Terminatin conduit without connector

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rookie4now

Senior Member
We are on a job where we are replacing 4 old electric heaters as part of a remodel. The existing heaters are fed from conduit coming out of the slab. The conduit is stubbed up between 1" and 2" from the slab and goes straight into the heaters through the knockout. There is no connector, the emt just goes through the KO and the wires are made up inside the heater. I assume they didn't use any fittings because the heater would then need to be up off the floor about 2" to make the fitting work. I'm not sure how we're going to work out the new heaters. Ideally, we will move the new heaters about 12" to the right. I thought about installing a j-box where the conduit is then using M/C over to the the heaters (it will be behind trim), but I still have the issue of the conduit going into the jbox because the jbox cannot go down to the slab if we need to put a fitting on it.

All the conduit in slab work we have done, has the conduit going into a wall where you have more flexibility with location. Any thoughts on the best way to do this? Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks
 

nhfire77

Senior Member
Location
NH
Idea: (not necessarily a good one)

Chisel the floor around the conduit, add a fitting and surface mount the j box, cut the bottom of the heater to fit over the box.

Maybe you can't cut the heater though.

You got a picture of this problem child?
 

Volta

Senior Member
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Do you need the J-box as low as possible because of obstrucions?

You could bring the tubing into a LR or LL, set-screw type if the replacements are to be moved.
 

nhfire77

Senior Member
Location
NH
Not knowing I picture the need to hide the conduit/j box and that's why it cant be moved "12" to the right".

Do you have to put the heater on top of (over) the stub up?
 

rookie4now

Senior Member
Not knowing I picture the need to hide the conduit/j box and that's why it cant be moved "12" to the right".

Do you have to put the heater on top of (over) the stub up?

The plan is to put a jbox where the existing conduit stub is, then M/C over to the new heater location. There is limited space where the stub up is. The LL idea from the previous poster may work, except we would need to use flex instead of M/C and pull new wire back to the panel. (Unless the LL had enough sq in to do a splice.
 

Volta

Senior Member
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Of course you could consider flex rather than MC, so no splices would be needed.

Likely you would need a 1" conduit body to splice MC, may find a 3/4 that would work if BX was used, with no (wire) EGC.
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
If you want the J-box on the floor, chisel out a bit of concrete, cut the pipe flush with the floor and ream it, and install a compression connector (rigid or EMT) on the conduit.

You can tighten the connector by rotating the body. You might need a fingertip or something to provide enough friction to start the connector. Once tight, patch the floor.
 

LawnGuyLandSparky

Senior Member
Let the emt stub into the device w/o a fitting. Inside the device install a connector and a MIGB and install a ground jumper from the MIGB to the device. Conduits stub into the bottom of equipment without any physical connection all the time.
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
Let the emt stub into the device w/o a fitting. Inside the device install a connector and a MIGB and install a ground jumper from the MIGB to the device. Conduits stub into the bottom of equipment without any physical connection all the time.
As he stated above, his ideal installation is where the equipment (heater) location is 12" horizontally from the stub up.
 

lakee911

Senior Member
Location
Columbus, OH
Let the emt stub into the device w/o a fitting. Inside the device install a connector and a MIGB and install a ground jumper from the MIGB to the device. Conduits stub into the bottom of equipment without any physical connection all the time.

I see control panels in the field installed on a housekeeping curb where the bottom has been completely hacked out and the conduits stub up, have an MIGB and are bonded to the panel.

Either this isn't allowed, or your case can be too, no?
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Either this isn't allowed, or your case can be too, no?
The question is whether it's allowed with a 4"sq box.

I do wonder whether the conduit is rigid or EMT, but a connector can be installed at floor level as I described before, if it's important enough.

An angle flex connector and a coupling would offer the smallest profile.
 

Regularkevin

Member
Location
Auburn, WA
How about a Combination Coupling For Flexible Metal Conduit

ycnb.gif
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
IMO, anything above top slab surface other than the heater itself is going to at least be an eye sore, and could pose a tripping hazard (not enough info to make this last determination at present).

For professional grade finish, cut up the slab, and install a floor box as a junction box perhaps, or reroute conduit and pull new conductors if existing are too short.

Anything less is the other grade :D
 
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