HDPE Conduit

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mkgrady

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Massachusetts
Today I came across my first HDPE conduit. It was buried in the ground under a previous contract. I have been hired to use it to wire a generator at a home. When I first exposed the end where the generator is going I mistakenly told the home owner it is not electrical conduit. It looked similar to what you would use as a sprinkler pipe for irrigation.

The home owner asked the previous contractor what he had installed and he was told HDPE electrical conduit. I had heard of it before but had never seen it until now. Actually I don't see much of it because it is buried and turned up to just below grade. I plan to connect to it with an adapter of some kind so I can connect PVC.

I contacted my local supplier that is part of a large NE chain. They don't sell the adapters and they were told that Carlon used to make them but the product is no longer supported. I asked what that means and they did not know. They don't sell what I need. This seems very strange. They used to sell the product but no longer do. The manufacturer no longer supports the product. Weird.

What the heck is going on with this conduit system that suppliers stop selling the fittings?
 
Martin B said:
Check out http://www.hdpeinc.com/index.php/products

I think a Graybar or a Sesco would be able to order one.

I have also heard of guys using a regular PVC coupling but I've never worked with it so I don't know how that would work, may be a bad idea.
Click to expand...

A PVC coupling might fit diameter-wise, but will not glue to the HDPE pipe; there is no glue that forms a decent bond with HDPE, with the exception of some very nasty-to-use epoxies. It would be a friction fit, and a poor one at that. Short of using a heat-welded transition fitting, perhaps something like this could be made to work:

http://www.amazon.com/Spears-Fitting-Adapter-Schedule-Barbed/dp/B00ALMHU7I

I realize it's not listed for electrical use. It's just the first image I found. Is something like this fitting made in grey "electrical" PVC?



SceneryDriver
 
SceneryDriver said:
A PVC coupling might fit diameter-wise, but will not glue to the HDPE pipe; there is no glue that forms a decent bond with HDPE, with the exception of some very nasty-to-use epoxies. It would be a friction fit, and a poor one at that. Short of using a heat-welded transition fitting, perhaps something like this could be made to work:

http://www.amazon.com/Spears-Fitting-Adapter-Schedule-Barbed/dp/B00ALMHU7I

I realize it's not listed for electrical use. It's just the first image I found. Is something like this fitting made in grey "electrical" PVC?



SceneryDriver
Click to expand...

I stand corrected. Apparently, Innerduct sells HDPE to "other plastic" glue. It looks not-terrible to use and be around too. Much better than some of the nasty things I've tried in the past.

http://www.innerduct.com/products/hdpe_glue.php




SceneryDriver
 
We use an HDPE product we call cable-con. It's HDPE conduit on a reel with wires preinstalled, used a lot for irrigation pivots on crop circles.

The product you are looking for is a Shur-lock II coupling. It's an approved method of connecting PVC to HDPE. Just remember the HDPE has to stay below grade.

http://www.duraline.com/category/accessories-store/couplers/shur-lock™-ii

We get them from a local irrigation supply house.
 
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