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EMT - 1/2" or 3/4" ?

13K views 36 replies 25 participants last post by  MHElectric 
1/2" must be popular cause I never saw any strictly 3/4" ko steel boxes for sale at Home Depot...............


I actually find it so much easier to bend 3/4" emt, since my body has over 50 years of become one with the 3/4" bender, kind of like the Samorai warrior and his slice and dice sword.
 
This is silly. If you are running pipe from light to light it is much better to install 1/2" then 3/4. If you run down to a switch it is much better than 3/4". If you are running receptacle outlets then 3/4 " is better cause every body adds sooner or later.

What do engineer's really know about anything ? They should be more worried about cancer from the carpet in the office, and blindness from sitting under those LED lights they spec'd for the office remodel.
 
How many wires are you going to add to a conduit going to a switch? And even receptacles? If you add that many wires in the future, run your own freakin' conduit. I'm not in the habit of accommodating the next 1/2 dozen electricians that come along on my dime.
read it carefully, I'm suggesting that 1/2" is better for switch loops. As for the 3/4" for receptacles, well, I keep getting requests for adding split ac systems in concrete condo's where the compressor is out on the lanai. And yes I have been able to pull two new #10 stranded for the unit thru the existing 3/4" run of buried in concrete emt thru 4 or 5 receptacle outlets to the lanai outlet which I convert to a j-box and then wire the compressor and new lanai outlet...
So I prefer you use 3/4". As for me? Not anymore , conduit is nuts nowadays. Well...... I did just win a bid to wire a basket ball/ volleyball gym , and it spec's 3/4 min on emt conduits so ................................................ all I need to do is convince the Engineer he needs to leave the country for a while and it will all turn out right for us both.....
 
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