[OP]
Contributor
I'm looking to run about 75 ft. of conduit, underground, from one building to another. Looking on local BORG website for conduit and fittings and I see that Southwire makes push on connectors for PVC conduit. No glue involved and they're rated water tight. They call them SIMPush. Has anyone used them or know anything about them?
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Haven't seen that but am familiar with Sharkbite.
Sounds like a good idea (except for cost) as glued fittings in long runs sometimes don't hold.
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What do you gain? Glue is cheap and easy, and regardless of fittings underground conduit is always considered a wet location per the NEC.
Properly used, the PVC solvent cement will hold a fitting that will not break loose.
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They probably work just fine if they're UL listed, as noted watertight is irrelevant underground as the conduit will fill up with condensation if nothing else over a period of time. Every one I've ever taken up has been full of water. An advantage over glue would be if they're reasonably easy to undo, like sharkbites. (not that you want to be undoing the underground connections often, but I just had to do exactly that while replacing a rotted lighted sign pole). Plenty of bad/incomplete glue joints out there, they almost have to be better for mechanical strength and water intrusion from the soil.
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I ran electric for a hot tub recently, & struggled a bit with fittings going around trees etc.. Couldn't get the fish tape through (ream your pipe ends!) & cut one joint apart as I thought some crud must have got in there. Could have used some push-on fittings...Originally Posted by John Lanciani
[OP]
Contributor
In the video they were easy to disassemble, but they were new. They are rated NEMA4. I'm not an electrician but it sounds impressive.
Confidence: The feeling you experience before you fully understand the situation
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Use primer first just like you do on PVC waterlines, and not only will it be watertight, but they won't come apart. I comes in clear as well as purple. I think it's mostly just Acetone, but I'm not sure. In any case it's a lot more liquid than water, and you will get it somewhere you don't want it. Wear disposable nitrile gloves.
You can heat it and bend it if stock fittings won't do what you need. There are even special heating blankets to soften it just right for such bending.
Best to keep all the hub ends going one way, and remember which way so you can easily get a fish tape through it. A fish tape will hang up going the other way.
Last edited by Tom M King; 05-19-2023 at 9:05 PM.
Member
A tiny diversion in case it helps, but for the reason cited by Mr. Wiegand, I am fairly sure the NEC prohibits the use of NM (romex) and THN/THHN outdoors - even if run in conduit. I believe direct burial rated cable (type UF, IIRC) is called for - even if run in conduit. Perhaps a properly licensed electrician can confirm?
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Just needs to have the letter “w” in the designation. Most THHN is dual rated “THHN/THHWN”
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I can’t see an advantage in a removable fitting in underground. It is a one time thing. Dig your trench, lay out the conduit on boards across the trench, gluing as you go. Do use primer and glue. Let it set up and rest, pull the boards and lower into the trench.
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I kinda agree with Jack relative to this specific application. While a removable fitting used in the shop might be a big benefit for surface mount electrics, for example, because of the inevitable changes over time, for a buried application, it's going in the ground and will therefore be inaccessible. I honestly chose to run UF direct buried between my new shop building and the shed, transitioning from vertical PVC conduit with appropriate fittings on both sides of the run.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
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That had me worried, as I run THHN in conduit underground plenty, but I looked and the spools all do say THHN/THWN.
Re other comments, I don't think the point of the push-on fittings is removability, but ease of use- no glue. Putting everything together above the trench is good, except for tree roots that the conduit must run under.
Contributor
How deep was the run?
Is there a different depth requirement for a run not in a conduit vs one in conduit?
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