Mixing MT2 and 20mm galvanised conduit

[Morgan keith]

Hi lads, bit of a random one. A friend has just bought a café and wants a few wall lights installed. There is already PVC trunking run high up, the whole way along one side of the café for the fire alarm stuff. So I thought running another one right next to/underneath it for the new lights is the best option- (I hate using trunking anywhere!). The lights his wife has bought are the copper looking industrial type that you usually see with the big exposed filament bulbs. I think that it'll look best dropping down to each fitting in 20mm galvanised conduit (from MT2 trunking high up). Not ideal but will look better than running trunking down. Problem is MT2 doesn't give you the depth to use bushes and lock nuts to join them together so have thought about putting a coupler on the end of the conduit with a PVC bush and butting it up to the trunking? or a small patress with blank plate under the trunking above each light point and running conduit into there. Any neater ideas? not ideal but he's on a tight budget and can't afford it to be all done in galv. Cheers!

 

[dingledong]

Can't you run horizontally above the ceiling

 

[Morgan keith]

Can't you run horizontally above the ceiling

No there's a flat above so no access. And not suspended ceiling unfortunately

 

[Richard Burns]

You could use a single gang trunking / PVC conduit back box as a junction box for the trunking to conduit.

Falcon trunking do an adaptor designed to adapt the conduit entry on one of these boxes to trunking but it might be possible to use it direct.

MK also make a PVC 20mm round to MT1 adaptor, but they are hard to get hold of without ordering and I am not sure how much use they would be

 

[davesparks]

How much more would it cost to do it all in galv?

The time saved with whatever fettling you have to do to join galv to bodgers trunking plus the saving in not having to buy earth cable will surely mean the difference isn't too much?

 

[Morgan keith]

You could use a single gang trunking / PVC conduit back box as a junction box for the trunking to conduit.

Falcon trunking do an adaptor designed to adapt the conduit entry on one of these boxes to trunking but it might be possible to use it direct.
View attachment 26613
MK also make a PVC 20mm round to MT1 adaptor, but they are hard to get hold of without ordering and I am not sure how much use they would be
View attachment 26614

Thanks Richard looks like the sort of thing I'm after! Will look into it further. Failing that I think the trunking / conduit back box join might be the next tidiest answer

 

[Morgan keith]

How much more would it cost to do it all in galv?

The time saved with whatever fettling you have to do to join galv to bodgers trunking plus the saving in not having to buy earth cable will surely mean the difference isn't too much?

Well not a lot difference material wise but with all the bends and angles we're probably talking 4 days instead of 4 hours

 

[davesparks]

Jeez, someone's out of practice with conduit then!

Just use bigger bodgers trunking so that you can get a bush into it then.

 

[Morgan keith]

Jeez, someone's out of practice with conduit then!

Just use bigger bodgers trunking so that you can get a bush into it then.

I'm not sure that running 2 x 2 trunking around the café is a better option than having a 1 gang surface box to adapt them to be honest

 

[davesparks]

I'm not sure that running 2 x 2 trunking around the café is a better option than having a 1 gang surface box to adapt them to be honest

Who said anything about 2x2????

I just suggested you use bigger bodgers trunking than you originally mentioned. MT2 is only one of a range of sizes that bodgers carp comes in, 25x25 or 25x32 would give you the depth for a 20mm hole.

How are you joining the conduit to the wall light, or do they mount onto besa's?

 

[gaz101]

There is already PVC trunking run high up, the whole way along one side of the café for the fire alarm stuff. So I thought running another one right next to/underneath it for the new lights is the best option-

running 230v along side fire alarm cables ?

 

[telectrix]

why not use bare MICC, blend in with the copper lights?

 

[shanky887614]

why not use bare MICC, blend in with the copper lights?

that would be the best option, it will look strange having wall lights an inch off the wall.

whats wrong with clipped direct? white flex would blend in with the wall or micc would blend in with the lights.

white flex with white p clips would blend in

 

[7029 dave]

MICC, would look good.

 

[ayjay]

ive used those adaptors in the past in christchurch hospital all gav conduit in the roofspace and yt2 down the walls to puter points in offices