15' exposed drop. What is best?

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arazu

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Please forgive me as I do mostly residential work.

I need to go from an I beam ceiling, to retail shelving. It's ~15' so I need some support. The other drops in this building are strut between the beams, strut part way down, and a diagonal brace. Is that the best way to do it? It doesn't look very clean to me.

I could always do what some other guy did and run the EMT straight down with several couplings mixed in. It looks great if I was going for that post apocalyptic, about to fall apart thing.

Thanks!

Edit: Can I even anchor to the shelving or do I need to go to the floor?
 
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RMC can have 20 feet between supports in a situation like you have. see 334.30(B)(3)

Or the table permits 20 feet between supports anyway if using 3 inch or larger;)

For small sizes the cost of RMC over EMT is likely offset by time and materials needed to properly support the EMT.
 
kwired said:
RMC can have 20 feet between supports in a situation like you have. see 334.30(B)(3)

Or the table permits 20 feet between supports anyway if using 3 inch or larger;)

For small sizes the cost of RMC over EMT is likely offset by time and materials needed to properly support the EMT.
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I agree, use RMC.

On the other hand Lowes has us run aircraft cable (wire rope) as a messenger from the truss down to the shelving units then we type wrap MC cable to that messenger.
 
kwired said:
RMC can have 20 feet between supports in a situation like you have. see 334.30(B)(3)

Or the table permits 20 feet between supports anyway if using 3 inch or larger;)

For small sizes the cost of RMC over EMT is likely offset by time and materials needed to properly support the EMT.
Click to expand...

Maybe 344.30(B)3 ??
 
some strut is listed as a raceway. if you are going to run some kind of support for the conduit might as well just make the support the raceway.
 
Smart $ said:
Support requirements are completely independent of couplings, number thereof, and their location.
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I know that, the support for the drop was already covered so I added the twenty foot pipe length for a nicer install. I should have said that.
 
Thank you all very much for the great advice.

They told me today they are going to have their maintenance guy do it.

I'm going to keep the strut raceway in mind. It looks like it could be very useful.

Thanks again.
 
arazu said:
They told me today they are going to have their maintenance guy do it.
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Because he can do it for less when he doesn't follow codes? :huh:

Still their choice though, and your liability isn't effected if it isn't done to codes and you didn't do it.
 
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