Timestamps 00:00 How to Run Conduit in Studs per 2023 NEC 300.4(A)(1) 00:06 Greg Anliker and Emma Beckett starting their challenges 01:19 Greg bends double 90°'s 02:11 Greg runs straight 3/4" emt in the studs 02:52 Greg puts a box offset on his double 90°'s 03:23 Greg adds double 90°'s to the straight emt 04:06 Roman begins his challenge 04:54 Roman bends his double 90°'s 06:10 Roman begins his straight pipe installation 07:14 Roman installs his 2nd straight pipe piece 08:20 2023 NEC 300.4(A)(1) 10:45 2023 NEC 300.4(A)(1) Exception #1 12:00 Raul Vasquez interview 12:37 My opinion and wrap-up

No corner studs? How convenient. Maybe this test should be more realistic as far as the structure build.

There's not enough residential EMT videos around. Thanks for sharing this one!

Nice video, Bill! Thanks for adding narration and code references.

I'm curious if certain power tools were prohibited and or provided to contestants. Could they use their daily carry? Here are some tips I use to improve piping speed: Get an old school folding stick rule and sharpee mark all your common dimensions on it for layout, and also use it as a story pole to mark your hole locations. Tape measures are great for certain things but are slow and wiggly. Don't fold and unfold it, leave it opened up and lean it somewhere. You need to be fast at drilling holes or its game over. A chalk line is fast for marking a long horizontal wall with height locations. A Laser is also a time saver. Get a small metal cutting circular saw with 50 tooth blade. Mines a Bosch and blows away the mini band saw for speed and square clean cuts. My lightweight 12 volt Milwaukee impactor is the most used tool for driving screws and 12 volt 90deg impactor with Klein reamer with #2 square bit to ream and tighten fittings in all locations. An 18 volt impactor with 1" Irwin speedbore bit is the bomb for running 1/2" thinwall. I never enter the sides of switch boxes, always top/bottom. The fitting threads can interfere with deep devices when a 2 gang ring is used. A 12" 90 with a slight kick gets you out of the box and transitioned to the center of the stud without an offset. Also, carry the minimum amount of weight with you when running emt. Lots of bending, kneeling, reaching will wear you out prematurely if you have your entire toolbox strapped around your waist. You need to move fast to make money and stay employed. I always have at least one folding 20" high work platform nearby as a table or to access ceilings. Ladder rungs kill your feet and the platform allows you to stand flat footed along with working a larger ceiling area without repositioning. Last thing, knee pads, knee pads, knee pads! I have over 40 years into the trades and these techniques have allowed me to keep cranking out the pipe at 60 years old.

I’m a retired Chicago 134 electrician. I had a friend that was remodeling a bathroom in the apartment building he owned. Turns out, the EMT was running in the depth of the first example. He drove a drywall screw dead center into the conduit and created a short circuit. If there’s enough “meat” on the wood to guide that drywall screw dead center it can penetrate the thin wall pipe. Also, using a 1 1/4 drywall screw depth is not realistic, (although it is the standard for hanging sheet rock) people use all kinds of drywall screw lengths. Furthermore, the corners are completely unrealistic, I’ve never seen a corner with less than two studs.

If I'm running raceways or cables in a wooden structure I'm thinking about ALL inspections. Just because my electrcial inspector passes me doesn't mean the building inspector will like what I've done. GC's don't want a failed inspection regardless. •It's good to give local inspectors a call and or manufacturer recommendation for any engineered wood products.. (most inspectors don't know what's allowed per manufacturer specs, and an email or spec sheet from the manufacturer solves a lot of problems and arguments. •EMT matetial and tubing wall thickness is comparable to nail guards O wouldn't see a need for nail guards on EMT. PVC and fiberglass conduits seem like asking for trouble if a screw happens to "intersect" it. I would nail guard those.

I always drill my holes in the middle of the stud to prevent inspection problems. Don't argue with an inspector over something like that.

Center of stud holes just big enough for cable do not require nail plates, but we do them anyway unless the inspector says it passes due to the 1 1/4" distance from the edge, but dry wallers can get longer screws mixed up with 1 1/4, so play it safe. I personally prefer conduit everywhere for the reason that circuits, or switch legs might be added or upgraded. The same with conduit size. We always oversize our conduit slightly for the reasons of ease of pull and possible need for upgrading or adding UP TO the limit required by the derating table. Making small notches for cables is fine with nail plates since it minimizes structural damage caused by larger holes and totally protects the cable.

I feel like it makes it a little more difficult to get conduit in tight spaces but I can see the importance of upholding the Integrity of the structure.

Building codes dictate hole placement and hole size. As a rule of thumb I drill from the center and the hole cannot exceed 1/3 the width. I have never had to install raceway like this. I was very intrigued and thought I might learn a new skill. I was taught to bend conduit laying on the floor, I gave the other method a try and wasn’t happy with my results. Suppose to be PLS and Parallel. The second contestant did a better job bending, but was cutting short pieces using connectors to fix his issues. I demolished a wall once with a long full sized piece of conduit in it with studs 16” on center. They had started with a hole from the door opening, pushed the conduit in, installed the switch box. I would like to see more content on how the Pro’s install raceways in stud walls without using a connector every 2’.

The nice thing about this method is that you can use up most of your conduit scrap.

Seems like a place where BX should be used but considering how destructive it is to run the EMT through the studs, maybe run the EMT straight up into the rafters or down into a crawl space or basement. That way the runs, while longer, would be cleaner and would be less likely to impact the structures integrity.

Code says no metal plates required if using EMT. However the NEC always refers to the AHJ and in this case the AHJ is saying plates needed if the EMT is not 1 1/4" on center from the edge of the stud. Also competitor #2 did not support the EMT within 12" of the panel enclosure. He also would not be able to strap the EMT because he did not put a box set in the EMT where it enter the panel enclosure.

Despite his holes being closer to the edge, the first guy gets my nod for the better job.

Sparky, I always enjoy your coverage of the Ideal National Championship series - you're the perfect spokesperson for the tradecraft.

Putting conduit through studs is my nemesis. I generally use MC cable.

Nail plates not needed per NEC since it's EMT. But from structural POV, a stud in a load bearing wall or partition may need reinforcing if the hole exceeds 60% of stud depth or is closer than 5/8" to the edge, per the IRC. In that case, IMO a nail plate ain't gonna cut it. Simpson Strong Ties makes wrap around reinforcing brackets for this.

I could do that. It will be ready next Thursday.

Looks like the 1-1\4 dim is from the edge of the hole to edge of stud, not center of conduit. So the smaller you can make the hole the more likely you will have 1-1/4 left from edge of hole to edge of stud and not have to use plates.

It is very easy to drive a screw through PVC conduit. I think the code in inadequate when it lumps EMT and PVC in the same "no metal plate needed" rule. Of course the wire inside the PVC conduit would, in practice, PROBABLY, escape damage from the screw but still . . . .

The nail plate does nothing for the weakened stud, although it protects the raceway. And, the code does exempt most conduit types from the nail plate installation anyway. i would have opted for the EMT on centers to avoid questioning by the authority to avoid rework. Yes, it's a bit more difficult to do it on centers. Also, if PVC conduit is permitted it's easier to work with as you can use a heat gun to soften it to make it more pliable. I like to make the first hole a bit larger to start the pipe, the all the other holes smaller, just enough to pass the pipe through. Takes more time, but prefer to do it that way. Electrical work is not a race. Need the extra volume for the ground conductor too if PVC. Once PVC cools off, it will keep it's position.

Short 90s, short pieces and couplings. Piped a lot in studs over the years.

I had the honor of having Raul judge my IMC project at the 2022 SkillsUSA National Championship in Atlanta!

i have installed emt in wood studs per code in highland park (dallas) texas. it is a tough install, we mostly stuck to 1/2" where possible. one thing i noticed is that there was not a wood corner framed to go through. that is the real challenge. but honestly you need to start with 1-1/2" wood bit. we were not required to install protection plates. not necessary with emt. drywall nails dont generally have the strength to penetrate emt (i assume!). and i did tend to shade to one edge or the other of studs just to help myself. also a very handy item is the coupling that slides completely over the conduit. that way you are not fighting as much to pop the conduit into the coupling. but overall, it is going to take much longer than normal.

No nail plates needed when EMTs are used as per NEC. I’d argue this with an inspector up to a certain point. However, holes should be in the middle for structural reason and I believe an inspector would fail the guy of the bottom at 13:20

Homeowner here. I just did my kitchen in EMT because I was curious what it would take vs non-metallic wire. Also it'll be easier to add a circuit. My observations: 1) Cutting 14.5" pieces allowed me to center the conduit and use tight holes (.75" holes for 1/2" EMT). I imagine chicago electricians buy precut pieces like this or make them in bulk during downtime? 2) I went into the sides of boxes. I'm not sure if this is how pros do it or if they 90 and go in through the bottom or top. It made adjustment of the height difficult... my holes were not perfect with the laser level so sone boxes are 1/4" off level. 4) Also, its difficult to secure a box to a stud and also enter the box through the side with conduit that runs through that stud. 5) I used 4" steel boxes. They are annoying to screw directly to studs because the mud ring is bigger than the box face. I used a lot of 4" boxes with a side mounting plate to solve that problem for end-of-run boxes. 5) To get around a corner, I went through the crawlspace with a U bend. 6) something not covered here is what support is necessary for conduit run in the wall, especially when there are many couplings. I'll check NEC for that. 7) I think 1/2 EMT can fit 4 circuits (12 AWG THHN is rated at 30 amps@90 degrees C which gets derated to 21 amps based on 8 current carrying conductors in one raceway). Normally I run 3/4 EMT, but it seems unnecessary for branch circuits where derating is the limiting factor. 1/2 is so much easier and requires less impact on the structure (smaller holes). 8) bending conduit is cool and all, but I wish there was a machine that could do it for me. Kinda hard on the body and hard to do precisely (esp offsets) for a novice. It was slow for me vs NM, but I would do it again, at least for the kitchen which has so many different circuits.

Dear Sparky. I am amazed that the extra steps both contestants take measuring and then deducting the distance of the emt. I was taught and teach to just add the 6 inches of the tape measure beyond the end of the pipe, that does the deduction for you. Add that time up for a high rise and see what you can save.

You mentioned that this was per 2023 code, so the exception (as you mentioned) allows for EMT without a nail plate. In NC, I believe the code [R602.6] allows for a notch of a stud for a non-bearing wall to be upto 40%. The width of a 2x4 is typically 3.5". You can get away with a hole about 1.4" in diam. If that stud showing a crack @2:27 hadn't split like that, he probably would be ok. But, unfortunately, once it split, it probably wouldn't pass, because the hole + the split enlarged the hole more than the allowed.

It does not matter what the code says if the inspector says it needs plates you put plates. Don't argue with inspectors So now we are responsible for the quality of the lumber used also ?

That "d-oing" of emt hitting the floor brings back memories

since electric screw drivers are the tool of choice these days you will find screws with penetrate EMT ; so if the EMT is not 1 1/4 inches from the outside surface of the stud nail plate is not needed. But if closer they are.

Watching Greg against the rest isnt fair Bill! He makes everyone look like an apprentice 🤣

great job

It is the responsibility of the contractor and his subordinates to make the inspectors job as easy as possible by knowing the code applications for your project. I use nail guards where required by code and use the code to verify when not needed!

Nail plates required however the first guy is smart, only needs nail plates on the one side. I could run a screw right through that emt. Guy no 2 was kinda a hack. 100x better than me though haha.

No load bearing wall has an inside corner like that. Total BS.phase conductors are not identified. The funny thing about notchplates is when we passed inspection the rockers would go through and peel off the plates prior to rocking the interior.

Putting a slight bend in the conduit makes putting it in the stud so much easier! The conduit can be straightened out with that special tool once installed

Stud strength: Weren't 2x4 studs fine, strength-wise? We jumped to 2x6 walls for 'new' (around 1990-ish?) insulation codes.

Sparky, Thanks for another great video. I would like to see nail plates on the studs in Gregs installation. As far as the damage to the first stud, likely I would pass this unless the damage also occurred on one of the adjacent studs then I would like to see some strengthening of the damaged stud. Obviousley in the center of the stud is best but as you can see getting the conduit into the wall cavity becomes very difficult and somewhat tricky.

Inspectors can be a wild card; I’ve had them say things were wrong only to correct it and have a different inspector contradict the correction. We’ve gotten tot the point of having laminated quick reference papers for specific code sections that come up frequently; though ultimately the inspector has the final say as I doubt anyone is looking to go to court to prove they’re correct which is what it would take with out municipal inspectors. I personally prefer notch and set with protection plates for everything; though this is an absolute no-go with I-Ben style manufactured floor joists. I always find it funny that electricians and plumbers can be the ones having to fix construction deficits and outside of a few places that isn’t that big of an issue; we’re things really suck is the municipalities that force a carpenter to fix a simple issue, I’m talking about NYC which is about the worst place in the world to be an electrician.

As far as the nec requirements go, they both did it correctly. The AHJ has the final say. 90-4 other wise known as the god clause! Me personally have never agreed that pcv pipes don't require nail plates. Emt is questionable. I put them on if it close to the edge, cheap insurance IMO. As far as the install goes, I would of run up and back down.

I think PVC and other plastic conduit should be protected. Rigid steel shouldn't need a nail plate regardless of distance from the edge or should intermediate or EMT. The distance from the edge is a building department issue not an electrical issue

Great play by play. They sell a bender that makes box offset only.

The first one was clean, the 2nd one was struggling putting emt in the holes and then he cut it

The NEC is the bare minimum you have to do to pass inspection ... we are allowed to go above and beyond the NEC and in my almost 30 years I practice going above... I nail plate the crap out of everything questionable

Impressive Sparky.

The first installer didn't need 3 pieces because of how close his holes were to the edge of the stud! If he was centered he also would have used 3 pieces, or ended up with unintended bends to the conduit. The real test would be to run conduit through floor joists!

The second electrician that used three pieces in order to be be able to run through the middle was a good demonstration of the challenge of inserting in tight locations. I've done the same when plumbing where you can only fit so long of a run given the angles at play. I would imagine the split stud could be repaired with a Simpson brace over the split and around the hole. Who scored higher in that challenge?

I don't like having large holes in my wall studs.

You’d think they could come up with a better competition than this that actually applies to the real world. You would never do this install in the field unless you live in Chicago

👍Thanks for the video

The 2nd one was bad emt was not level & no box offset

You asked "Would you" and yes I would. You asked about arguing with the inspector, and if it's just one wall no, but I'm not going to redo an entire floor if the code doesn't require it, but you didn't ask about the code. It clearly excludes EMT from the requirements... Overall answer: have a copy of the **current** code and discuss with the inspector. If the work is up to code he should approve it. Others wrote we now use electric screwdrivers -- so what? You can tear into EMT any number of ways. The question is not "could you" but rather "what does the code require when installing EMT" and if you want to discuss safety also (always a consideration) "What are the odds someone will punch through EMT with a drill bit that good and not also punch through 1/16? Zero.

If the opposite wall is an exterior wall, I would have run the EMT from the exterior sheathing thru center bored holes in the studs. A 3/4 inch hole in the exterior sheathing is easy to patch. Quicker and easier.

If you see metal studs they are punched centre or already has a centre hole for studs. For wood studs it should be as close to centre as possible too.😅

I notch out the stud an 1/2 " and off set the conduit at the J Box and then use stud plates

Wouldn't this be an ideal location to use flexible metal conduit, or is that not code? You would certainly be able to drill a smaller hole. On another note, I'm going to listen to Yes's version of "Close to the Edge" now.

A standard 2X4 is 89mm wide. If holes can’t be bored within 32mm of either edge. That leaves only 25mm in the middle on the stud where the hole can be bored. This is just barely one inch. That said, it is going to be almost impossible to work in a 3/4 EMT in a 1 inch bore if you are trying to adhere to 309.4 A 1, unless you drilling in from an outside corner of the wall and drill each hole within a 1/16” of clearance and perfectly square along a straight line. So, with 2X4 studs,I would go straight up to run 3/4. I’d leave the horizontal runs to 1/2 inch EMT.

If you have a great answer for EMT across a stud wall, please share. My common in real life answers are come from above or below or use a different wiring method, but to be fair those are dodging the question. With a 1 1/4" hole in the middle, it's difficult to feed it through without it bending (which was evidenced in the video). Short pieces and fittings work for one-offs. One of the tricks coming up (or down) the stud is the box offset done with a single bend. The EMT is in the middle of the stud, but the box hole is close the wall edge. The offset goes both out and to the side. Looks way pretty when done right.

Not an electrician, I would pre-bend a little bit of the straight portion of the EMT before inserting, so the holes can be located in the middle of the stud. Half way inserting the EMT, I would use the bending tool to un-bend the inserted portion of the EMT. Split the pipe in two pieces does not seem to be as clean. Not sure making a second drill attempt above the hole does any help.

So, if I am understanding this content correctly (NEC Code) you only need to run EMT (or similar) when going through studs but not necessary when dropping straight down in between studs?

yes a nail plate should be installed, plus it would also put back some of the strength of the broken stud if it is long enough.

Always as close to Center as possible and when questionable I throw in an airplane, it doesn't hurt to add a couple nail plates every so often, you never know when someone is going to throw a large screw into the stud

Honestly that was a tough job. I am amazed either one could do it and though the electrical inspector might pass it I wonder about the building inspector.

What are the T-shaped handles on the end of their benders? I’ve never seen those.

I thought mc will work lol who runs emit in studs?

What is this some sort of Electrical Installation competition?? As I was typing this I heard people chearing then someone announced "30 minutes left". So I'm gonna guess it is, but what exactly is this?

I had to bypass a run of EMT because the framers missed the stud and nailed the shearwall to the EMT. now I nailplate EMT and PVC. as for the stud - I wouldn't call for replacement of a single stud that wasn't compromised worse than that, unless it was a structure that was engineered to minimums.

The studs were drilled to close to the stud edge for the conduit. That would be a violation here in NC, (R602.6: Drilling and notching of studs).

So, according to NEC 300.4(A)(1) you would have to put a nail plate on the exterior-facing edge of the stud if you bored a hole in it that was less than 1 1/4 in. from the exterior-facing edge?

Hi Sparky (Bill), apologies for commenting off-topic of this video. Wasn't sure how/where to ask this question: can a dimmer be used in a 4-way switch ckt.? If yes, how should that be done? Sincere thanks!! I searched the internet, with no success, before bringing the question to you.

I'm sure there must be alot of people running romex and not bothering to get permits so they won't have to use conduit 🤷‍♂️. In my area nobody gets permits for anything unless code enforcement knows you are working on a project. Usually if its inside of a building they never know what you are doing! Alot of people doing stuff they have no clue what they are doing. Wiring a stove using 10-2 Romex with 50 amp breaker etc.🙄

could have saved a lot of time and holes by going up!

Based on exception #1, I don't think that protection is required for EMT less than 1 1/4" from the edge of the stud.

The second guy had problems because he put his holes in the center of the stud. If anything his first two studs that he would’ve started with holes should’ve been closer to the edge.

Maybe there should be a rule as to how long the conduit can be cut to fit in the studs since we know they are 16 inch on center.

And that second mechanic was struggling!!!

AHJ has the last say yea?

Using 1 1/4 drywall screws wont touch the EMT if its 1 1/2 in from the 2x 4 edge

The nail plates are absolutly needed. Far too many people destroy the stud or drill them out to the point the stud the is structurally worthless. The next NEC revision needs to have limits as to how close holes can be and or max drill size from center of stud

What happens to all that wood after the competition?

do they frown against bx or ac use in wood 2x4s?

Per IRC602.6 (NOTCHING AND BORING) bored holes min 5/8" from face of stud, boring 40% max in bearing walls (2 successive doubled bearing studs 60% OK) and 60% in nonbearing. Also, bearing walls could be notched not to exceed 25% of stud depth and 40% notch in nonbearing walls permitted. Per NEC, why would anyone run EMT in a typical residential wood frame building?? Romex is permitted to be installed in wood frame structures up to 4 stories high (Construction Type IV & V) unless a different wiring methid is designed for the purpose of extra expense or specifically prohibited by a local ordinance.

I remember those days. No fun at all. Makes it much easier for them not having the panel recessed.

So much easier to run mc or bx than emt inside wall. Inspector would be WRONG to not allow armor cable inside wood stud wall. We run miles of emt in industrial buildings and always have large work tables, so much easier than working on floor to check 90s and measure kicks, offsets saddles Etc and make adjustments

Greg offset bend are off. No straight

AHJ can only enforce min code (and adopted local ordinances) but NEVER personal installation methods or opinions!

That hole is absurd.

Never use your hand as a hammer the wall or conduit will always win .

I would argue with the inspector about placing the hole in the center or adding the steel plate about as much as I would argue with my father. It's not going to happen you have to have your standards up there. End of sentence

I hate flake board

Why not mc????

I don't think these guys are very impressive. 🤭 I live in NYC.... I've actually did some dare devil bends from a ATS to a sprinkler pump system.... 15' from pump unit.... I've put 4 bends on 1 length of 3/4" EMT pipe..... close to source (but pretty) ... yet passable for accommodated wire size to flow easily through. 👍

Got any new toys ?

American electrical seems so backwards and labour intensive. Steel conduit in wooden studs?

Let's be more realistic.lets say it together ENT

He should’ve just cut that single piece of emt into 2 piece and stud would’ve been fine.

conduit? Nothing but a crony union and contractor requirement.

I'm first viewer