PVC Bends

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mstrlucky74

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Curious. If running PVC underground. Do guys mostly install 45 or 90 degree elbow or use a "hot box" or some other method to make the bend? Thanks.
 
truck41trouble

truck41trouble

Senior Member
Location
US
For projects requiring conduit larger than 2" I usually use pre made bends. Simplicity is worth the extra cost for me.

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Coppersmith

Coppersmith

Senior Member
Location
Tampa, FL, USA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Working union jobs for 10 years I never saw a pre-made PVC elbow. We always made out own regardless of size 1/2" to 4". Now that I have my own shop (also union) I appreciate more the cost savings of pre-mades and use them whenever I can. Not all bends are 90's and 45's so the hotbox still has a place.
 
don_resqcapt19

don_resqcapt19

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
retired electrician
Coppersmith said:
Working union jobs for 10 years I never saw a pre-made PVC elbow. We always made out own regardless of size 1/2" to 4". Now that I have my own shop (also union) I appreciate more the cost savings of pre-mades and use them whenever I can. Not all bends are 90's and 45's so the hotbox still has a place.
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Interesting....we always used pre-made elbows, only bending where other types of bends were required. (also a union shop)
 
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blkmagik21

Senior Member
Location
Kennewick
For 1/2-1" I make my own bends. I have 3/4 and 1" springs that go inside the conduit so I can just use my Bender.


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6

69gp

Senior Member
Location
MA
Trick question. It all depends on how tight of a bend you are making. We have done large radius bends with a 6" duct bank by just bending the conduit in a trench.We are talking large radius. Sometimes we are limited to making field bends with 5 degree couplings with a 1' piece of pipe between the couplings. When I can at stub ups I use pre made 90s. Could be large radius or standard. I would never make my own 90s at it is a big waste of time.
 
J

JFletcher

Senior Member
Location
Williamsburg, VA
Large radius sweeps are made by just bending the pipe by hand - a 70' run of 3" CPVC has a lot of flex in it, 1.5" probably 3-4x as much. If we need to make an angle, we use pre made 22.5*, 30*, 45* and 90* elbows.
 
brantmacga

brantmacga

Señor Member
Location
Georgia
Occupation
Former Child
Mostly pre-made, and we pre-fan all the slab conduit runs at the shop now with them.

Hot box if it's a weird angle in a ditch. We also do a lot of restaurant work, and like to use the hot box on d/t sign and canopy bases when we have several conduits coming in a sonotube cage. Usually several conduits ranging from 3/4"-2", and it's just easier to heat them.


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goldstar

goldstar

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Depending on how many conductors you plan to pull through the conduit some guys may, on occasion, use a pre-made gal 90. If you have poly-twine or rope in the conduit a tough pull may cause the 90 to melt when you pull. I believe "mule tape" will not do that. If you're only pulling a few conductors it probably doesn't matter.
 
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mstrlucky74

Senior Member
Location
NJ
goldstar said:
Depending on how many conductors you plan to pull through the conduit some guys may, on occasion, use a pre-made gal 90. If you have poly-twine or rope in the conduit a tough pull may cause the 90 to melt when you pull. I believe "mule tape" will not do that. If you're only pulling a few conductors it probably doesn't matter.
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Yes a lot of times the spec calls for RGS 90's. I always thought it was because the 90 might bust when pulling not melt.
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
mstrlucky74 said:
Yes a lot of times the spec calls for RGS 90's. I always thought it was because the 90 might bust when pulling not melt.
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Pull ropes and strings burn into your terminal adapter and plastic bushing if you let them rub on the side wall as you pull, imagine what they do in elbows in the run.
 
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