PVC conduit alternatives [RE-wrenches]

[Brad Bassett]

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I agree that another material would be preferrable to vinyl (PVC). 
Building our new house we avoided vinyl almost completely except wire 
insulation, I even used EMT in the walls to reduce the vinyl content and 
exposure (and enhance flexibility and safety). But underground, metal 
conduit is less than ideal. Copper conduit anyone?

So the question is there a plastic that offers the advantages of vinyl 
or PVC for conduit? PVC is 1)cheap 2) fire retardant 3) relatively high 
temp resistant 4) easy to join 5)cheap, did I say it's cheap. That's 
what's going to make it hard to justify someone going to the trouble to 
make something else and get it listed and marketed, it's going to be 
relatively expensive compared to PVC and be a hard sell to most. 

One polymer I've thought of is polyethylene (PE), which is even cheaper 
than PVC, but burns and melts easily. One form of polyethylene is PEX or 
cross linked PE, used extensively for plumbing, is more temp resistant 
than the regular PE and super tough, and is very easy to work with. I've 
used it for underground comm cable where it's not inspected and needed 
extra protection. PEX is the one polymer that I think might have a 
chance. It might be able to have it's flammability enhanced. It's used 
as underground gas piping, so maybe as only underground conduit. Anyone 
want to try to get a PEX mfg (Wirsbo) to go for listing? PE is about as 
benign environmentlaly as polymers get.

Another possibility is ABS (Acrilonitrile, Butadiene, Styrene), which is 
maybe not as good as PE, but I'm sure is a lot better than PVC in 
relation to the environment. It's high temperature performance is better 
than PVC, it's pretty inexpensive, though more than PE or PVC. I don't 
know the fire resistance of it. It's made for DWV piping, the black 
stuff, (and is what I used to avoid PVC for our DWV). 

Brad
AEE


 
Allan Sindelar wrote:
> 
> Wrenches,
> 
> We use a lot of PVC conduit, especially in our direct-buried runs from
> arrays, generators, and the like. I am aware of its health/environmental
> hazards (see below for a blurb on it by Bill Walsh founder of the 
> Healthy
> Building Network, taken ffrom Grist). I'd like to use it as little as
> possible.
> 
> What alternatives have you found that are less toxic than PVC?
> 
> Thanks,
> Allan @+E
> 

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