And yet where do they put the factory bolt on hub opening on most equipment that has one? Dead center of the enclosure so that any moisture that does condense in the raceway will drip right onto whatever equipment is enclosed. Seen many main breakers in outdoor loadcenters that have water damages from water entering the incoming raceway and sometimes even makes it's way through/around the main and onto the bus and load breakers as well.
Water entry into a meter socket often doesn't get onto anything that will deteriorate too rapidly. Line side lugs - some risk of deterioration but not same amount of risks as a breaker panel with breakers right below the hub entry.Meter enclosures have drain holes in them so some minor water entry or condensation is usually not an issue. Bottom line you can only use RMC or IMC into the meter enclosure hub. I feel sorry for the other 90% of all installations where a different wiring method such as PVC, EMT or SE cable is used.
NEC only says it must have sufficient strength for the mechanical load imposed on it (or something that means about what I said). It doesn't specify any minimum raceway size or type. Many POCO's won't allow anything less than 2" RMC/IMC.
Isn't that what I said...
With this situation, it was the compression connection leaking, not by the threads in the hub. I don't think they tightened it enough. I didn't have my jumbo channel locks on the truck, so I couldn't tell for sure. The water wasn't getting on any electrical parts, so I told them to get the installing contractor to come back and fix. Store had been open only two weeks.
its consistency helps dam up voids within threads, aside from using it on aluminum to aluminum contacts I've used it on galvanized couplings to make a better connection, its a conductive graphite from what I've been told but it does have other useful purposes.
Sorry but I am convinced that in many cases you get more water inside because of condensation than if you used non water tight fittings. There is a reason you must use conductors with a "W" in the designation type inside outdoor raceways.
In general about the only thing that is tapered is your cut threads on RMC/IMC. Most "fittings" will almost always be straight threads.
Not so sure some aren't, especially some bolt on hubs. Even 20-25 years ago I remember trying to thread a EMT fitting into certain ones and they get tight before they are in very far, yet threaded RMC/IMC threads in much further. About had to be because tapered thread in the hub.
careful what you wish for, someone will have a solution that is looking for a problem to use here and come up with something that is a big of a joke as the raintight EMT fittings are.
