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I have an older house (1920) and I have been planning on doing some rewiring to get rid of some k + t stuff. Anyway, I just noticed today that there are some irons pipes that used to be part of the heating system. (they are no longer connected + filled with air). Better yet, they run in a perfect vertical run from the basement (where the panel is) all the way up to the attic (where the k + t to be replaced is).

Would it be improper, or otherwise unsafe to just repurpose these unused pipes as electrical conduit ??

Tester101
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A.R.
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3 Answers3

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Your biggest concern here is going to be the condition of the interior. If they are at all corroded or otherwise rough on the inside they run the risk of damaging the insulation, which can lead to an eventual short and/or electrification of the pipes. Protecting the wire where it enters and exits the pipe is also a concern.

Basically I think you could do it, but I wouldn't recommend it. My gut feeling is that it's too risky.

Since you've got a perfectly straight run - can you possibly remove them and replace them with proper conduit?

Kris
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The Evil Greebo
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I guess a big question is: do you need to conform to code?

If you have a building permit out, the inspector may want to see your wiring before you cover it. Your pipe may violate code, and the inspector won't approve the work.

Are you going to sell this house someday, with the wires running into the pipes visible? If so, the buyer's building inspector will probably extract a pound of flesh from you.

Unlike The Evil Grebo, I am not concerned about the safety, as long as the pipe is properly grounded. Any short within the pipe will then trip a breaker. It is no more dangerous than ungrounded conduit would be!

Personally, I would not hesitate to use a "free" channel between floors like this. But I would make very certain the pipe was properly connected to the ground system on both ends.

Jan Steinman
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TLDR; Iron heating pipe is not approved for use with electrical conductors or as sleeves in long runs. Not Advisable.

Sorry to resurrect a dead post, but I want to make sure anyone who falls upon this post see that it is not a good idea nor is it safe. Without quoting codes; equipment and materials must be installed as approved and intended. The iron pipe from what you are describing was not approved for use with conductors. I may venture to say that extra low voltage/Audio visual cable may be OK, but again it really is not approved for that use as a sleeve. As an electrician I would never do it. You run risks that are not thought of; flame and smoke spread if the conductors should catch fire inside the pipe. Also the ampacity of conductors are rated with their ability to dissipate heat while under load. Placing them in an iron pipe not approved for use with conductors throws any theoretical dissipation out the window.

MMMM
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