If you’re planning to wire an outdoor location or a building for your company, you need to think about what type of underground conduits to use. Often, these wires will come with a sheath coating. This makes them easy to secure to wall studs and joists. Yet, it’s too easy to accidentally cut the wires and plastic coating, so this can be a rather risky way to do it. Fortunately, you have options.

The Traditional Options

There are several traditional options for underground conduits. They include the following:

• PVC Conduit: Often used in wetter locations, as well as for underground projects, PVC conduits come with their very own set of elbows, connectors, couplings, and fittings. With these, the PVC conduits are easy to assemble using PVC glue. It isn’t conductive, which makes it safer.
• Flexible Metal Conduit: Some examples of flexible metal installations include attic vents, water heaters, and can lights. Flexible metal conduit is best used when there are areas with tight bends and narrow spaces. The physical features make it more difficult to bend than standard conduits.
• Electrical Metal Tubing (EMT): This conduit usually is used when working in walls. It’s lightweight and easy to bend. However, it can be damaged pretty easily, making it a risk when you’re working on an outside wall or doing underground work.
• Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC): The strength makes this conduit a smart choice for extreme areas, such as service feeder installations and underneath driveways. It must be threaded in the end. This makes the installation somewhat more difficult and more expensive than other options.

Fiberglass: The Newest Conduit Option

If you aren’t satisfied with the traditional options, then you might consider using fiberglass underground conduits. This conduit is becoming more popular because it provides benefits that you won’t find in the other conduit options. The benefits include:

• It’s not metallic. This means that the fiberglass will never rot or corrode. Its protection against corrosion is the best of all conduit materials.
• It’s resistant to fire. It can handle temperatures that range between -40 degrees F and 230 degrees F.
• It’s nontoxic. Halogens or chlorines are not present in this material.
• Because it’s nonconductive, it’s also a safe system. Because it’s chemically inert, it’s resistant to a long list of chemicals and fuels.
• It has a thermal expansion rate that is comparable to RMC.
• Unlike RMC, there is no threading of the joints. The ends can be used for an easy push-fit assembly. It can include a complete group of elbows and fittings.
• The installation is made easier because of its lightweight. A rigid metal conduit with similar strength will weigh up to three times more.
• The installation is once again made easier because of the low coefficient of friction. The inner walls are smooth, so you don’t have to worry about burn-through, even when there are long cable pulls going through the conduit.
• The installation is more affordable compared to using PVC coated steel or even RMC. The cost of labour and maintenance requirements are lower, as well.

Fiberglass underground conduits clearly are the superior choice. When you choose fiberglass, you’ll have a more effective and more affordable conduit system in place.