Electrical Conduit vs. Cable: Which is best for your project?

[@usmarinekenny]

Just a correction, if it is rigid metal galvanized conduit it has to be buried 6” below grade and that’s to the top of the conduit not the bottom as that confuses people. And pvc is generally 18” to the top of the conduit with the exception of if it’s 120 volts circuit and gfci protected before it comes outside and goes into the ground can be buried at 12”. Now with that said using the flexible conduit buried in the ground is kind of a gamble as the whole subject to physical damage thing comes into play which is why they require even rigid pvc to be schedule 80 thick wall pvc when exiting the ground up to 8’ and down into the ground 18” if I’m not mistaken. It all depends on the inspector and if he interprets it to be in a physically damaging area. To avoid hitting it and breaking through it with like weed eaters and lawn mowers specifically the weed eater with the metal blade instead of the string, but just a safety thing. Just throwing some info at you. But I like your videos. Keep up the good work.

[@practicalhomeprojects]

Thank you for the insight. The "Subject to Physical Damage" piece is a bit subjective, so it's a great idea to speak with your local inspector. Ours told us that for a residential property we'd be fine with schedule 40 as long as it wasn't next to the driveway.

[@karenderuyter2568]

Thank you for clearing that up for me.

[@practicalhomeprojects]

Glad it helped!

[@danhdo8233]

I've been watching ev charger or nema 14-50 for tesla charger video installing and couldn't find any video explaining in details like yours. Especially the Non Metallic Liquid Tight Flexible Conduit. I am planning running it from electric panel down to crawlspace (20ft) then outside for another 50 ft using this type of conduit. Then bury the gray PVC schedule 40 for burying 18" under the ground. Now I know NMLFC an be buried like a pvc. Learned something!

[@MrRicker9]

Some good info here, but......per the NEC you CAN NOT use THHN wire in an outdoor/underground application. It is rated for dry use only. Underground in conduit is considered by the NEC as a damp/wet location. This requires THWN rated wire. Typically you can buy dual rated THHN/THWN-2 wire.

[@practicalhomeprojects]

Hi there. You are correct that the wire needs to have the "W" to be used in outdoor settings. I labelled it as "THHN/THWN-2" at 1:12, but I tend to just refer to it as THHN since almost all of the THHN wires on the market today are dual rated. Thanks!

[@johndavies2949]

It always comes that way. Thhn/Thwn

[@Ricko1962]

Great video, thanks!

[@practicalhomeprojects]

Glad you liked it!

[@danmoore1088]

Really helpful, thanks!

[@practicalhomeprojects]

Glad it was helpful!

[@candlemedia]

Veryyyyy informative. Thank you. If one wanted too, can they use the flexible pipe from the outside of a house that runs 50ft straight & buried 18" in ground and out to a supposed outlet which has romex 12gague running thru it? You've mentioned not running romex in the flex pipe but running single THHN wire, but why can the romex yellow jacket (hot, neutral and ground) run?

[@practicalhomeprojects]

Hey there. You could run the romex inside, then switch to THHN inside conduit at a junction box. It's not completely forbidden to use romex in a conduit, but there are two issues: With 3 or more conductors, the total fill inside the conduit cannot be more than 40%. The romex has a much higher cross sectional area than the individual cables inside, so you'd have to oversize the conduit significantly. The second issue is that the pvc jacket around romex is actually a bit tacky and will have a lot of friction when pulling through a conduit; it's not very durable either so it may tear. The THHN cables are a slick nylon material. Hope this helps!

[@nCon808]

Great video, man! I wanna install a 30amp power inlet for a generator to power my house after a power outage. I’ll probably use 50-60 feet of wire that runs from the back of my house to the front (where main panel is located). Given the scenario I’ve mentioned, what type (brand?) and gauge wire and what type of conduit should I use? Or if you could give me a full list of what I’ll need that’d be great😅

[@practicalhomeprojects]

I think this article will answer most of your questions. practicalhomeprojects.com/?p=138 The brand of your wires/conduit isn't important as long as they are UL rated for the application. Since it is outside, everything needs to be rated for wet areas.

[@OthmanAlikhan]

Thanks for the video =)

[@practicalhomeprojects]

You are welcome!

[@aaronho673]

Very helpful!

[@practicalhomeprojects]

Glad it was helpful!

[@samijames9986]

very informative video. However, at timestamp 1:52 the cable you're showing has 4 wires and that's not comparable apples-to-apples to the cable you're showing at timestamp 0:45, which has only 3 wires. Most outdoor use cases only nee 3 wires, unlike indoor use cases, like 3-way circuits, which require 4 wires.

[@practicalhomeprojects]

Hello, The number of wires would depend on what kind of circuit you are setting up. You should be able to find 3 or 4 wire cables meeting either indoor or outdoor conditions.

[@b3arwithm3]

Nice overview mate. I have a panel outside of my garage. I want to install an EV charger inside the garage. Would I insert the blue conduit inside the wall that is between the charger and the panel? What is the easiest option?

[@practicalhomeprojects]

I think your plan sounds reasonable. The blue conduit can only be used indoors and is a good way to protect individual conductors. Be sure to use proper fitments at the panel and junction boxes.

[@vince6829]

Thanks for sharing

[@karimiHSE]

Very good 😮😮😮

[@jimsummers487]

Electricians manage heat so that you have a cool running electrical system….fire code requirements are minimum standards…… A majority of you will need fire extinguishers