Want to place a slip fitter roadway type light on a pole at a driveway gate and looking to just use a 2" sch 40 pipe for the pole. Due to the height (~12ft) it would need a handhole -looking for a workaround. The fixture has a foot or so of SJTW cord coming out of it as the supply conductors. Could conduit be run up the outside of the pole, landed in a box near the top of the pole, and nipple out the back of the box into the pole? Then run the fixture's attached supply cable through the nipple into the external box and make the connections there. Would this be legal?
Nec 410.30(b) workaround?
- Thread starter Todd0x1
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LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Why not use a C-type conduit body as your hand-hole? Also doubles as a coupling.
synchro
Senior Member
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Occupation
- EE
The fact that a handhole is not needed in 410.30 if the pole is 8 feet or less, or it has a hinged based and is less than 20 feet high seems to imply an intent to keep the access for wiring splices at no more than 8 feet above grade. But if so I don't see where it specifies that the handhole itself has to be less than 8 feet up the pole.
I think if a C-type condulet is used for a handhole as Larry mentioned, it might be better to have it further up on the pole where it's not subject to as much bending stresses. Aluminum condulets nowadays seem to have relatively thin cross sections so I'm not sure how much stress they can take. Iron condulets would be stronger but are more costly.
I think if a C-type condulet is used for a handhole as Larry mentioned, it might be better to have it further up on the pole where it's not subject to as much bending stresses. Aluminum condulets nowadays seem to have relatively thin cross sections so I'm not sure how much stress they can take. Iron condulets would be stronger but are more costly.
Hmm, C conduit body is an interesting idea, could even weld a stud in it for EGC. No way would an aluminum one be strong enough. Iron one is about $50 for a 2in so not too horrible.
As far as handhole height etc, with the way I was proposing it the wiring is external to the pole so 410.30(b) wouldn't apply unless the fact the fixture's cord passes uninterrupted through the pole for a few inches would trigger the requirement. Could always just use a different fixture that bolts to the pole and has an external electrical connection but we liked the look of this roadway light.
As far as handhole height etc, with the way I was proposing it the wiring is external to the pole so 410.30(b) wouldn't apply unless the fact the fixture's cord passes uninterrupted through the pole for a few inches would trigger the requirement. Could always just use a different fixture that bolts to the pole and has an external electrical connection but we liked the look of this roadway light.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I meant at the top. Todd said the light had only one foot of cord.
One could be at the top and one at the bottom; just right for 10' of conduit between them for a 12' pole.
Thats $100 just in conduit bodies, i guess the top one could be aluminum but then they wouldn't match.
Theres a small post with an access card reader going right infront of this light post. I think I am going to do the following and take care of everything with one post:
-12ft high (+ 3ft in the ground) 4" square post
-Theres a mount for the light that lets it bolt to the side of a square post
-Run the access card reader conduit up inside the post and mount the access card reader to the post
-Run the power conduit for the light up the back side of the post, junction box at the bottom where it comes out of the ground, LB at the top nippled into the post. Post would end up bonded by the junction box and the RMC nipple. Remember, there's no wiring in the post other than the light's jacketed cord running though it.
-Attach the light to the post per mfg, run the light's cord through the nipple into the LB and make the light's splices in the LB.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
did quick google search for 12 foot poles, didn't look too hard but guessing most anything you would be interested in from that search was anywhere between $350 and $600. most were either 3 or 4 inches round, square, some were aluminum and tapered. Figure your fabrication time and possibly finish and you may be just as well off purchasing something already designed for the purpose.
I appreciate that. The 4x4 steel tube is somewhere around 150 for a 20ft. If I used an off the shelf light pole then we're back to having to make the pedestal for the access card reader.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
Place I would buy the steel tube from would cut to length what I wanted, as long as I didn't want say 15-19 feet off a 20 foot piece of stock, in that case he would still cut it if I wanted but I'd be billed for the 20 foot piece regardless.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
Steel tube for just card reader wouldn't need to be as heavy gauge as light pole likely needs to be either.
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