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I'm setting up my entrance riser for my shop. The weather head is 13' up from the top of the panel box, and the shop "roof" is 11' from that with 2' of the 2.5" IMC conduit riser extending above the roof. The problem is, the IMC comes in 10' threaded sections so I will have the connection about 1' below the roof line. The connections are very rigid, and I will put a single brace above the connection to the wall (see picture) I cant find anywhere in code showing this other than an implication that there has to be a brace between the connection and the unsupported section. The threaded connections seem as rigid as the pipe itself.

My question is: Does this attachment meet NEC intent?

The second option which I don't like and don't have the equipment for, is to cut the lower IMC piece and re-thread it at about 8' length... For info, I am in AZ and the service will be Tucson Electric Power.

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Final set up: (i ended up threading the 5' section at a local machine shop) enter image description hereenter image description here

mark f
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2 Answers2

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Some great suggestions and I did get a shorter 5' piece of the 2 1/2" IMC threaded and did exactly what Freeman and Ecnerwal suggested. But to answer my original question:

Answer: The final top section of IMC conduit needs to be securely tied to the structure by at least one strap/tie. (This is from my interpretation of my local codes and discussions with the TEP installation engineer) This means the coupler will need to be (at least) ~6" below the top depending on the wall makeup you will be tying to. (more is better). And that a second strap/tie will need to be BELOW the top coupler more than 8" (from the TEP SR guidance). So from what I've found and interpreted, I Could have set it up like my original cartoon, but the recommended way was superior and had a stronger finished "appearance". This is my interpretation from my local electric company service requirements: https://esr.tep.com/wp-content/uploads/SR-305.pdf

mark f
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Why not simply flip the riser upside down, so the 3' section goes directly into the meter/main, and the 10' piece goes up through the roof into the weather head. That way you can easily get two clamps between the coupler and the roof line, securely holding the 10' piece, and 1 clamp on the 3' piece between the coupling and the panel.

FreeMan
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