Just curious what others opinions are, Rigid Aluminum conduit in leau of Rigid Steel? What are the advantages / disadvantages from what I can find Aluminum is lighter and therefore easier to install, however does not have the wall thickness or a Rigid Steel Conduit. Just curious there is a project where the contractor has suggested aluminum conduit in leau of rigid as a potential cost savings other than the wall thickness is there any other advantage / disadvantages?
Aluminum or Rigid Steel
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ultramegabob
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- Indiana
I have only used it a couple times, once it was specified on the exterior of a factory going to some equipment, another time we used it for a run of 4" conduit that was over 20' high overhead, working in lifts it was just alot easier to work with due to the weight. Its also alot easier to thread and bend than ridgid, but its way more expensive...
ultramegabob
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like I said, I have only used it a few times, I believe it was alot more expensive then, I may be wrong on that point, but I would think aluminum would still cost more.
ultramegabob
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I just checked, your right, aluminum does cost less, for 2" ridgid is 67.66, aluminum is 66.79, but intermediate is only 40.32
Yes, aluminum is much lighter but is somewhat more difficult to pull wires through. We used it alot in one plant and for short runs of rigid steel where you might be able to push some wires thru with using a fishtape you could not do it in aluminum. Too much drag.
Also, when bending larger sizes, say 2" and above it seems to stretch a little bit.
Also, when bending larger sizes, say 2" and above it seems to stretch a little bit.
APavlatos
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- College Station Texas
AlRC is cheaper right now than GRC. Sometimes it is sometimes it isn't. In the big picture IMC is always cheaper than either of those.
What type of environment is the conduit being installed?
Is it underground or overhead?
Aluminum shouldn't be installed underground because of corrosion.
Is it in a corrosive area?
Is it in an area that the conduit can be damaged?
Aluminum conduit is not as bullet proof as steel.
You need to lube the threads so the conduits thread together better.
You may or may not save money on the conduit, and you should save on the labor.
Is it underground or overhead?
Aluminum shouldn't be installed underground because of corrosion.
Is it in a corrosive area?
Is it in an area that the conduit can be damaged?
Aluminum conduit is not as bullet proof as steel.
You need to lube the threads so the conduits thread together better.
You may or may not save money on the conduit, and you should save on the labor.
masterinbama
Senior Member
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- Huntsville Alabama
And remember if you are threading IMC with standard pony type dies to buy the IMC dies. I didn't know they made them until I was given a large IMC job to do. Thought the guy that suggested them was asking for a wire stretcher (so to speak). I think the OD is just enough smaller to make standard dies thead crooked (if my feeble old memory serves me today)
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Some of the benefits of aluminum RMC are it's lighter, slightly cheaper and will never rust.
Too much drag?
Too much drag?
:-?
Is this true that aluminum is harder to pull thru? is there any information on this? also if the conduit stretches a little bit how does that affect the inside diameter of the conduit? Just an FYI this is an installation in a powerhouse generators, chillers, pumps, cooling towers, etc. Thanks again.
Too much drag?
:-?
Is this true that aluminum is harder to pull thru? is there any information on this? also if the conduit stretches a little bit how does that affect the inside diameter of the conduit? Just an FYI this is an installation in a powerhouse generators, chillers, pumps, cooling towers, etc. Thanks again.
ultramegabob
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- Indiana
Mike01 said:
Im not sure what he is talking about with the stretching if your using a bender it is not going to stretch any more than steel pipe, distance around the radius of the bender is the same no matter what the material is. as far as drag, I dont know, I rarely push wire through conduit unless it is a really short distance.
ultramegabob
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- Indiana
wireman said:
do you mean that the conduit doesnt spring back consistently after each bend leaving you with some overbends and some underbends?
If there is, I've never noticed it. Is that enough information??? :grin:Mike01 said:
Do not even concern yourself with stretching in bends, but keep in mind it expands and contracts at a different rate than steel... i.e. think expansion joints in long runs.
I've done plenty of work in Midwest AEP powerhouses. Aluminum rigid is quite nearly the only conduit type used above ground in processing areas.
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rcwilson
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- Redmond, WA
When I worked for an aluminum company we required all aluminum conduit. The scrap piles of improperly bent conduit were large. Contractors complained about the difficulty of bending it. A lot of bends had oval cross sections. Maybe they were using the wrong benders.
When we used aluminum conduit in my present company's power plants, the crews loved the light weight but there was a lot of damage. Other trades were used to climbing on conduits without a problem but the aluminum conduit bent if you stood on it. Easy solution: put your foot on a conduit and you're out the gate.
When we used aluminum conduit in my present company's power plants, the crews loved the light weight but there was a lot of damage. Other trades were used to climbing on conduits without a problem but the aluminum conduit bent if you stood on it. Easy solution: put your foot on a conduit and you're out the gate.
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