Primer

Status
Not open for further replies.
K8MHZ

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
Some inspectors require primer to be used on PVC. I know an EC that has carried around a can of clear primer for years and never used it. When the inspector asks why there is no visible primer on his pipe runs, the EC says it's because it's clear and shows him the can.

I have toyed with PVC for years and I really do think that the primer makes for a better connection, but do we really need the glue (cement) to do anything more than keep the pipe from falling apart? It's not our job to make the pipe waterproof.

I think that, although much stronger, purple primer looks like crap on a pipe run. I know how to do it so the primer is barely visible, but most electricians slap it on like BBQ sauce on a side of roasting venison.

Do we really need to use primer?

I think it's overkill for our application, but I still use it.

Do you inspector types gig people for not using primer? What code requires it?
 
I have never used primer and have never been required to. Further, I have also never witnessed a run of underground PVC that was ever dry either (and I'm not sure primer would cause it to be dry).

Pete
 
infinity said:
I want to agree with Chris but wonder if he has a resource that says it's not required? Maybe something from Carlon?
Click to expand...

HERE is a link to a gluing guide from Carlon. It makes no mention of primer being required, in fact it specifically states that you can't use primer on ENT when gluing fittings.

Chris
 
jumper said:
My name is Derek, I am a primer, I have tried to stop, but I can't......just the way I am I suppose.

PS. Yes I know it is not required, but I am too old to stop...:)
Click to expand...

Many plumbers around here do not even use primer on sewer pipes - same ones seldom use PVC for pressurized lines so can't speak for them on that. I was not brave enough on my own home and primed every joint. Of course I used the quick set cement like we normally use on electrical PVC, I think the plumbers are actually using something that is thicker and sets a little slower, it is kind of a creamy color.
 
Looks like we need a primer on primers :)

First off, there's the matter of customer ... ignorance. They assume you need primer on the PVC, and if you were running rigid they'd expect you to use teflon tape! They just don't know any better .....

While there is 'clear' primer available, I have never seen it in the store. What I do see is a clear 'cleaner,' which acts like a diluted primer .... it just doesn't seem quite as potent as the purple stuff.

Oddly enough, the plumbing code requires the use of a colored primer to 'witness' that primer was used on the joint. The electrical code has no such requirement.

As for the cements .... PVC cement can be made clear, or in any color you want. While there are some conventions followed to help identify different cements (especially those used for different materials), this 'color code' is nothing but a manufacturer convenience.

What does matter -to us- is that PVC cements also come in different 'bodies' or thicknesses. The clear stuff we use has a somewhat lighter body than the 'medium body' cements in the plumbing aisle. The difference is directly related to the amount of PVC mixed in with the solvent. Thus, the heavier bodied cements cure slower and fill gaps better than the thinn-bodied ones.

What also matters -to some of us, anyway- is that our cement needs to be listed for electrical use. I've only seen the clear stuff so listed. A pity, that, as I really like to use the grey stuff on grey pipe ... it just seems 'right.' IMO, we went a wee bit overboard with the listing requirement. (No surprise there).

Personal preference? Well, until recently I skipped the primer. After all, it's not as if we're relying on the glue to keep the electricity in the pipe! A recent install has caused me to reconsider....

I ran some PVC through a trench, then came up out of the ground. As luck would have it, the area around the trench was, after filling, subjected to additional digging and landscape work. One of my glue joints on the sweep failed, and it was a real PITA to fix it, as the wires were already present. Under the 'better safe than sorry' principle, I am now leaning towards using a primer to help 'Murphy proof" things. That the practice will assure the nervous customers, give me a chance to brag how much more thorough I am than the other guy, would be another 'plus.'

I have to go, now. Morning break is approaching, and I need to fry some eggs on my charcoal-fired PVC bender ... :)
 
If I ever have an inspector tell me the PVC cement I'm using is not for electrical PVC he will be buried in the trench with the conduit.:rant:
 
kwired said:
If I ever have an inspector tell me the PVC cement I'm using is not for electrical PVC he will be buried in the trench with the conduit.:rant:
Click to expand...

Had a contractor show me some warning tape for an underground installation that said "WARNING electrical inspector buried below" :lol:

Pete
 
I did a 200' run of 2" pvc that went underground. It sat in the ground for a few months during the wet season. I was very surprised that when I pulled the wire there was no moisture in the pipe. I did use primer but now with a load I wonder if all that condensation is inside the pipe and can't get out.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I did a 200' run of 2" pvc that went underground. It sat in the ground for a few months during the wet season. I was very surprised that when I pulled the wire there was no moisture in the pipe. I did use primer but now with a load I wonder if all that condensation is inside the pipe and can't get out.
Click to expand...

I did a run last summer on a hot humid day. Buried raceway on Friday, pulled conductors on monday. It did not rain between those days. Pull rope did have some dampness after pulling through that raceway. Had to be entirely from condensation.

Your install must not have been subjected to conditions to cause condensation, were the ends capped? Humidity must have been low when raceway was installed?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top