I'm an owner-builder and am getting ready to run a service line to a house I'm building. Rather than deal with schedule 40, which doesn't allow much flex, I'd like to get some of the flexible conduit that the electric companies use. I'm figuring this is a 2 inch line. What is this material called and where might I get it?
I prefer the flexible conduit because in the places where I might need turns, I'd rather have a gentle turn, than have to put in fittings with schedule 40 and have more drastic turns. Plus, the flexible conduit usually comes in long lengths, so it could be continuous, which would make it more water tight. It's to be buried.

This company has a wide variety of flexible conduit. Just looking around, it looks like the Type NM might fit your needs; $300 for 50 feet of 2 inch. I didn't see any info on shipping.
http://www.electriflex.com/

You cannot bury the flex conduit. If its going to be buried you would want the solid pipe anyway as its much easier to pull wires through. They make pre-bent shedule 40 bends that are coupled into the lenghts for these turns.
The lengths of the pipe anyway can be bent over the entire lenght to take into consideration of poorly dug uneven holes.
Be sure to lay sand in the trench both below then on top of the pipe. Do not directly bury it in the backfill.

There are UL rated flexible conduit types available for direct burial. It's done around here all the time. Make sure you use a type that is rated as such and in a proper size for the number of conductors to be placed in it. Ask at an electrical supply house as there are a few types. Some much more costly per foot than others. If you get it in a long enough roll, you won't have any joints to pull cable past making the wire pull easier.

Home Care Club is correct.

The National Electric Code prohibits the use of flex conduit for buried service laterals over 6 feet in length.

You can use flex conduit for buried feeders or branch circuits, but not buried services...even in Pennsylvania.

homebild

ICC Certified Residential Electrical Inspector

Well maybe I'm calling it conduit when I should be calling it something else, but I see power companies using the stuff to run lines all the time. What type of conduit is it that is run with the horizontal boring machines for running electrical lines?

I'm curious, although I'm running schedule 40 because I couldn't find what I was looking for. sch40 works.

Utilities can essentially do whatever they want to run their own lines underground. They are subject only to what their own electrical engineers require.

Once the utility's jurisidction ends and the local authority having jurisdiction for the building codes take over, it's another story.

Service laterals (IE. underground service entrance cables) are prohibited by the National Electric Code from being run in flexible conduit underground for residential applications...unless they are 6ft or less in length.

In fact, if you contact your local electric utility, they will normally explain to you what they will accept and require for the installation of undergound service laterals.

Typical they require rigid conduit buried at least 30" below grade when subject to freezing.

Contact your local utility and your local electrical code inspector for definitive answers to your questions.

I live in the country, and at least in the county I live in, there is no local authority except me.

Electrical Utilities will not connect electrical service to any structure without first being assured the structure has been inspected by a listed electrical inspector who has conducted a code complianace inspection....even in Oklahoma.

You need to talk to your local utility and county or municipal code enforcement people...

They are the authority.

You, obviously, are not.

Despite what you think, and I don't know why you feel you need to be condescending, the fact is that I live in a rural area. Our county has no inspectors unless you are in a city limits. I am not. I built my current house without those concerns and I have checked to see if this has changed. It has not.
So I will NOT have to have an inspector check it out.
I do plan to have a licensed electrician on-site, but this has not been a problem in the past either.

I won't argue with you since your State says otherwise and it continues to be obvious you simply do not understand.

See this official Oklahoma Link for a list of mandatory adopted statewide Codes:

http://www.firemar.state.ok.us/adoptedcodes.htm

#12 on the list is NFPA 70, or the 2005 National Elecrtic Code.

Pay close attention to section #17 which lists penalties for failing to comply with provisions of Oklahoma State adopted codes.

The flex conduit you have proposed to use is illegal under the 2005 NEC in Oklahoma.

Without an inspection by a certified electrical inspector, it is not likley that your electric utility will connect power to your home despite what you think.

Oklahoma also requires compliance with other ICC building standards statewide:

http://www.ok.gov/1350/3554/1518/1544/

Rural or Urban, the rules appear to be the same in Oklahoma as they are in nearly every other state in the Union....

This message has been edited. Last edited by: homebild,

I'm not sure why you keep pursuing this, except for some need to be right no matter what. I said early on that I had decided to use regular pvc conduit. Why are you continueing this.

All I stated was that in my county, in rural areas, there is no inspection process. I understand what the state as adopted, but they don't have a state inspection process. It's handled at the county level, and my county only handles inspections within municipalities.

So I agree with you that the code is important. I changed my mind and was going with standard issue conduit. Is there some other thing that I must do to maybe surrender and say, "okay, you're right". "The county clerk is wrong". "I'll have to call and get the inspector to come out because so-and-so in another state says that we have to".

So, but this was time for me to vent.
I surrender. You're right and I'm wrong.

I apologize if I've offended anyone.

Quote"Home Care Club is correct.

The National Electric Code prohibits the use of flex conduit for buried service laterals over 6 feet in length.

You can use flex conduit for buried feeders or branch circuits, but not buried services...even in Pennsylvania.

homebild"

Well Chief, You better read NFPA70 2008 NEC 230.43, Item 16 which says for service entrances under 600 volts, that liquidtite flexible non-metalic conduit is permitted.

thanx for clarification

The other guy probably figured that my energy efficient home was going to use way beyond that.
Either way, I'm using schedule 40 as most electricians in the area use.

I won't say that's a bad method. It's tried and true and has been used for many years. Use the largest radius sweep ells that you can to make cable pulling as easy as you can.

Maintenance 6 and OilerFan should both become better aquanited with their own State and local electrical codes before offering any contrary opinions on them or anyone else's.

Neither Oklahoma nor Pennyslvania have yet adopted the 2008 NEC.

Maintenance6 doesn't even have a clue as to what his own state's electrical code is let alone OilerFan's...

The only 'legal' electrical code in Pennsylvania and Oklahhoma remains the 2005 NEC.

This is one major reason why no one should rely on the amateur opinions of non-code professionals like Maintenance6 or OilerFan on forums like these for electric code life safety issues...

The type flexible conduit suggested by Maintenance6 and OilerFan is illegal and remains a code violation in both Pennsylvnaina and Oklahoma until at least the year 2010.

Both Miantenance6 nad OilerFan remain completely ignorant of and wrong about and completely off base in their views regarding eldctrical code in their respective states.

Sorry.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: homebild,

Go back and read. I never said the stuff was legal. I got on here to ask questions about it. Someone else started the code violation stuff.
I would think that I'd be allowed to ask questions.
As far as that goes, the question is over. Based upon asking electricians, research, etc, I decided to use standard conduit for this purpose. It's what everyone else uses. So why am I still seeing replies on this subject. Is it because so many people like to correct someone else?
I stand corrected. Give me a break.

quote:

Originally posted by OilerFan:
Go back and read. I never said the stuff was legal. I got on here to ask questions about it. Someone else started the code violation stuff.
I would think that I'd be allowed to ask questions.
As far as that goes, the question is over. Based upon asking electricians, research, etc, I decided to use standard conduit for this purpose. It's what everyone else uses. So why am I still seeing replies on this subject. Is it because so many people like to correct someone else?
I stand corrected. Give me a break.

Unfortunatlely, OilerFan and Maintenance6 and perhaps others would still like to trust 'electricians' or alleged 'research' and everything else from 'jungle drums' to their "uncle-who-once-used-to-work-for-a-landscaper-who-thought-he-was-an-electrician-before-he-was-abducted-by-space-aliens-in-a-previous-life"....for all of their professional electrical designs and needs...

The REALITY is that ONLY OilerFan's Electrical Utility and Local Code Office are the only one's who can authoritatively answer his questions....

So OilerFan needs to GO THERE and IGNORE the "wannabees" in forums like these who have no clue about which they speak but yet want to mislead others into their own private stupidity.....

Standard practice around here is that if you demonstrate that a product or technique is accepted in a later version of the code, the inspector will note it and accept it as an exception. Of course there is always the "exceptional" inspector as well. I deal with code inspectors on a regular basis, (L&I, DOH, TJC) so I think I have a whole lot more knowledge than a wannabe. This is not the flamewar, trade insults forum. If you want to take exception with something posted on here, at least do it in a civilized manner.