Roof blocks

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Choice_Gorilla

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Location
New England
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Journeyman Electrician
Looking for an alternative to standard roof blocks like These, something cheaper ideally. I’m in a situation where I need to daisy chain a bunch of control wiring for HVAC equipment. Going through the interior of the building and penetrating the roof at each unit isn’t really practical. The plan is to just run 1/2”pipe from unit to unit. Standard roof blocks seem super overkill/expensive for the situation (at the end of the day it’s not my money). Some of these runs will take 10-15 roof blocks with just the 1/2” on them. I was wondering if there’s something out there that’s a little less heavy duty and cheaper and hopefully still structurally pretty rigid? Or are those roof blocks the best thing for the job?
 
Roof blocks are the best to use for aesthetics for sure. Depending on your roofing material, you can use pieces of 4 x 4's and use a mastic to adhere them to the roof. You could either put a small piece of strut on it or use 1 hole straps. I have done this before and painted the 4 x 4's to make my installation look a little better.
 
Caddy, Orbit, SP Products all make alternatives. some are basically hollow plastic which is quite a bit cheaper than the ones you are depicting.
 
It’s for a single 18/2 so the units can communicate. 3/4” seems excessive, if it were for power I would be right there with you. I like that the dura blocks stay where you put them, do the hollow plastic ones slide around easy? If a maintenance guy accidentally bumps the pipe run are they all going to move?
 
Choice_Gorilla said:
It’s for a single 18/2 so the units can communicate. 3/4” seems excessive, if it were for power I would be right there with you. I like that the dura blocks stay where you put them, do the hollow plastic ones slide around easy? If a maintenance guy accidentally bumps the pipe run are they all going to move?
Click to expand...
They all move around if bumped
He
 
Looks like the cheapest option is 4x4 or better yet a 4x6. You can cut them at a 45 on both ends to make them aesthetically compliant. As suggested use some kind of adhesive that will securely hold the blocks down. Even with your time involved cutting the lumber, you are still a winner.
 
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