ponderingturtle Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hhmmmm....been working as an automation / drives engineer in the steel industry for the past 23 years, never heard of anything as small as AWG #2 referred to as a "bus bar". But then, we wouldn't try to use solid #2 "wire" for anything, either. Given we have designed connectors to connect 16 AWG wire to an aluminum bus bar it seems not impossible. Though I kind of wonder exactly what kind of circuit board our 60 amp quick connect terminals get used on. What would you call the bars in say a 60 or 100 amp panel then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Mine is mostly surface mount apart from where it drops down the walls to the switches/sockets. Those sections are run in conduit. As it is a domestic workshop and not a living space it doesn't have to look beautiful - although it looks beautiful to my eyes . We have different electrical codes and rules to follow in the UK so this sort of installation is permissible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlgWoodWork Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 I have surface mount conduit in my garage. It was all added on after the house was built. I run it around the ceiling and just dropped down where I wanted my outlets. Honestly, with all the other stuff, machines, lumber rack, etc, covering the walls, the conduit is not even noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerboss Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Go with EMT (electrical metallic tubing) on the surface. It looks better than flex and pun intended is more flexible...for adding future circuits. Use #12 THHN stranded for the conductors. As for the wife & aesthetics warehouse fashion is in! (no not kidding). Most electricians see surface piping like a wood worker sees dovetail joints, a sign of competency. Kicks and offsets bent just so it look great, well to an electrician anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted December 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Thanks everyone for the responses and discussion. It made me realize I was worrying about nothing...kinda stupid of me. Even more true considering almost all of it will run along the ceiling anyway and I can always just paint it if it's an issue. All in all it makes everything a lot cheaper and simpler (especially since it has to be conduit anywhere here). I'd re-ask the question I posed to Mike earlier since we're on the topic. What is the best way to deal with tools that are not up against a wall? It seems like normally people do floor outlets but obviously that doesn't work here. Just long cords run over to the wall...tripping hazard be damned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Any of the variations of type SO wire will be quite flexible, and is not considered a tripping hazard. Go to a fair, and it's laying all over the ground that large numbers of people walk over. Some of the oil resistant versions attract sawdust, but sorry I can't remember exactly which one. I think all mine are SO, or SOW, but its been enough decades since I made them up, that I don't remember exactly which variation they are. Any heavy black cable with the letters S and O in the type should be okay. It comes in a wide range of sizes and numbers of conductors, but they don't give it to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Thanks everyone for the responses and discussion. It made me realize I was worrying about nothing...kinda stupid of me. Even more true considering almost all of it will run along the ceiling anyway and I can always just paint it if it's an issue. All in all it makes everything a lot cheaper and simpler (especially since it has to be conduit anywhere here). I'd re-ask the question I posed to Mike earlier since we're on the topic. What is the best way to deal with tools that are not up against a wall? It seems like normally people do floor outlets but obviously that doesn't work here. Just long cords run over to the wall...tripping hazard be damned? Wire on the floor, with a rubber cable chase or cover over it to reduce tripping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Given we have designed connectors to connect 16 AWG wire to an aluminum bus bar it seems not impossible. Though I kind of wonder exactly what kind of circuit board our 60 amp quick connect terminals get used on. What would you call the bars in say a 60 or 100 amp panel then? I call them bars, because they are generally of a rectangular cross section, rather than round like wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Thanks everyone for the responses and discussion. It made me realize I was worrying about nothing...kinda stupid of me. Even more true considering almost all of it will run along the ceiling anyway and I can always just paint it if it's an issue. All in all it makes everything a lot cheaper and simpler (especially since it has to be conduit anywhere here). I'd re-ask the question I posed to Mike earlier since we're on the topic. What is the best way to deal with tools that are not up against a wall? It seems like normally people do floor outlets but obviously that doesn't work here. Just long cords run over to the wall...tripping hazard be damned? Depending on how it affects access to the machine, you might also consider overhead power drops. These require some sort of strain relief at the plug, but certainly eliminate the possible trip hazard. Not suitable for every situation, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponderingturtle Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Depending on how it affects access to the machine, you might also consider overhead power drops. These require some sort of strain relief at the plug, but certainly eliminate the possible trip hazard. Not suitable for every situation, of course. Replacing all the machine plugs with twistlock ones might be intimidating for most people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrylR Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 I like the surface mount I have. The electrician didn't even talk about alternatives and I'm happy with the look and knowing that any changes I need to make in the future don't involve digging in walls. I have 3/4" tubes of this EMT.. http://www.columbiambf.ca/index.php?P=EZPull_EMT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Replacing all the machine plugs with twistlock ones might be intimidating for most people. Twist-locks are common in industrial applications, but a small shop should be able to get by with just an eye-hook in the ceiling and a couple of zip-ties placed a foot or so back from the plug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted December 6, 2014 Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 Conduit, particularly if well done, is a beautiful thing. It's tough & if leaves you with the option of changing or adding wires to suit future needs. EMT is not a DIY project if you want it to look good. BX can be done neatly, but won't look nearly as good as EMT. Not as robust either. And as Raefco mentioned, don't be running Romex in conduit. It's not legal, practical or easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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