Buried RMC

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Ranger86

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This question will sound ridiculous but I have some people trying play with words of the NEC and I need to literally show them word by word what the code says .....

If a RMC conduit is layed on the earth (on top of the soil) and gravel is put on top of the RMC (no trenching involved)..., Will this meet the 300.5 and T300.5 requirements?

Assume no vehicular traffic in the area.

In my opinion this method of "burying or covering the RMC" does not meet the intent of the code. Any comments will be appreciated.
 
What about note #1 to Table 300.5?

Notes:
1. Cover is defined as the shortest distance in millimeters (inches) measured between a point on the top
surface of any direct-buried conductor, cable, conduit, or other raceway and the top surface of finished grade,
concrete, or similar cover.
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I think this is the answer I am looking for. ... the measurement from top of conduit to the finished grade needs to meet the minimum cover requirements.... I hope they don't come back and say that now the finished grade will be the top of the gravel that will be put on top of the RMC ...
Thanks for your input.
 
This is an issue, because there is no rule that says you can't lay it on top of the ground, but as soon as you cover it you have to meet the cover depth rule in 300.5. If the gravel covers the conduit you have to put it in a trench. If the top of the conduit and top of the gravel are the same, you are ok.
 
Ranger86 said:
In my opinion this method of "burying or covering the RMC" does not meet the intent of the code. Any comments will be appreciated.
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The gravel will become the finished grade. The conduit will need to be buried below the finished grade to a depth listed in T300.5.
 
Is your opinion because you do not consider gravel to fit the definition of finished grade? What if I sprinkle a half inch of topsoil over the gravel? What if is it only a dusting of top soil? What if weeds begin growing out of it?
I think this is open to interpretation. I don't believe the note infinity posted definitely wins the argument.
 
Didn't this question appear recently?

Either you lay the pipe atop the ground, or you bury it deep. Code does not provide much waffle room.

The one possible exception might be amongst landscaping, where a layer of bark or mulch may cover the pipe, without the burial requirements kick in.
 
If the RMC conduit is just layed on top of the ground with no gravel on top...,
Would it need to be supported per 344.30? I would say yes to this one.

Going back to putting gravel on top, I suppose if it is in an area with no vehicular traffic nor pedestian traffic and there are no other safety concerns then I guess it should be OK. I just have never dealt with this scenario before and wasn't sure if it met code.
 
Ranger86 said:
If the RMC conduit is just layed on top of the ground with no gravel on top...,
Would it need to be supported per 344.30? I would say yes to this one.
Click to expand...

I disagree.
IMO the is a big difference between securely fastened such as 3 ft from a box and supported... IMO the ground meets the requirement of 344.30(B)(1) and RMC on the ground requires no further support.
 
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