Conduit installation help.. EMT to PVC

steve457

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In order to get cat5/6 cable out to one of my cameras I am going to need to run it underground for 20 or so feet. My original plan was to use 1/2" EMT conduit on the sides of the house straight into the ground with a 90 degree bend. I would then just use direct burial Cat5/6 cable to reach my location and come back up through EMT conduit. I read, however, that EMT should not be in contact with the ground so am wondering what I should do instead?

Should I simply transition to PVC a few inches from the ground surface? I could then do a 90 degree bend using the PVC which would be buried in the ground. Do EMT to PVC connectors even exist?
 

Justin Blackburn

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You would need to get a female adapter for the pvc and a standard connector for the emt.

Are you running up the wall into soffit or what's your plan?

I would probably just use pvc for all of it if that's indeed the case.
 

steve457

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I'm running up the wall on outside of house and then directly into the junction box for the camera. I just got the female adapters and a schedule 40 PVC 90 degree elbow, so I should be good to go now. I was considering just using PVC for the entire run, but read that you should use Schedule 80 PVC if exposed above grade, and home depot does not seem to carry that.
 

Justin Blackburn

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Schedule 40 is fine to use above ground. Schedule 80 has a slightly thicker wall that will better protect it from physical damage. The only downside to using pvc for the whole run is you gotta put extra straps on it. The sun will make it expand and contract and it will get wavy. But the downside to emt is it is gonna rust
 

steve457

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I'm planning on painting the EMT, so that should help prevent rust.

What are your thoughts on running the direct burial Cat5e/6 in the ground without conduit? I was not planning on having the entire run in under ground in conduit, but have read some folks recommending it while others say it is not needed.
 

Justin Blackburn

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Conduit makes everything easier. If the cable ever goes bad, it can be pulled out and a new one can be pulled in. Especially if it's a short run, I would probably go that route.
 

steve457

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Conduit makes everything easier. If the cable ever goes bad, it can be pulled out and a new one can be pulled in. Especially if it's a short run, I would probably go that route.
Ok, thanks. Guess I'll be making one more trip to the hardware store :).
 

bababouy

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The only time I have used emt was inside a building where the work had to meet a fire code. Grey pipe outdoors going up a building and under ground is the method that you want to use. Use sch 40 and go one size up from what you want to use. If you are running 2 wire initially, use 3/4" pipe. Anything more than that, use 1". This way you can easily add another wire later on if needed. Grey pvc is cheap. Strap it to your walls every three feet, and drill a 1/8 drain hole in the bottom of any junction boxes.
 

steve457

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I was originally planning on running 1/2" (for 2 wires), but think I will now instead go with 3/4" and run 3 wires. I only really need 1 wire, but figure I have a giant 1000' spool of cat5e now, so might as well put a few more extra runs out there. Who knows.. maybe one day I will add a LPR camera and external IR, which would need those 2 extra runs. Having the larger 3/4" would help for running additional lines as well, so thanks for the tips!
 

bababouy

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It also might not hurt to run a 18/2 through your pipe in case you want to add an IR projector or a ptz. Running the cable is the hard part. Going to the store and buying a new LPR, then going home and screwing the cam to pole is the fun part.
 

steve457

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Wouldn't I also be able to use an extra cat5e cable for power instead of 18/2 by wrapping a few of the pairs together? I don't happen to have any 18/2 on hand, but have plenty of cat5e.
 

bababouy

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You could. You can always double up pairs for 12v or 24v. You may see a bit more voltage drop when going with cat5. If so, you can always get a 15v power supply.
 

steve457

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Hmm. Ok. I may just purchase some 18/2 CL2 speaker wire. I'd hate to be kicking myself sometime in the future for not running the wire.
 

PapaBill

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In order to get cat5/6 cable out to one of my cameras I am going to need to run it underground for 20 or so feet. My original plan was to use 1/2" EMT conduit on the sides of the house straight into the ground with a 90 degree bend. I would then just use direct burial Cat5/6 cable to reach my location and come back up through EMT conduit. I read, however, that EMT should not be in contact with the ground so am wondering what I should do instead?

Should I simply transition to PVC a few inches from the ground surface? I could then do a 90 degree bend using the PVC which would be buried in the ground. Do EMT to PVC connectors even exist?
How to Install Underground Electrical Cables Yourself
 

PapaBill

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I'm running up the wall on outside of house and then directly into the junction box for the camera. I just got the female adapters and a schedule 40 PVC 90 degree elbow, so I should be good to go now. I was considering just using PVC for the entire run, but read that you should use Schedule 80 PVC if exposed above grade, and home depot does not seem to carry that.
Search Results for Schedule 80 PVC at The Home Depot
 

bababouy

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In my opinion, you don't need schedule 80. It's twice the price. If you were working on an industrial building and had to meet higher standards, than I would consider it.
 

Yollie

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I was just at the electrical supply store and purchased some grey sch 40pvc that states on it "For above and below ground"
 
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