Electrical Conduit Elbows 101: Types and Materials Explained

 Cables are found everywhere around you, be it in the ground, walls, your phone, appliances and street lights. No matter how wireless the future seems, cables are here to stay and so are electrical conduits. This type of hardware is essential in almost every electrical installation, especially if buried.

Just like the type of cables being used and areas where they can be used, conduits come in various shapes and sizes with a conduit elbow being one of the more common ones. Conduit elbows are also available in different variations. Choosing the right one is crucial for the safety and proper operation of electrical installations especially in high-risk environments.

Types of Electrical Conduit Elbows

source: eaststeelpipe.com

90°

When it comes to navigating cables around corners with a sharp change in direction a 90° conduit pipe elbow is the way to go. That's because this type of conduit is able to provide the necessary means for cables to go around 90° angles without issue. A 90° conduit elbow is the most widely used elbow conduit. 

45°

A 45° conduit is useful when you don't need to overcome that sharp of a bend. These conduits are much smoother than 90° conduit which makes them more adequate when placed between conduit runs. Remember though, 45° conduits are only used to create more gradual turns.

30°

If a 45° conduit make for a sharp angle then a 30° is a more fitting conduit for your needs. That's because 30° electrical conduit elbows are able to provide a more gradual turn than 45° conduits making them even smoother and more fitting in areas where right angle bends are not present.

22.5°

When your system of cables requires only a slight bend to be present, a 22.5° conduit is usually what you should use. That's because 22.5° conduits aren't made for any sharp turns, in fact, they don't even let you make a turn of any kind when you use them.

Sweep

The least bent conduit is a sweep elbow which has an even more gradual bend than a 22.5° conduit. Sweep elbows provide the largest bend radius and reduce the risk of wire damage better than any of the above conduit elbows. Keep in mind, that sweep elbows also take up the most amount of space of above elbows.

Materials of Electrical Conduit Elbows

Fibreglass

A conduit pipe elbow made of fibreglass is essentially made of reinforced plastic made of glass fibres in a resin matrix. This solution makes for a conduit that is resistant to extreme temperatures, chemicals and corrosion which is why it's common in industrial environments. However, fibreglass conduits are not the most affordable.

PVC

A polyvinyl chloride  or PVC inspection elbow is a more affordable version of a fibreglass conduit. PVC makes for both light and strong conduits which are easy to install and corrosion-resistant. A PVC inspection elbow has good electrical insulation but since it isn't as strong a fibreglass conduit, it's used in commercial and residential applications.

Steel

With a steel conduit pipe elbow, you have a more robust and heavier solution that is unfortunately prone to rusting. That's because conduits made of regular steel don't have any protective coating on them which makes them more affordable than their treated counterparts.

Galvanised Steel

One of those counterparts are galvanized steel conduit elbows which are made of regular steel that's been coated with zinc. The layer of zinc helps the conduit survive in the most corrosive conditions and improves the mechanical strength of the conduit but only a small bit. 

Aluminium

Just like PVC conduits, aluminium ones are lightweight, even for a metal conduit, while being corrosion-resistant and easy to install. This is why aluminium conduit elbows are often used in light residential and commercial environments. Also, aluminium conduits cost less than ones made of galvanised steel.

Uses of Electrical Conduit Elbows

Cable Protection

One of the main reasons conduit elbows are used in the first place, is to provide protection for cables, especially when they're buried or found in walls or anywhere with a lot of weight on top of them. Conduits also help reduce premature wear and the risk of insulation abrasion and electrical faults.

Direction Change

Guiding cables is another advantage of using conduit elbows as the bend they have to them helps route multiple cables at once though tight spaces or around sharp corners. This way the cables aren't strained or exposed to unnecessary tension or risk of entanglement as they sit in the enclosed conduit pipe.

Access

There are certain conduit designs used to provide access to cables and for wire pulling. This means that you can use conduit elbows with reusable covers even on sharp turns. This way you have access to the cables in the conduit so that you can connect them to certain devices or to check on them.

Space Saving

Conduits of any kind help keep the space taken up by the cables at a minimum. Of course, the smaller the angle at which the conduit bends, the less space saving they are but they are still better at keeping an area tidy than when you just have the cables hanging freely.