Types of Electrical Conduits for the Home or Office

In the process of installing electrical wires throughout a property, it is essential that the wiring is well protected and safely secured. The use of electrical conduits is a practical solution for running the wires behind or on the surface of walls. Beyond the ability to protect the wiring, the conduits can also help to maintain the aesthetics and keep electric wires out of sight. There are several types of electrical conduits to use in the home or office complex, which varies with the type of cable and local surroundings. It is always essential to use the proper fittings to match the specific application.

Here are a few of the popular types of conduit for the practical installation of wiring:

Flexible Metal

The flexible metal conduit (also referred to as flex or Greenfield) is a practical choice for the installation that takes place in tight or other difficult spaces. The metal conduits are a useful for choice when the wires are being placed on the surface of the wall. Also, it gives greater strength compared PVC and more practical in the basement or garage installation to give protection against pests like mice or rats.

Thin Walled

This type of conduit is built to be rigid and is essentially made up of long and solid pieces of pipe. This type of conduit is more difficult to work with and requires a special tool to cut the pipes to length. But, it is a very dependable choice for a wide range of applications. It is particularly useful when working on projects where aesthetics isn’t much of a concern, such as working in a basement. This type of conduit comes in a wide range of sizes to specifically match the total number of wires that will be passed through. In many situations, it can benefit to use a slightly larger conduit to make it easy to accept the width of the wires.

Rigid non-metallic

The most common choice for a non-metallic conduit is those manufactured in hard-wearing PVC. This is a popular choice for do-it-yourself projects and is appreciated for its ability to give a high degree of resistance against sunlight, heat and fire. Plus, the PVC material is low-cost, light weight, and really easy to work with. But, it is not usable in all applications and may be a prohibited item, so it is necessary to check with local building codes before making use of it. Also, it would be necessary to use a PVC housing box in the installation process.