Went to check a new build in Avondale yesterday - warning about the conduit bends

Walked through 12 units yesterday. Every single one had conduit crushed at 90 degree bends. Pulling line through those is gonna be a nightmare. Someone's cutting corners on the install. Has anyone else seen this on the newer construction sites?

3 comments

3 Comments

allen.kai8d ago

That's rough, same thing happened on a site I was visiting in West Melton last month. The electrician told me the conduit they used was a cheaper batch that couldn't handle the tight bends without collapsing. Makes you wonder if the builders are all sharing the same supplier on these new subdivisions.

jana_jones8d ago

Builders are always looking for ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality, so a cheaper conduit batch isn't automatically a bad call. If the electrician can't make tight bends without crushing the pipe, maybe the real problem is his bending technique or rushing the job. Plenty of homes use standard conduit without issues, so where's the proof it's a widespread supplier problem versus just bad installation?

knight.felix7d ago

Yeah quoting "makes you wonder if the builders are all sharing the same supplier" - I'd pump the brakes on that a bit. It's one electrician's story from one site. Could be a bad batch but could also just be that guy having an off day or using the wrong technique. I've seen plenty of sparkies who blame the materials when the real issue is they're trying to bend conduit tighter than it's rated for. Until you've got more than one or two people reporting the same thing from different subdivisions it feels like a stretch to say all the builders are in on some shared supplier scheme. Take the story for what it is, but don't go assuming every new house is wired with junk just yet.