Box offset or no

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billdozier 78 said:
In concealed spaces above ceilings behind walls do you guys install box offsets?
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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.
 
iwire said:
Buried in Sheetrock walls? No, I don't put any extra bends 'for looks'.

Above a suspended ceiling? Usually yes but maybe not.
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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:
 
plumb bob said:
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.
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None of my conduits are 'forced together'.

Are you suggesting these conduits need offsets? (Not my work, just an example)

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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:
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I thought the question was about areas not in sight?
 
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 :D
 
plumb bob said:
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 :D
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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.
 
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.
 
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:
 
plumb bob said:
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....
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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.
 
ActionDave said:
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.
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Might be fine with steel fittings, die cast fittings just break if pipe puts strain on the fitting.
 
iwire said:
Yeah, I don't think anyone is talking that extreame.
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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).
 
krisinjersey said:
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:
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What's a squisher? An offset bender?
 
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