if spec
read “a separate
grounding conductor to be included for all branch circuits” you’d pull one?

 

[qcroanoke]

so if spec
read “a separate
grounding conductor to be included for all branch circuits” you’d pull one?

Yes

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Conduit coming apart really prevalent on older rooftop installations.

Yes because of people stepping on it and that is what triggered the rule in 440.9 that requires a wire type EGC for rooftop raceway installations where the couplings and connectors are of the compression type.

 

[infinity]

so if spec
read “a separate
grounding conductor to be included for all branch circuits” you’d pull one?

Yes because the person paying the bill is paying for the wire type EGC.

 

[retirede]

I am, for sure.
Kansas City area.
Shoddy workmanship in almost every trade.

Can't see it from my house
Looks good from the street
Close enough for government work

But I honestly have always attributed EMT fails to expansion and contraction. You may have a point, though

Expansion / contraction shouldn’t be an issue for EMT, especially indoors.

If you think KC is bad, just head down to the Ozarks!

 

[James L]

Expansion / contraction shouldn’t be an issue for EMT, especially indoors.

If you think KC is bad, just head down to the Ozarks!

I wired a house in the Ozarks one time. Just looking at the electrical strewn together in that area, I thought I was driving through a third world country.

One of the guys who helps me sometimes has 27 years of experience, but was trained by two guys who live in the Ozarks. I swear I can't leave that guy alone for a whole hour.

The terrible part is, he's just about the best help I can round up on short notice.

 

[rlundsrud]

One other thing. You can't mix and match. If you run an EGC wire you can't switch to conduit midway in the run. It's one or the other.

I do believe that properly installed and supported conduit makes an excellent EGC. If it didn't, the NEC would prohibit it. As many have stated, it's about adhering to proper installation methods.

 

[jaggedben]

One other thing. You can't mix and match. If you run an EGC wire you can't switch to conduit midway in the run. It's one or the other.

That's just not true. Is that a Chicago thing? I know Chicago is different but I hope not that different.