# rain-tight emt fittings



## tmessner (Apr 1, 2013)

What is being used for listed raintight emt fittings? all of the ones we use have a plastic ring in addition to the compression ring and are a major problem to install. Most of the time you need to take it completely apart and slide all of the components on the conduit, then screw them back together. It almost makes larger emt runs into a 2 man job to hold one end up while the other end is screwed back together.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

tmessner said:


> What is being used for listed raintight emt fittings? all of the ones we use have a plastic ring in addition to the compression ring and are a major problem to install. Most of the time you need to take it completely apart and slide all of the components on the conduit, then screw them back together. It almost makes larger emt runs into a 2 man job to hold one end up while the other end is screwed back together.


Yes, they’re a PITA. A set screw fitting is probably more raintight than a compression fitting put together half assed.


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## tmessner (Apr 1, 2013)

Care to bet on how many are installed with all of the pieces?


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

tmessner said:


> Care to bet on how many are installed with all of the pieces?


Or how many are tightened up well enough to be effective?


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

I have just put o rings sized to the conduit on each end of regular compression couplings, put a dab of silicon all the way around the rings, and had inspectors tell me great job when they saw the stuff. This was a while back though, I bet I couldn't get away with it any longer.......


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## canbug (Dec 31, 2015)

How is it suppose to drain if you make it rain tight? 


Tim.


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## Mobius87 (May 20, 2019)

tmessner said:


> What is being used for listed raintight emt fittings? all of the ones we use have a plastic ring in addition to the compression ring and are a major problem to install. Most of the time you need to take it completely apart and slide all of the components on the conduit, then screw them back together. It almost makes larger emt runs into a 2 man job to hold one end up while the other end is screwed back together.



I dunno. If the conduit is reamed, and the nut is backed off almost all the way, and you push it in straight, it goes like a greased pig.


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## Jarp Habib (May 18, 2014)

tmessner said:


> What is being used for listed raintight emt fittings? all of the ones we use have a plastic ring in addition to the compression ring and are a major problem to install. Most of the time you need to take it completely apart and slide all of the components on the conduit, then screw them back together. It almost makes larger emt runs into a 2 man job to hold one end up while the other end is screwed back together.


Run your supports ahead of time spaced to hold up the far end. Let the strut hold up the dumb end while you screw up the smart end.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Rain Tight. LOL


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

The die cast Bridgeport ones are the only ones that I've used that don't completely suck. Then again, I just stopped buying them and went back to regular compression connectors. If my wire is rated for wet locations, what God damned difference does it make when it gets wet? Why don't we have to deal and climate control buried conduit? Why can I still bury regular compression connectors, but when they are above ground they have to be rain tight?


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## tmessner (Apr 1, 2013)

I don't mind wet wires. It is a bad deal when it gets in the conduit and then on into equipment!!


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## tmessner (Apr 1, 2013)

Mobius87 said:


> I dunno. If the conduit is reamed, and the nut is backed off almost all the way, and you push it in straight, it goes like a greased pig.


Just talked with the guys this morning when I found some sealing rings on the ground. 2" emt 45 deg sweep, no way will they fit without a big hammer 1 piece at a time. I tried a 2" emt 90 in the shop , same thing. The sweep apparently was a very small amount out of perfect round. The nut hung up on opposite sides and would not go on without persuasion.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

They're no more of a PITA than a seal tite conn. You just have to get it in your mind that you have to take them apart to get them on. I've seen guy's fight, cuss, beat, try to align perfectly, and end up taking them apart and throwing the plastic "seal" off the roof. If they just tapered that plastic thingy it would be way better.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

I like the bridgeports best too. 



Says right on the boxes to disassemble and put everything on then put the tube in the fitting.


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## LJSMITH1 (May 4, 2009)

99cents said:


> Yes, they’re a PITA. A set screw fitting is probably more raintight than a compression fitting put together half assed.


I wish that were the case...LOL

Per the NEC, ALL conduit fittings must be Listed. To have an EMT fitting Listed for Wet Locations, it has to pass a 1hr, water spray (deluge) performance test defined in UL514B. Any water ingress into the enclosure (even 2 drops of H2O) is considered a failure. 

Back in 2003, due to field complaints, UL was asked to conduct a study of Listed EMT RT fittings (most of which did not have a separate conduit seal and used a std. compression ring only). They found that many different brands did not consistently and reliably significantly prevent water intrusion into the raceway or enclosure. So, all RT EMT fittings were delisted and forced the manufacturers to redesign their fittings to pass the revised Wet Location test. Bridgeport was the first brand back on the market with a new design which reliably passed the revised requirements.

That being said, there are a number of different, patented seal designs in the market, Bridgeport being one. Nothing is easy to come up with (while staying away from others patents) which will not require some disassembly/fiddling to install and adapt to the OD tolerances on EMT as well as surface imperfections. One manufacturer has a inner O-ring seal which seems to regularly roll out of its groove and into the ID of the fitting (and coming out during the pull). You'd never know it happened until you find a random o-ring inside a cabinet....

Lastly, more and more AHJ's are starting to enforce RT EMT fitting use in Wet Locations. Solar guys seem to be on the front line of this issue. If you don't use RT EMT fittings in your Wet Location install, you are taking a chance with your local AHJ, and risk being red-tagged and forced to rework your install. I have seen/heard of quite a few contractors having to do just that. 

Unfortunately, we have nothing to do with making these requirements and just have to follow what is in black and white.


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

canbug said:


> How is it suppose to drain if you make it rain tight?
> 
> 
> Tim.


Terminate in an LB and keep the bottom screw loose. :wink:


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

joebanana said:


> They're no more of a PITA than a seal tite conn. You just have to get it in your mind that you have to take them apart to get them on. I've seen guy's fight, cuss, beat, try to align perfectly, and end up taking them apart and throwing the plastic "seal" off the roof. If they just tapered that plastic thingy it would be way better.



I have good luck with T&B fittings. Every once in a while one is a total pain in the @ss still, but it's fairly rare with T&B.

I quit using Appleton seal tite fittings for the reasons you mentioned.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

Wirenuting said:


> Terminate in an LB and keep the bottom screw loose. :wink:


Or, a "T" condulet with a drain.


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