Hanging PVC Conduit

[Buck Parrish]

We are wiring a horse barn.
In some areas it will be easier to go from light to light with a piece of 1/2 PVC hanging from a rod with mineralite straps.
It would be ten to 15 ft spans. Is this allowed ?

Second question .
Near each end of the barn the customer wants outside dusk to dawn sort of like street lights.
It would save me 100 ft or more of conduit if I could pull an other circuit through my flouescents. So the fourescents would be used as a j-box or pull box. Is this allowed?

 

[ericsherman37]

Table 352.30 requires Rigid PVC conduit sized 1/2" through 1" to be supported at intervals not exceeding 3 ft.

As far as the fluorescent pull box thing, check 410.64.

 

[cadpoint]

1. No, the PVC has a requirement to be supported per length.

2. Yes, the light has to be listed as a raceway, maybe...

 

[ceb58]

Table 352.30 requires Rigid PVC conduit sized 1/2" through 1" to be supported at intervals not exceeding 3 ft.

As far as the fluorescent pull box thing, check 410.64.

And you may need to think on 352.44.

 

[Buck Parrish]

And you may need to think on 352.44.

Thanks, our lights are hanging so they have a little play in them. I have not had any body around here enforce that rule. With an exception of, if the building has an expanision joint.

The light didn't have any paper work in the box. So how do I know if it's listed. It has knockouts on each end.

 

[ceb58]

Thanks, our lights are hanging so they have a little play in them. I have not had any body around here enforce that rule. With an exception of, if the building has an expanision joint.

The light didn't have any paper work in the box. So how do I know if it's listed. It has knockouts on each end.

Just thinking of the heat in the barn in the summer. Could be enough to cause "snaking" of the PVC.
One question. How far above floor will the conduit be?

 

[Buck Parrish]

One question. How far above floor will the conduit be?

14 feet high, So it's my understanding, (352.30)that it's allowed if it's strapped every three feet.

This barn is metal.

 

[Buck Parrish]

Here is a pic

And here is the light with the dust cover.

 

[ceb58]

14 feet high, So it's my understanding, (352.30)that it's allowed if it's strapped every three feet.

This barn is metal.

That is from the PVC Table 352.30 3ft max between support.

 

[ceb58]

Are you running the PVC on the purlins or on the beams?

 

[Buck Parrish]

Are you running the PVC on the purlins or on the beams?

Both, we're installing fans above every stall, too.
The lights will be to the right of my ladder . Thier is no beam in the center .
So I have put kindorf across, then will hanf the lights from them.

 

[ceb58]

Both, we're installing fans above every stall, too.
The lights will be to the right of my ladder . Thier is no beam in the center .
So I have put kindorf across, then will hanf the lights from them.

Not sure exactly which way you will be going but I have wired barns like the one you are doing. One thing you could do if it works out is to run your PVC to PVC j boxes with the two hole in one hole out. You can flex down to the light with car-flex with the switch leg. This will give you the raceway needed for the nightlights out side.

 

[augie47]

Not sure exactly which way you will be going but I have wired barns like the one you are doing. One thing you could do if it works out is to run your PVC to PVC j boxes with the two hole in one hole out. You can flex down to the light with car-flex with the switch leg. This will give you the raceway needed for the nightlights out side.

Thats the method I have used.

 

[ceb58]

Both, we're installing fans above every stall, too.
The lights will be to the right of my ladder . Thier is no beam in the center .
So I have put kindorf across, then will hanf the lights from them.

And while your at it make sure that you/customer supply the outdoor rated fans. I have had customers supply the regular indoor household type, and against my advice, I installed them. You go back about six months latter to replace them because the blades have dropped low enough to hit the horse in the head.
While you are there try and up sell them on the electronic fly killers.
And if you are doing this work in NC for horse people dont get to deep into your pocket with the job with out payment.

 

[kwired]

Everyone can bash me if they want - I know what 547 says.

I would run RMC/IMC/or EMT on the ceiling in this building.

Again I know what 547 says, I have also worked in many livestock buildings.

They do not crowd horses in these buildings like they do hogs or poultry. The severety of the environment is less than some dwellings I have been in. I also would not use the fixture shown if mounted above 15 feet, you would need so many of them as compared to how many 8 lamp F54T5's you would need.

You will not find hog or poultry buildings built with red iron framing - it will not last as long as the galvanized raceways hanging from it.

Running PVC on or near that ceiling will need more expansion fittings than raceway if you want it to stay up there. (ok that is an exaggeration but it will look like hell in a short time no matter how well it installed).

I will run wiring methods mentioned in 547 at lower levels as they are likely to be washed, or come into contact with manure, etc.

547.5 Wiring Methods.
(A) Wiring Systems. Types UF, NMC, copper SE cables, jacketed Type MC cable, rigid nonmetallic conduit, liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit, or other cables or raceways suitable for the location, with approved termination fittings, shall be the wiring methods employed. The wiring methods of Article 502, Part II, shall be permitted for areas described in 547.1(A).

The bold section kind leaves what I said up to installer and/or AHJ.

People ask about horse barns all the time on this forum. People answer with remarks refering to 547 which they should but most don't realize how clean most horse barns are as compared to other livestock buildings. The only area with much of a corrosive environment is in close proximity to the animals.

 

[ceb58]

Everyone can bash me if they want - I know what 547 says.

I would run RMC/IMC/or EMT on the ceiling in this building.

Again I know what 547 says, I have also worked in many livestock buildings.

They do not crowd horses in these buildings like they do hogs or poultry. The severety of the environment is less than some dwellings I have been in. I also would not use the fixture shown if mounted above 15 feet, you would need so many of them as compared to how many 8 lamp F54T5's you would need.

You will not find hog or poultry buildings built with red iron framing - it will not last as long as the galvanized raceways hanging from it.

Running PVC on or near that ceiling will need more expansion fittings than raceway if you want it to stay up there. (ok that is an exaggeration but it will look like hell in a short time no matter how well it installed).

I will run wiring methods mentioned in 547 at lower levels as they are likely to be washed, or come into contact with manure, etc.




The bold section kind leaves what I said up to installer and/or AHJ.

People ask about horse barns all the time on this forum. People answer with remarks refering to 547 which they should but most don't realize how clean most horse barns are as compared to other livestock buildings. The only area with much of a corrosive environment is in close proximity to the animals.

The heat is one reason I mentioned expansion couplings before. I agree a horse barn is not the worst environment for live stock. I have seen chicken houses wired with nm. The one thing I like about using PVC is the boxes have gasket covers to help keep out all the dust associated with a horse barn.

 

[Cow]

Everyone can bash me if they want - I know what 547 says.

I would run RMC/IMC/or EMT on the ceiling in this building.

Again I know what 547 says, I have also worked in many livestock buildings.

They do not crowd horses in these buildings like they do hogs or poultry. The severety of the environment is less than some dwellings I have been in. I also would not use the fixture shown if mounted above 15 feet, you would need so many of them as compared to how many 8 lamp F54T5's you would need.

You will not find hog or poultry buildings built with red iron framing - it will not last as long as the galvanized raceways hanging from it.

Running PVC on or near that ceiling will need more expansion fittings than raceway if you want it to stay up there. (ok that is an exaggeration but it will look like hell in a short time no matter how well it installed).

I will run wiring methods mentioned in 547 at lower levels as they are likely to be washed, or come into contact with manure, etc.




The bold section kind leaves what I said up to installer and/or AHJ.

People ask about horse barns all the time on this forum. People answer with remarks refering to 547 which they should but most don't realize how clean most horse barns are as compared to other livestock buildings. The only area with much of a corrosive environment is in close proximity to the animals.

I agree with all of this. We wire barns all the time, emt in the ceiling, pvc/rigid where necessary down low.

 

[kwired]

The heat is one reason I mentioned expansion couplings before. I agree a horse barn is not the worst environment for live stock. I have seen chicken houses wired with nm. The one thing I like about using PVC is the boxes have gasket covers to help keep out all the dust associated with a horse barn.

In the type of heat that will be encountered the boxes will warp and gasket becomes useless. Seen it.

Again horse barns are not that bad of environment. Swine and poultry buildings are horrible environments - All PVC systems is pretty much needed, but they get pretty good abuse no matter how much you try to avoid it. You will always have broken items that no longer keep the environment out of the system.

If you want to keep dust out use metallic bell boxes with gasketed covers. I would likely use regular 1900 boxes on this ceiling. If low enough to be easily washed that would be a different story.

 

[weressl]

We are wiring a horse barn.
In some areas it will be easier to go from light to light with a piece of 1/2 PVC hanging from a rod with mineralite straps.
It would be ten to 15 ft spans. Is this allowed ?

Second question .
Near each end of the barn the customer wants outside dusk to dawn sort of like street lights.
It would save me 100 ft or more of conduit if I could pull an other circuit through my flouescents. So the fourescents would be used as a j-box or pull box. Is this allowed?

In the CProcess industry the use of nonmetallic pipes is quite common. Small pipes - like 1/2" - between distant support points are supported by a 2"*2" light gauge sheet metal angle \o/. Even if you need to provide an intermeadiate support for the angle it is less than the 5 needed for the non-metallic conduit.