Why does North America use conduit to enter buildings?

[Dsg319]

I understand that cables in North America need to be UL, CSA, or by another NRTL. What I am truly asking is when you have a service entrance for a commercial building, data center, industrial, what are the codes that require that the cables be in conduit? Especially when entering the building and are there other reasons besides fire and protection of the cables? Are there any other reasons why we don't direct bury cables more and then enter a building through a core drill or precast opening like they do in Europe more frequently.

Thank you,

Can easily replace wires/cables in a conduit or add when needed depending on what it is. With direct buried cable. You got what you got.

 

[TwoBlocked]

... Are there any other reasons why we don't direct bury cables more and then enter a building through a core drill or precast opening like they do in Europe more frequently.

Thank you,

Do they do that more frequently in Europe than we do here? How would we know if this is true? Are we to come up with reasons based on something we do not know is a fact? I don't like the feel of this Topic. I'm dropping out.

 

[hbiss]

What I am truly asking is when you have a service entrance for a commercial building, data center, industrial,

Do you have any idea how big those cables have to be?

-Hal

 

[don_resqcapt19]

The concern is fire. If you ever saw a service burn up you would know what I mean. Sometimes even galvanized rigid conduit is destroyed.

Contrast that to the piddly plastic everything that they use in Europe and it's a wonder there are any buildings left.

There was a picture of a European house fire here a little while back that started in the plastic "consumer unit". A breaker burned up due to the lugs not being tightened properly. Here, that would have resulted in, at most, the panel being replaced. But in this instance it caused major damage to the structure because the plastic enclosure couldn't contain the arcing.

-Hal

i watched as the output power from a power company 750kVA transformer vaporized about 30' of 4" rigid conduit with four 500 kcmil copper conductors in the conduit.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

I understand that cables in North America need to be UL, CSA, or by another NRTL. What I am truly asking is when you have a service entrance for a commercial building, data center, industrial, what are the codes that require that the cables be in conduit? Especially when entering the building and are there other reasons besides fire and protection of the cables? Are there any other reasons why we don't direct bury cables more and then enter a building through a core drill or precast opening like they do in Europe more frequently.

Thank you,

See 230.43 for the wiring methods that are permitted for service conductors. There are cable wiring methods permitted in that code section.
Sometimes the power company has specifications that limit the wiring methods, and sometimes there are local amendments to the NEC that limit the wiring methods, but in most cases the selection of the service entrance wiring method is a design choice by the designer using one of the wiring methods listed in 230.43.
However the rule in 300.5(C) limits the use of cable wiring methods under a building. If I have to run a raceway under the building because of this requirement there is no reason to use a cable wiring method. Individual conductors are a better choice where a raceway is installed.

Given your company affiliation, this line of questions seems to be asking for installations that would reduce the use of some of your company's products

 

[freddyt7]

Welp, looks like the mod removed my post. By all means, help the gm vp away. Thankgoodness i didnt post his content on the site...

I understand that cables in North America need to be UL, CSA, or by another NRTL. What I am truly asking is when you have a service entrance for a commercial building, data center, industrial, what are the codes that require that the cables be in conduit? Especially when entering the building and are there other reasons besides fire and protection of the cables? Are there any other reasons why we don't direct bury cables more and then enter a building through a core drill or precast opening like they do in Europe more frequently.

See 230.43 for the wiring methods that are permitted for service conductors. There are cable wiring methods permitted in that code section.
Sometimes the power company has specifications that limit the wiring methods, and sometimes there are local amendments to the NEC that limit the wiring methods, but in most cases the selection of the service entrance wiring method is a design choice by the designer using one of the wiring methods listed in 230.43.
However the rule in 300.5(C) limits the use of cable wiring methods under a building. If I have to run a raceway under the building because of this requirement there is no reason to use a cable wiring method. Individual conductors are a better choice where a raceway is installed.

Given your company affiliation, this line of questions seems to be asking for installations that would reduce the use of some of your company's products

Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to educate me. Have a great evening.

 

[JoeStillman]

Your service entrance product solves only half of the puzzle. Every service cable attaches to the utility company at the other end. That can be spliced underground, spliced overhead, spliced overhead and transitioning to underground, in a pad-mounted transformer secondary compartment, in a transformer vault, in a manhole, or at a property line splice box. Pipe and wire can work for all these situations.

The utility companies are not required to follow the same codes as electricians, but most develop their own rules that voluntarily follow the NEC (NFPA-70) or the NESC (ANSI Standard C2).

 

[suemarkp]

I hd a swimming pool feeder that went out the concrete wall of my basement and stayed direct buried to the pool. I was constantly getting water leaks around that foundation penetration. I would caulk it, but it would leak again in a few years. It didnt help that the original core hole was sloppy and there was some cracking of the concrete around it.

I finally decided to come out through the wooden rim joist to an LB condulet fitting and then down to the dirt to meet up with the old conduit. I then cut off that old conduit penetration through the concrete wall and sealed it better which was easier with no wires in it and cut flush.

So why open the foundation to water leaks when you can just pipe up the wall and enter above the water line? Maybe some think that is ugly, but foundation leaks are a pain if the inside area is finished.