Electrical Conduit Types

Electrical affairs, are not exactly easy ones to handle. But with a bit of a mathematical bent of mind and a rough idea about how electrical circuits and the like work, it can be easily dealt with. If you are trained in it, then there is no question of you not knowing about it! Now talking about an electrical circuit, the wiring of the circuit is an inevitable part of it. To protect and route this wiring, there is a system. That is called an electrical conduit. In the text beneath, there will be an elaboration on the types of electrical conduit.

What is an Electrical Conduit?

Simply put, an electrical conduit is a piping system for protecting and routing electrical wiring. Protection is most often than not crucial in areas where the wires are exposed. These areas are, for instance like the outer portion of a wall and the like. These are made from different materials - fiber, fired clay, plastic and metal. There are flexible conduit which are also available for specialized purposes. The usage, form and the details of the electrical conduit fittings and installation instructions are mentioned specifically by US National Electric Code. In some cases, the word conduit is commonly used to refer to a system comprising electrical conductors by electricians.

Types of Electrical Conduit

As mentioned earlier, there are a number of materials which are used to make electrical conduit. So these types depend on the material to some extent.

# 1
Galvanized Rigid Conduit (GRC), as the name suggests is a conduit made from galvanized steel tubing. That tubing wall is just thick so as to allow it to be threaded. These are most commonly used in commercial and industrial construction.

# 2
Another type of an electrical conduit is Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT) and is typically made of coated steel, though aluminum is also used. Also referred to as thin-wall conduit sometimes, it is used as an alternative to galvanized rigid conduit (GRC). The reason being that it is not as costly as GRC and is lighter as compared to GRC. EMT can be used along with threaded fittings which clamp to it even if it cannot be threaded. EMT is widely used in commercial and industrial buildings as compared to residential construction.

# 3
Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing (ENT) is yet another type which is a thin-walled corrugated tubing. It is moisture-resistant and flame retardant. It is possible to bend ENT by hand and it is often flexible even though the fittings are not sometimes. On account of its corrugated shape, it cannot be threaded, even if the fittings might be.

# 4
Flexible Metallic Conduit (FMC) is a type of conduit where there is a coiling of a self-interlocked ribbed strip of either steel or aluminum. This is made in way that it forms a hollow tube through which the wires are passed. It is primarily used in dry areas.

# 5
Liquid-tight Flexible Metal Conduit (LFMC) is kind of a conduit which is covered by a plastic coating which is waterproof. A metallic flexible conduit, its interiors are akin to the FMC.

# 6
A thick threaded tubing, Rigid Metallic Conduit (RMC) is typically made from coated or stainless steel, or aluminum. Unlike this, Rigid Nonmetallic Conduit (RNC) refers to a non-metallic, unthreaded tubing.

# 7
Liquid-tight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit (LNFC) is an umbrella term for a number of types of non-metallic tubing which is flame resistant. The interiors of this conduit may be corrugated or smooth.

Well, these were some of the basic types of electrical conduit. The electrical conduit sizes vary as per the requirement and the expanse of the wiring and the area installed. All the same, let us take a look at a few more kinds of electrical conduit. These are -

• Aluminum conduit
• Flexible Metallic Tubing (FMT)
• Intermediate metal conduit (IMC)
• PVC electrical conduit
• Underground electrical conduit

These were various types of metal conduit used for protection and proper lay out of electrical wiring. The fittings of these conduit is better done by an electrician. That's all for now! Ciao!