I'm having my basement finished, and I am going to run conduit for low voltage (network) wiring in a week or two myself. I have been planning on using gray PVC electrical conduit like this, since it's available at Home Depot in many sizes with wide-bend fittings, and it seems like it'd be easier to mount and fish wires through a couple bends with it than with the flexible ribbed conduit. However, when researching the project I came across this video for flexible conduit which states "bright orange components clearly signify a low-voltage installation." So I have a few questions:
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Can I use gray PVC conduit for low-voltage electrical stuff? I know it's not kosher to use white PVC for high voltage. Using gray for low voltage seems like it should be OK, since the stuff inside would be less dangerous.
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Should I color-code the low voltage conduit, and if so what color should I use? Orange (that's the color of the low-voltage brackets/mud rings)? Could I spray paint the gray conduit?
Best Answer
Your method is legit and there’s no need for additional markings. All our phone and Ethernet are in EMT I paint it blue to distinguish.
You can spray paint it if you really like overspray, but it seems to me like a recipe for a hatchet job unless you use a LOT of paint. Hatchet jobs are a code violation, NEC 110.12.
I would brush/roll it after dragging the PVC through some green Scotchbrite to mar the surface so the paint has something to grab.