Suggestions for conduit

[THX]

I've got to bury about 100 ft. of dual RG-6 Belden cable. I'm looking to put the coax into conduit as opposed to direct burial.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what conduit to use? I'll probably run at least three lines of the dual RG-6 cable so it'll have to be big enough to handle all that.

Thanks in advance.

[kwajr]

I've got to bury about 100 ft. of dual RG-6 Belden cable. I'm looking to put the coax into conduit as opposed to direct burial.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what conduit to use? I'll probably run at least three lines of the dual RG-6 cable so it'll have to be big enough to handle all that.

Thanks in advance.
just reg conduit will work fine its only 3 bucks for 10 feet at most lowes and home depots

[Jim Parker]

3/4" PVC should do it. The number of bends is critical for pulling. Any more than 360 degress total bend (four 90s) and you can't pull the cable. 270 degrees or less is better.

[AllieVi]

You might also want to consider using irrigation tubing (the thin-walled, black flexible material with about a half-inch interior diameter). You may have to use three separate runs of it (one for each RG-6), but at about 5 cents a foot the cost is still much lower. You also won't have to buy any "sweeps" or plan a straight trench since the tubing bends easily.

It doesn't have the crush resistance of conduit and isn't very immune to being damaged with digging tools, though.

[SimpleSimon]

I like the blue plastic "corrugated" ENT conduit myself. It's manufactured in sizes up to 2" - but may not be readily available.

[redfishhunter]

Reg.3/4 PVC conduit...Like Jim mentioned watch for bend...the more the more work...

[Mike500]

I like the blue plastic "corrugated" ENT conduit myself. It's manufactured in sizes up to 2" - but may not be readily available.

Blue ENT is coded blue to indicate 120/220 vac circuits. Low voltage ENT is coded "orange." It is, however, not UV protected for outdoor use.

I don't particularly like ENT, because it costs about twice as much as NMET. The corrogated interior maked for difficult pulling over any distance more than 10 feet.

I prefer to use direct burial cable. However, if you must use conduit, I recommend HDPE water pipe.

The main problem with glued PVC conduit is its high coeficient of expansion. The expansion caused by heating and cooling rusults in mechanical cracking at the joints, resulting in the intrusion of water. The very low pressure of water, seeking it's lowest level will cause it to weap into the conduit, maybe even as slow as a drop a day. Over days, weeks and even months, the conduit will fill with water. Since the inside of the conduit has no lower level draining mechanism, water stays inside.

For high end installs requiring future additions of cable runs, I now use black polyethylene continuous HDPE flexible plastic pipe [Lowes has 1-1/4" 100ft coils for $25-30]. The Commscope and Belden technical manuals recommend it. I terminate it in a sweep bend inside of a weatherproof box at each end. Then, I stuff the space between the cable and the pipe with about three a inch of flexible "Gardiner Bender (GB)" duct seal [a one pound block costs $2 at Home Depot]. Then I use electrical tape to tape the end to keep the cable from shifting in and out of the pipe.

This method cheaper than gray PVC conduit. The HDPE pipe is smooth inside, with no joints for the fish tape to hang up. It is completely waterproof. Removing the electrical tape, and pushing and pulling on the cables inside allows you to remove the non-hardening GB duct seal with ease. Forget RTV hardening silicone.

The method I prescribed has long been accepted by the telephone telecommunications industry.

[SimpleSimon]

Mike: Thanks much for the info! Never knew about the blue vs. orange coding.

And yes, the interior corrugations can be a pain - I'm gonna try that HDPE pipe next time. :)

Thanks again!

[Mike500]

Simon,

The universal identification colors are;

Yellow......................Natural Gas (methane) or Propane
Blue.........................Potable (drinking) water
Red..........................House Current (120/220voltsAC)
Purple.......................Non-potable water (sewage or reclaimed water not fit to drink.
Orange......................Low voltage UL CL2 date cable or fiber optic.

Lamson and Sessons, who sells electrical products under the Carlon brand, uses "BLUE" for House Current voltage. Their low voltage components are correctly "orange."

[SimpleSimon]

Ya learn something new every day - thanks!

No specs on Green, Gray, Black, or White, tho?

[esteg]

have buried 150' of RG6 no problem it has lasted 7 plus years, easy to replace when the time comes.