When to use Electrical Conduits

An electrical conduit pipe is useful for routing wires by safely grouping them together. The primary use of electrical pipe conduits is for safety. Conduits isolate wires to avoid exposure thereby reducing the risk of short-circuits, electrocution or fires.

Another benefit is connectivity. Pipe conduits group all the wires together in one place, isolating them from other wire connections.

Placing the wiring in a protective sleeve also makes for easier maintenance because the pipes clearly show which wires connect to what.

Circuit integrity is also enhanced through the use of pipe conduits since most are designed to be fire resistance and water resistant.

In some cases, there can even be an aesthetic benefit to using a conduit, depending on the design of the space.

Types of electrical conduit pipes

Electrical conduit pipes are made of fiber, fired clay, metal or plastic. For industrial installations, electricians recommend the use of Galvanized Rigid Conduits (GRC). For a more economical conduit pipe, you can use Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT).

In residential structures, most electricians use flexible conduits in order to fit to corners. Flexible electrical conduits are classified as Flexible Metallic Conduits (FMC), Liquidtight Flexible Metal Conduit (LFMC), Flexible Metallic Tubing (FMT) and Liquidtight Flexible Non-metallic Conduit (LFNC).