Type of Raceway in Commerical Kitchen (surface mounted conduits)

C

chocony

Member
Location
Atlanta
Occupation
Electrical Designer
Hello,

What type of raceway needs to be installed in a commercial kitchen as surface mount. We are adding outlets on CMU and needs to be surface mounted. PVC, EMT, RMC? There will be cleaning, and it needs to be watertight. PVC seems to be strange to have it interior as it could damage. The conduits are coming from underground. I was thinking RMC but might be too much?

Thank you in advance.
 
infinity said:
What's wrong with EMT?
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Problem that I came across with EMT in hose down or damp areas is it always rust and therefore has a shorter life span. Like other posters stated aluminum RMC us the way to go. Raised my blood pressure when I came across where they used wiremold in these areas.
 
garbo said:
Problem that I came across with EMT in hose down or damp areas is it always rust and therefore has a shorter life span. Like other posters stated aluminum RMC us the way to go. Raised my blood pressure when I came across where they used wiremold in these areas.
Click to expand...
I was asking because it seemed to be implied that only aluminum RMC could be used. While that may be the best option it is not the only one. EMT also comes in aluminum.
 
Where I ran into problems was with the Health Dept as Hal alluded to. No matter what type of exposed conduit was proposed it had to be installed as to not collect grease and filth.
 
I'm surprised they allowed an exposed CMU wall in a commercial kitchen. Usually it would need to be covered with FRP or =.
 
Thank you all for your fast responses! Why does it need to be aluminum RMC instead of Steel? For corrosion?
 
The floor cleaning chemicals are very caustic, there was a restaurant in downtown Atlanta called the Coach and Six, they called and said water was running out of a junction box in the basement. EMT was stubbed up from the basement into the kitchen. The conduit was totally rusted away, so when they washed the floors, water would come out in the basement j box! I’ve seen it eat up rigid stub ups out of the slab too.
 
thanks, Hillbilly1, so I would think it's better to have the circuit coming out from the ceiling rather than the floor.
 
infinity said:
I was asking because it seemed to be implied that only aluminum RMC could be used. While that may be the best option it is not the only one. EMT also comes in aluminum.
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The couple of times I asked for 1/2 & 3/4" aluminum EMT at a supply house they did not stock it. Would like to give it a try. Unfortunately when contractors are bidding against others they usually purchase the cheapest material. Years ago I had to replace over 500' of aluminum RMC that was installed a few years earlier in a damp salt filled hide cellar that had rows of salted steer hides and a salt pit with over 40 tons of rock salt that produced salt water to spray onto ammana refrigeration coils to prevent ice build up. Salt made holes in the aluminum conduit.
 
garbo said:
The couple of times I asked for 1/2 & 3/4" aluminum EMT at a supply house they did not stock it. Would like to give it a try. Unfortunately when contractors are bidding against others they usually purchase the cheapest material. Years ago I had to replace over 500' of aluminum RMC that was installed a few years earlier in a damp salt filled hide cellar that had rows of salted steer hides and a salt pit with over 40 tons of rock salt that produced salt water to spray onto ammana refrigeration coils to prevent ice build up. Salt made holes in the aluminum conduit.
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I’ve had spray yard fertilizer eat up Bell boxes.
 
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