20' conduit

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JeffD

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Has anyone used 20' conduit lengths instead of 10'? The company's cost calculator says it gives around a 15% labor savings would you agree with that? Assuming appropiate applications of course.
 
I would agree. take a look at how long it takes to glue a 4" or 6" pipe then add the amount of Glue. The added seamless legnth also allows for easier bends in a curve.
 
Sierrasparky said:
I would agree. take a look at how long it takes to glue a 4" or 6" pipe then add the amount of Glue. The added seamless legnth also allows for easier bends in a curve.
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I agree it save labor on long duct banks, etc. The OP may be referring to 20' EMT.
They do make it. I can see where the savings could be huge if you reduce half of the couplings. Especially if they are steel/compression.
Of course, only a savings with a large quantity of long straight runs, like in a big warehouse.
 
I was referring to emt. Seen it advertised a few times in consulting specifying engineer and wondered if anyone used it and the results in savings.
 
20' EMT, colorful EMT, EMT with a coupling stamped into the end ....

These are all lovely ideas, and I wonder just how well they have worked out.

Fact is, though, I have enough trouble handling 10' sticks. They're already longer than my truck bed.

Plus, I hardly ever run more than eight feet without a bend. A 12-ft tail whipping around is going to be a challenge.

The only 'plus' I see might be in scrap reduction. I seem to have to toss a lot of 3-ft. stubs, while if they were 6-ft long I could get something useful from them.

I'm eager to hear from those who have tried the longer sticks.
 
renosteinke said:
20' EMT, colorful EMT, EMT with a coupling stamped into the end ....

These are all lovely ideas, and I wonder just how well they have worked out.

Fact is, though, I have enough trouble handling 10' sticks. They're already longer than my truck bed.

Plus, I hardly ever run more than eight feet without a bend. A 12-ft tail whipping around is going to be a challenge.

The only 'plus' I see might be in scrap reduction. I seem to have to toss a lot of 3-ft. stubs, while if they were 6-ft long I could get something useful from them.

I'm eager to hear from those who have tried the longer sticks.
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If you were doing a 200,000 sq/ft warehouse job (which is a good example of job you could benefit from 20'),
I doubt you would be using your truck for conduit deliveries.
At least I hope you wouldn't :)
 
JeffD said:
I was referring to emt. Seen it advertised a few times in consulting specifying engineer and wondered if anyone used it and the results in savings.
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i've used 20' long 4" schedule 40 pvc, and schedule "a" for duct banks, and 4" and 5" GRC.

the only place i've ever seen the 20' GRC is in refineries, on endless racks.... :weeping:
the one thing about 20' GRC on racks, is that two people can put it up, and spin it up,
and there is half the spinning. and half the couplings to hit on the racking, etc.

i could see it saving on the bone pile, the same way 2,500' spools of #12 save over 500'
spools.

the 20' PVC is a 2 man operation... and as you can get pvc with integral couplings, and
glue is cheap, i don't think it merits bothering with. you can handle and run 10' lengths
a lot easier when gluing.

in theory, 20' emt would give you half the scrap ends. balance that against having to
have two people to work it. i can run 4" emt pretty speedy solo, but 20' lengths solo?
i'd love to give it a shot, but i'm having my nails done that day.:p
 
K8MHZ said:
Wouldn't it be cool to have a machine that makes EMT like the seamless gutter machines?

Just hang it from the ceiling, feed sheet metal from a roll into the bottom and EMT comes out the end.
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I was working at a home where the lady was also having seamless gutters installed. The guys had their mach. and coil of metal in a van. The guys were walking out a gutter about 30 ft long. I over heard the lady comment " I didn't think that van was that long" :slaphead:
 
ceb58 said:
I was working at a home where the lady was also having seamless gutters installed. The guys had their mach. and coil of metal in a van. The guys were walking out a gutter about 30 ft long. I over heard the lady comment " I didn't think that van was that long" :slaphead:
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hahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
renosteinke said:
20' EMT, colorful EMT, EMT with a coupling stamped into the end ....

These are all lovely ideas, and I wonder just how well they have worked out.

Fact is, though, I have enough trouble handling 10' sticks. They're already longer than my truck bed.

Plus, I hardly ever run more than eight feet without a bend. A 12-ft tail whipping around is going to be a challenge.

The only 'plus' I see might be in scrap reduction. I seem to have to toss a lot of 3-ft. stubs, while if they were 6-ft long I could get something useful from them.

I'm eager to hear from those who have tried the longer sticks.
Click to expand...


There is one plumber in the area that pretty much only buys 20 lengths of both PVC pipe and copper tubing. Much less scraps left over than the guys that use 10 foot pieces. Plumbers don't typically have to deal with the bending issues either though.

ceb58 said:
I was working at a home where the lady was also having seamless gutters installed. The guys had their mach. and coil of metal in a van. The guys were walking out a gutter about 30 ft long. I over heard the lady comment " I didn't think that van was that long" :slaphead:
Click to expand...
Kind of like the really deep drawer in the file cabinet in the movie Bruce Almighty:cool:
 
cdslotz said:
I agree it save labor on long duct banks, etc. The OP may be referring to 20' EMT.
They do make it. I can see where the savings could be huge if you reduce half of the couplings. Especially if they are steel/compression.
Of course, only a savings with a large quantity of long straight runs, like in a big warehouse.
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How about risers that go vertical 10+ floors? Thanks.
 
horsegoer said:
How about risers that go vertical 10+ floors? Thanks.
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The question in that instance may be whether or not you can physically handle the 20 foot piece, by this I mean things such as making the turn into the space where you are trying to install it. 10 foot floors and 20 foot long pieces may not work together very well.
 
kwired said:
The question in that instance may be whether or not you can physically handle the 20 foot piece, by this I mean things such as making the turn into the space where you are trying to install it. 10 foot floors and 20 foot long pieces may not work together very well.
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Would new construction make a different for the riser or if it was running in a shaft or there were riser slots/openings? Thanks.
 
This stuff is somewhat useless in a high rise building unless you have an elevator that can transport 20' lengths. On a new construction job that's not always possible.
 
infinity said:
This stuff is somewhat useless in a high rise building unless you have an elevator that can transport 20' lengths. On a new construction job that's not always possible.
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Makes sense...but this may be a dumb question but how are 10' lengths put in the elevator? They use a hoist with a higher height? Thank.
 
horsegoer said:
Makes sense...but this may be a dumb question but how are 10' lengths put in the elevator? They use a hoist with a higher height? Thank.
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Most of the time 10' lengths can be stood up in an elevator but probably not with 20' lengths. A hoist might not be 20' long so if you want to move large bundles of EMT then you're stuck with 10' lengths.
 
I've used 20' PVC quite a bit, long underground runs to irrigation pivots mostly. HUGE TIMESAVER.

I can't picture using 20' rigid or emt, unless I had a long rack of conduits. I'm definitely not using 4" RGS in 20' sticks though!

For the regular branch circuit runs and piddly stuff like that, I could see 20' sticks of emt being a huge pain in the butt with a lot of scraps to use up.
 
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