External Cable Conduit
External Cable Conduit
External Cable Conduit
External cables are often exposed to a wide range of hazards and weather elements. Without proper protection, your cables can suffer wear and tear that deteriorates their coating and hinders their function. While some external cables have a protective coating, adding them to a conduit can easily boost their ability.
External cable conduit provides an additional layer of safety so you can keep using your cables for a long time. If you plan on installing this system, here’s everything you need to know about external cable conduits.
What Conduit Work Best For External Cables?
Not all conduit systems are built the same, as each has its own benefits and disadvantages. While many conduits work well indoors, they might not fit outdoor external cables well. Here’s a look at some of the best external cable conduits.
Electric Metallic Conduits
An electrical metal conduit is your best option if you want a flexible conduit system. Even though EMTs are ideal for indoor residential and light commercial installation, they work well outdoors too.
If you’re using this conduit with external cables, you need to assemble them with watertight fittings. This component has a thin wall structure of galvanised steel, commonly used as a non-flexible option.
Even though this conduit comes under the rigid category, you can bend its shape with a conduit bender tool to fit any installation. The lightweight material is malleable enough to contort into any desired shape.
Due to its manufacturing, electrical steel conduits can be applied in many locations. However, if an area experiences several physical damages, you should not use this material as it will get damaged easily and ruin your wiring system.
You can use EMT conduits as an exposed or concealed wall installation. You can also use them on floors and ceilings. The metal material allows them to be embedded into concrete or buried in the ground.
Electrical metal conduits are connected with clamp-style fittings that slide onto the tubing. This configuration is secured with a set screw and locked into your desired area.
Even though EMTs provide decent protection for inside cables, they should not be used in hazardous locations (such as power plants) where they might experience severe damage.
Additionally, EMT conduits are unsuitable for wet areas or places with corrosive fumes and vapours. If you want to use EMTs in such locations, you must use corrosive-resistant tubing and gasket clamps.
Some electricians avoid using electrical metal conduits in critical areas because the set screws in the clamps tend to loosen over time. To prevent this loosening, a torque wrench will provide the correct tension to the screws to help them last longer.
Rigid Metal Conduit
As the name suggests, these conduits offer the most protection as they are made from a tough and thick exterior. These are typically used for structural piping in homes to connect to utility service lines. RMCs are often joined with a threaded connection to keep them together.
Coated with either aluminium or stainless steel, these conduits offer excellent protection against punctures, cuts and other impacts. Apart from these two, you can also choose from other coatings depending on your needs.
When making this choice, remember where you’ll install the RMC. If you’re using it for outdoor use, choose the coating accordingly.
One thing to note about RMCs is that they are expensive and difficult to bend. Despite these drawbacks, they are a great option for an external cable conduit system.
Non-Metalic Liquid-Tight Flexible Conduit (NLFC)
NLFC is typically used in place of a liquid-tight metal conduit. This conduit has a flexible PVC coating embedded into the rigid PVC enforcements. Even though this conduit can bend, it still offers a watertight build and structure.
Non-Metallic LF conduits provide moderate protection in dry, wet or oily settings. This makes it ideal for external installation. In addition, they also have flame-resistant properties.
These conduits are highly durable and ideal for indoor and outdoor installation in commercial and industrial settings. You can also place them in moisture-heavy places such as pools and HVAC systems.
You can opt for liquid-tight flexible conduits made from polyamide instead of PVC for even more protection. These provide resistance against acid, oil, benzine, flames and other solvents. Polyamide conduits can also self-extinguish, making them suitable for demanding installations.
PVC Conduits
The PVC conduit is a great choice if you’re looking for a lightweight, flexible option. PVC conduits are a non-metallic conduit system that works well in outdoor installation. This system is corrosion-resistant and easy to use.
PVC conduits can be installed above ground or underground, and the flexibility makes it easy to manoeuvre in angled or curved pathways. However, this conduit will not work well in areas with heavy impacts or high temperatures.
How Do External Cable Conduits Work?
Cable conduits or electrical conduits are plastic or metal tube structures holding essential electrical wires and cabling. These systems are often called trunking as well.
The conduit’s structure can be rigid or flexible depending on where it’s installed. The purpose of a conduit is to protect wires from any hazards. You can also use them in unfinished or exposed indoor and outdoor settings.
To fit a wide variety of installations and demands, cable conduits come in various sizes, shapes, materials and styles.
The most common material for the conduit is a metallic style. But you can also find conduits in plastic, fibre and fired clay. These structures are best for protection as they have a thick outer layer that protects your wiring.
With so many options, many electricians classify cable conduits according to their wall thickness, the type of material used and the mechanical stiffness. This makes it easy to recognise which conduit is needed.
All cable conduits should meet the national electricity requirements before installation to ensure the material works best for your wiring system. Most cable conduit materials are chosen for their corrosion resistance, mechanical protection and overall cost of the installation process. This cost includes the labour and material prices.
A great thing about cable conduits is that they reduce the need for an electrical box or other similar equipment. If you go for a metal conduit, you can carry out the function of a grounding wire without needing a separate component.
What Is The Best External Cable Conduit
As we’ve mentioned before, electrical external conduits come in varying options, sizes and styles. While the choice makes it easy to find your ideal conduit, it can also make it difficult to narrow it down. If you’re looking for high-quality cable conduit systems, visit Meteor Electrical.
At Meteor, you can browse through a wide variety of cable management systems, including plastic, metal and flexible cable conduits. These options are available in numerous sizes to fit any specification.
Our galvanised conduits have a tough exterior that maintains the integrity of your wiring and keeps it safe from multiple hazards. This ensures that you keep using your cable for a long time. If you want a lighter cable management system, go for plastic trunking.
We offer highly durable plastic trunking from Cablecraft to ensure quality in every installation. These conduits come from Cablecraft’s Betaflex range which offers more flexibility with your cable management.
Designed with corrugated polypropylene material, Cablecraft’s conduits are easy to manoeuvre and fit into any location.
This material is halogen-free and self-extinguishing for added benefits to reduce any chance of electrical fires. Because of this high-grade construction, Cablecraft’s conduits are ideal for commercial and industrial spaces.
What Are Conduit Fittings?
Conduit fittings are crucial to keep your system in place and maintain functionality. These come in various sizes, shapes and materials depending on your needs. The main purpose of a fitting is to connect conduit ends to electrical devices, enclosures or boxes.
The main fittings are necessary for establishing and maintaining an electrical connection between the conduit and the electrical box. Other conduit fittings, such as clips and clamps, are vital for giving additional support to conduits and keeping them secure.
It’s best to install specific types of fittings based on the system’s exposure to vapours, moisture or hazardous conditions. If you install conduits externally, fitting them properly is even more necessary.
Here are a few of the most important conduit fittings.
Conduit Bodies
Conduit bodies have a tubular structure with openings at both ends, so you can easily place the conduit in them. These fittings come in various sizes and designs to create seamless bends and connections in the system. Since these fittings perform various functions, they come with labels to help you identify the right one.
Conduit Clips
If there are any long runs of conduits and tubing, you need to add more support to keep them from sagging or breaking.
Conduit clips and clamps are used to mount on walls or ceilings using a bolt or screw. Make sure to check regulatory and safety codes, as this will tell you the right size and dimension for the conduit fitting.
Conduit Couplings
Conduit couplings are essential if you want to combine multiple conduits to create a seamless network.
Even though PVC tubing has a belled site that can be linked without a coupling, you would still need to use these fittings in sections where the conduit has been cut.
As with other fittings, conduit couplings are also available in various sizes, with some of them featuring internal threading.
Finding The Best Conduit Fittings
Once you’ve chosen the ideal conduit, you can browse through Meteor to find the appropriate fitting. At Meteor, we all carry various conduit fittings to help you create an integrated tubing system. These additional electrical supplies ensure fluid connectivity throughout your wiring system.
A well-made supply of conduit clips is essential if you purchase a conduit system. Unicrimp’s range of conduit clips features white cable clips for 22 - 26mm round fixtures.
These conduit clips are made from high-grade Polyethylene, which works well for low-temperature flexibility. Without proper nail clips, your wiring is at a higher risk of damage.
Unicrimp’s nail in clips will keep your wiring organised and secure from any hazard that could damage the cable’s coating. You can also find nail clips in various sizes to fit any kind of installation.
The 20mm clips, particularly, are great for multiple wiring systems due to their convenient size and efficiency. Unicrimp’s cable clips 20mm are one of the most popular sizes for conduit clips. The cable clips 20mm work best for cables sized between 22 to 26mm.
Unicrimps’ conduit clips secure pipes and electrical or cable wiring to vertical and horizontal beams. These conduit clips allow the pipes to be safely attached to walls or ceilings, keeping wiring out of hazardous situations.
Ceiling conduit clips are usually supported by overhead support beams, making these options excellent for indoor and outdoor use. These clips have a straightforward installation process, and you don’t need expert mechanical skills to install them.
In most cases, you must screw the conduit clips to a stable surface. Unicrimp’s cable clips come in white and have premium steel nails. The premium steel nails prevent snapping and reduce the chances of bending your wires.
What Are Cable Conduits Used For?
Cable conduits are great for storing wiring and cables, but they can do so much more than that. Here are some great ways to make use of cable conduits.
- Meet Codes and Regulations: In most cases, conduits are a requirement according to building safety standards and codes. Following these regulations for new constructions is crucial, but even if you’re replacing worn-out old conduits, you need to meet the standard.
- Versatility In Design: You can keep all your wiring safe with a conduit. This means you can easily manoeuvre them in any configuration or install them in any location to meet your electrical needs.
- Protect Wiring From Damage: One of the main reasons why many electricians prefer a cable conduit is because they provide all-around protection to your cabling. These conduits can offer protection against moisture, fire, chemicals, impact and other such hazards. While most wires and cables have some form of insulation, a conduit can add to that protective layer.
- Eliminate Interference: Cable conduits are a great way to reduce electromagnetic interference to help cables and wiring perform better.
- Keep Wiring Organised: If you have a ton of wires and cables that are hard to make, add them in a conduit to keep things organised. Disorganised wiring can also harm the outer sheathing of your components, so using a conduit here is crucial. In addition, a manageable space makes it easy to simplify installation, move around, and conduct maintenance.
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