Noticed more buildings skipping conduit runs for surface mounts lately.

Clean look versus future access, which way do you lean?

4 comments

4 Comments

What kind of building are we talking about? I lean toward conduit every time, even if it costs more up front. In an office or a school, that clean look matters, but surface mount stuff just gets wrecked. Someone bumps it with a cart, or you need to add a new line next year and it turns into a total hack job. Buried conduit might be a pain to pull through later, but at least the path is there and the walls stay clean.

green.val1mo ago

But where's the line where conduit's upfront cost stops making sense with an existing surface mount mess?

pat_rivera1mo ago

Totally get where you're coming from. In my experience, conduit does save headaches down the line, especially in high-traffic areas. But how do you handle it when the building has existing surface mount that's already a mess? Do you rip it all out, or work around it?

shane_clark2d ago

That "clean look" you mentioned is exactly what gets wrecked when someone needs to add a line and has to work around a buried conduit.