Pvc indoors?

[newbinga]

First time poster here.

I work with a company that runs a fair amount of conduit for low voltage applications. Cat 5 cable and rg6/59 with 12 or 24 volts for cameras.

We usually use pvc outside and emt inside. But mostly we do pvc outside because inside we can get into an attic to run our cables inside.

Most of our work is in apartment communities such as the leasing office. Or commercial spaces. We do no residential homes.
The question is can we use pvc inside? I was told no due to toxic fumes. Then I started wondering how much different plumbing pvc was from electrical pvc and why plumbing pvc was not a toxic hazard.

Currently we are installing conduit through 3 to 4 floors of various apartment buildings because there is no chase way or any other way to get our cables to the roof.

The rooms are common laundry rooms in some buildings, and storage rooms in other buildings.

We are currently using emt strapped to unistrut but pvc would be so much easier.

Is there any code that prevents this? I have read pvc may be a no no in highly populated areas such as movie theaters etc


Thanks

 

[ADub]

Check out 352.12

 

[kwired]

Check out 352.12

as well as 352.10.

The only areas where PVC is not allowed in general is in art 518 and 520 applications - most all hazardous locations, and in environmental air handling spaces. There can be exceptions to all of these but in general is not allowed.

 

[ritelec]

First time poster here.

welcome

Most of our work is in apartment communities

Currently we are installing conduit through 3 to 4 floors of various apartment buildings because there is no chase way or any other way to get our cables to the roof.

The rooms are common laundry rooms in some buildings, and storage rooms in other buildings.

IMO.. pvc sch. 40 will get destroyed.

There are sections of the code that mentioned about exposed to physical damage and sch 80 is acceptable.
Finding sch. 80 fittings may be tough.

So rather than the damage to the sch 40, dealing with fittings or hot box or blanket.. possible toxic fumes....
Probably best to stick with the emt.

 

[newbinga]

Well I don't think it will get destroyed. It is usually out of the way and and as far as tampering/vandalism, well there's a good chance they will be on camera since that is what we are installing.

Sch 80 would be tough as we do not want to loose cable fill capacity.

Unfortunately I do not have access to a code book.

 

[ADub]

Well I don't think it will get destroyed. It is usually out of the way and and as far as tampering/vandalism, well there's a good chance they will be on camera since that is what we are installing.

Sch 80 would be tough as we do not want to loose cable fill capacity.

Unfortunately I do not have access to a code book.

It wouldn't get destroyed. Sch 80 would be way overkill. Personally I'd never run exposed pvc through a building since EMT is so much easier to install but what you're proposing sounds fine.

 

[kwired]

It wouldn't get destroyed. Sch 80 would be way overkill. Personally I'd never run exposed pvc through a building since EMT is so much easier to install but what you're proposing sounds fine.

What is easier depends on several factors, sometimes EMT may be easier, but often PVC is easier, especially smaller sizes and with use of a one handed PVC cutter. PVC does need more points of support.

I remember running PVC on the ceiling in a 500 foot long poultry barn one time, most of the 500 feet straight run wit occasional box. All you needed to do was lay pipe out on the floor already cemented together and start hanging, when you needed a box, cut pipe, cement the hubs and keep moving. Not saying you couldn't do that with EMT, but is not quite as easy to handle and doesn't flex as well either.

 

[LEO2854]

First time poster here.

I work with a company that runs a fair amount of conduit for low voltage applications. Cat 5 cable and rg6/59 with 12 or 24 volts for cameras.

We usually use pvc outside and emt inside. But mostly we do pvc outside because inside we can get into an attic to run our cables inside.

Most of our work is in apartment communities such as the leasing office. Or commercial spaces. We do no residential homes.
The question is can we use pvc inside? I was told no due to toxic fumes. Then I started wondering how much different plumbing pvc was from electrical pvc and why plumbing pvc was not a toxic hazard.

Currently we are installing conduit through 3 to 4 floors of various apartment buildings because there is no chase way or any other way to get our cables to the roof.

The rooms are common laundry rooms in some buildings, and storage rooms in other buildings.

We are currently using emt strapped to unistrut but pvc would be so much easier.

Is there any code that prevents this? I have read pvc may be a no no in highly populated areas such as movie theaters etc


Thanks

Welcome aboard....:thumbsup:

 

[ADub]

What is easier depends on several factors, sometimes EMT may be easier, but often PVC is easier, especially smaller sizes and with use of a one handed PVC cutter. PVC does need more points of support.

I remember running PVC on the ceiling in a 500 foot long poultry barn one time, most of the 500 feet straight run wit occasional box. All you needed to do was lay pipe out on the floor already cemented together and start hanging, when you needed a box, cut pipe, cement the hubs and keep moving. Not saying you couldn't do that with EMT, but is not quite as easy to handle and doesn't flex as well either.

True that. I was only speaking from personal experience. I would be at a complete loss running pvc anywhere instead of an open trench. I've been hanging metal raceways in big factories almost my whole career so I consider EMT probably the easiest commodity to work with

 

[Barbqranch]

What I really don't like about pvc other than in a trench is how much it expands with temperature increase. The person trying to do my job installed quite a bit of it inside, and I have seen it break the plastic hangers apart. One section on the roof, relatively short (less than 100 feet I think) had one coupling completely pulled apart. Copper doesn't expand the same amount, so it is rubbing back and forth in the conduit, and may be under a lot of stress when the conduit expands. Emt and copper are much closer to each other.

 

[kwired]

What I really don't like about pvc other than in a trench is how much it expands with temperature increase. The person trying to do my job installed quite a bit of it inside, and I have seen it break the plastic hangers apart. One section on the roof, relatively short (less than 100 feet I think) had one coupling completely pulled apart. Copper doesn't expand the same amount, so it is rubbing back and forth in the conduit, and may be under a lot of stress when the conduit expands. Emt and copper are much closer to each other.

Dealing with thermal expansion is a requirement of 352.44. Your 100 foot run on a roof top could easily change length by 4 inches or more from one temp extreme to another that may be encountered on a roof top in most of North America.

 

[iwire]

What I really don't like about pvc other than in a trench is how much it expands with temperature increase. The person trying to do my job installed quite a bit of it inside, and I have seen it break the plastic hangers apart. One section on the roof, relatively short (less than 100 feet I think) had one coupling completely pulled apart. Copper doesn't expand the same amount, so it is rubbing back and forth in the conduit, and may be under a lot of stress when the conduit expands. Emt and copper are much closer to each other.

Pretty much every time I have seen PVC break hangers, sag or pull out of couplings it was because it was not installed to code in the first place.

Key points people forget

• Depending on the size the supports might have to be as close as 3' apart
• The supports have to allow the PVC to slide
• Expansion fittings are needed.

 

[Barbqranch]

Pretty much every time I have seen PVC break hangers, sag or pull out of couplings it was because it was not installed to code in the first place.

Key points people forget

• Depending on the size the supports might have to be as close as 3' apart
• The supports have to allow the PVC to slide
• Expansion fittings are needed.

Unfortunately, the people who installed it either forgot or never knew. I am trying to clean things up as quickly as I can, with, fortunately, managements agreement.

At least around here, pvc expansion fittings are pretty expensive, and emt is much cheaper to run. More fun too.

 

[iwire]

I do not run much PVC above ground either but sometimes it is a good choice.

 

[kwired]

Unfortunately, the people who installed it either forgot or never knew. I am trying to clean things up as quickly as I can, with, fortunately, managements agreement.

At least around here, pvc expansion fittings are pretty expensive, and emt is much cheaper to run. More fun too.

If you get around corrosive environments much PVC can be the better choice, even when considering some of the negatives.

It doesn't rust, but it may need additional physical protection though, even with expansion fittings and additional supports it still cost much less them PVC coated rigid or stainless rigid.

 

[newbinga]

In our case pvc would be easier most of the time. Sometimes we have small transitions that we can easily just bend the pvc to accommodate. I can bend emt but I have to get my uglys book out measure etc. Not very fast at it.

Most of our runs are short 30 to 40 feet.

In this situation as we go floor to floor, pvc would have been easier as it would have bent a little as our holes are not 100% aligned. We have resolved that by using a long pilot bit and a larger spade bit.

So basically we can run pvc indoors. Most just choose not to..

 

[kwired]

In our case pvc would be easier most of the time. Sometimes we have small transitions that we can easily just bend the pvc to accommodate. I can bend emt but I have to get my uglys book out measure etc. Not very fast at it.

Most of our runs are short 30 to 40 feet.

In this situation as we go floor to floor, pvc would have been easier as it would have bent a little as our holes are not 100% aligned. We have resolved that by using a long pilot bit and a larger spade bit.

So basically we can run pvc indoors. Most just choose not to..

I never measure with my Ugly's book, I prefer a tape measure