PVC Conduit Tips & Tricks

By Glenn R. Grundberg

The widespread usage of PVC Conduit has forced electricians to come up with some pretty novel ideas for dealing with the peculiarities of this material. Below are some of the A-list tips from our forum. I think you will find them very useful! 

First of all, when PVC Conduit is bendable, it is HOT. Whether you are using a hot-box, torch, or whatever, you need to have a bucket of water on hand. Now, if you are a genius, you will stop at the local dollar store, and get a pair of oven gloves! Soak them in the bucket of water, and when you pull the pipe out of the heater, slip them on and form and cool the pipe in one operation, painlessly! Voila! 

Many times in the field we find that we need to make a number of identical radius bends for duct banks, etc. The best way I have found to do this is by making an EMT template and checking it first (any size EMT will do), and using that for a production gauge. Every one of your bends will be perfect, and identical. 

When making PVC to RIGID Transitions, we have all had terminal adaptors and female adaptors slip, fall out, etc. I mean there just isn't enough Meat on the fitting to make a quality joint! And, they ALWAYS leak! Therefore, BLOW the fitting off, entirely! Make sure you have primer and good cement on hand. Prime the bell end of your PVC, and Glue the nipple or elbow directly into the bell. Threads and all! Then, take some quick setting silicone, and caulk the shoulder of the PVC where it meets the rigid. Voila! A super strong transition! 

Another thing we have all had happen is broken underground pipes. A very quick and high quality way to repair the damage is by correctly splicing in a new piece of conduit. First, excavate and clean up around the break to expose enough pipe to get it back in line. The larger the conduit, the more you will have to dig out. Then, cut back and square up the ragged ends, deburr, and clean the ends thoroughly. Measure and cut your splice from a full conduit that has a bell end intact about a 1/2 inch shorter that the actual span. Then, sacrifice a stick of conduit if you have no scraps with bell ends, and cut the bell off cleanly just at the taper to make a slip fitting. Lightly soap the inside of your slip fitting with wire lube (don't use grease or oil), and slide onto one end of the break. Prime and glue up the splice piece to the other end of the break, and, working quickly, slide the slip fitting over the break. Mark the lay-up on one end of the splice conduit first so that you can get the fitting centered. You may need to tap the fitting with a block and hammer to get it to slide, but it will go. Wash off the soap residue from around the fitting with water and dry. Use a quality adhesive silicone to seal the shoulder of the fitting to the pipe. Tadah! You have probably saved yourself thousands of dollars in excavation and lost time!

I hope you have enjoyed these tips and tricks! To see more, get involved at the forum, and submit a few of your own!