[Joshcube]

Getting new cabinets and an island installed in the kitchen. I have to run electrical through the concrete slab to the island. Going to rent a concrete saw and cut the trench myself. I already verified that I do not have a post tensioned slab (a stud finder on the "metal stud" setting works great for finding the rebar grid, by the way).

The island will have two outlets (mounted on the sides away from the counter overhang) and be GFCI of course. I plan to tie them in at a wall outlet box 6 feet away. I've been running web searches for the last month and so far I've gathered that you can't run Romex in conduit, that I should use PVC, and that I should use wire made for use in wet environments.

What I'm not clear on is what size conduit to use and since I'm not familiar with PVC conduit at all I'm not completely sure how to make a 90 degree turn to come up out of the trench. Does PVC conduit have fittings just like PVC sprinkler pipe? I feel like an idiot asking a question like that, but I've only had experience adding outlets and working with Romex to wire ceiling fans and the like... this is my first time dealing with conduit.

Also I'm unclear about transitioning from the PVC to the first outlet. Can I go straight from the PVC into flexible conduit?

Thankfully I convinced the little woman that running gas for a stove or a drain for a sink was beyond my abilities for the island.

 

[jayare813]

Getting new cabinets and an island installed in the kitchen. I have to run electrical through the concrete slab to the island. Going to rent a concrete saw and cut the trench myself. I already verified that I do not have a post tensioned slab (a stud finder on the "metal stud" setting works great for finding the rebar grid, by the way).

The island will have two outlets (mounted on the sides away from the counter overhang) and be GFCI of course. I plan to tie them in at a wall outlet box 6 feet away. I've been running web searches for the last month and so far I've gathered that you can't run Romex in conduit, that I should use PVC, and that I should use wire made for use in wet environments.

What I'm not clear on is what size conduit to use and since I'm not familiar with PVC conduit at all I'm not completely sure how to make a 90 degree turn to come up out of the trench. Does PVC conduit have fittings just like PVC sprinkler pipe? I feel like an idiot asking a question like that, but I've only had experience adding outlets and working with Romex to wire ceiling fans and the like... this is my first time dealing with conduit.

Also I'm unclear about transitioning from the PVC to the first outlet. Can I go straight from the PVC into flexible conduit?

Thankfully I convinced the little woman that running gas for a stove or a drain for a sink was beyond my abilities for the island.

Yea pvc has fittings that can be glued on such as 90's 45's...u can also heat the conduit...but since you have no experience with it (no offense) you might burn it. If I were you ill just buy the pre-made fittings..also I never heard of wet proof wire...thats why your using pvc...thats what will protect the wire from water...you can add romex in a conduit it just would be harder to fish it out... In 1/2 P.V.C. sch 40 you may add up to 8 conductors so just go with 1/2 p.v.c any more questions Ill be glad to answer them..

 

[PaliBob]

1/2" PVC conduit has no sharp 90 deg corners. Unlike water in a sprinkler system electrical wire can't be pulled through a sharp corner without damaging the wire. For electrical conduit the factory made bends most commonly 90 or 45deg commonly called Ell's or Sweeps. They are classified as Long or Short (tighter radius)

There are scores of different PVC electrical fitting is sizes from 1/2" to 6" in the more common schedule 40.

Here is a pic of a long 1" ELL 90:http://www.bennys.bz/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=4132

and a short 1'2" sweep:http://www.azpartsmaster.com/Products/Electrical-PVC-Fitting---12-Sweep__WPVC05090.aspx
.

 

[theatretch85]

Yea pvc has fittings that can be glued on such as 90's 45's...u can also heat the conduit...but since you have no experience with it (no offense) you might burn it. If I were you ill just buy the pre-made fittings..also I never heard of wet proof wire...thats why your using pvc...thats what will protect the wire from water...you can add romex in a conduit it just would be harder to fish it out... In 1/2 P.V.C. sch 40 you may add up to 8 conductors so just go with 1/2 p.v.c any more questions Ill be glad to answer them..

NO NO NO! Romex is NOT allowed to be used in conduit in this manner! Romex is NOT rated for a wet location which this will be in a kitchen and running through the floor. Just because its PVC does not mean water can't get in, condensation and the pipe cracking or water getting in on either end are just some of the ways. You need to get THWN wire, and feed individual conductors through the PVC. THWN IS rated for a wet location; THHN is NOT rated for a wet location however most wire is dual rated THHN/THWN.

For your application, 1/2" conduit should be plenty big, since you are only running one circuit though the conduit and nothing about a cook top or anything.

There are pre-made 90 and 45 degree bends for PVC conduit; the fittings you are thinking of with the sharp 90 as far as I know do not exist for electrical PVC (they do with a removeable door for EMT but this would not be rated for a wet location). Also, make sure you are using the gray electrical PVC and not the white water pipe pvc, there is a difference. There are also fittings that will allow you to transistion to flex from the PVC without having to go through a box first, just take a walk through the electrical aisle and they shouldn't be that hard to find.

 

[Joshcube]

Thanks guys and the pictures definitely helped a lot Bob. :thumbsup: THWN was the wire I had read about in another forum, but I couldn't remember the initials. I'll let you know how it turns out.