Stainless steel electrical conduit

[adyc]

I am planning to build a dedicated listening room next year. Walls and floor are concrete. There will be a sub panel for this room. My question is whether there are any advantages and disadvantages of using stainless steel electrical conduit for in wall power cable.

 

[Solypsa]

is there such a thing as standard? ( stainless I mean...)

 

[adyc]

is there such a thing as standard? ( stainless I mean...)

Electrical conduit - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[rando]

Define concrete; Cinder block, form poured, pre-fab, aggregate, compound layer with dead spaces, ?? ???

 

[adyc]

Define concrete; Cinder block, form poured, pre-fab, aggregate, compound layer with dead spaces, ?? ???

I may not be very clear. All the walls and flooring are cement. After the wires are laid, wood will put on the walls and floor.

 

[rando]

I may not be very clear. All the walls and flooring are cement. After the wires are laid, wood will put on the walls and floor.

That does clarify things from a construction viewpoint. Your description is still too sparse for a detailed answer. Further questions may change that.

So you will clamp conduit to the the concrete regardless of the material it is constructed of?

If you aren't protecting against a large unmovable source of relevant interferences in the near vicinity it might be a solution looking for a reason.

 

[Solypsa]

thanks for the wiki...

Is the 'stainless steel' version of metallic conduit a common stocking item where you live? what grade is it made out of? I feel like I have not run into it but perhaps I simply did not notice it.

 

[Alrainbow]

i for one would not use metalic tubing of any kind for an audio room . in its self it creates issues of grounding and power transfer . use pvc pipeing ig you must use conduit . run romex or individual wires in it . i assume this will be in the floor ?

 

[gleeds]

Totally respect Alrainbow's experience and observation. Mine however is different.

I have used solid-core 10-gauge copper wire encapsulated in a flexible steel jacket to excellent effect in very high-resolution systems. This is especially true with longer runs and when multiple dedicated lines are run in parallel to one another. Some say that enclosing cable inside steel conduit or flexible steel jacketing kills dynamics or creates other problems. I have experienced no such effect, only a dramatic reduction in the noisefloor.

Here is a photo of one system where the flexible steel-jacketed solid-core power cable was used and the results were excellent when directly compared against the former unshielded for cable runs. The cable as referenced was run 25 feet under the floor from an in-wall Equitech panel in the utility room to (5) dedicated lines terminated at the outlets behind the equipment.

Not a generally stocked item (most supply houses stock flexible aluminum jacket cable for use in commercial installations) but definitely available without too much effort or wait.

In case anyone is wondering acoustically optimized shades do drop down when it's time for serious listening.

 

[wil]

Nice looking room. Do you know what the dimensions are?

 

[gleeds]

It has been a minute since we completed that system. I will need to find the plans and circle back with an answer. An excellent acoustics firm from Seattle did all of the plans and when I locate the drawings I will also share the acoustic architect with you and other WBF Members.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

I have dedicated runs of 12ga and 10 ga. Romex. I also have a run of 10ga. stranded THHN in FMC (Flexible Metallic Conduit). Soon I will run a sheathed cable of 6ga (is this tri-plex? I cannot recall what we used to call it. Twisted three conductor 2+gr?).

The runs are all 35' homeruns.

There are measurable differences in the impedance and voltage drop among the various cable sizes (I have not measures them here) over 35'. That aspect is not theoretical; however how that maps to SQ is a little "squishier."

I think the THHN line in FMC sounds fantastic. I also think it improved a bit by adding a TT7 box to the mix.

The line in conduit is very "fast" IMO. As I know adding a larger gauge run will improve the physical characteristics of current delivery, I am going to run the new #6 cable.

I have read papers and comments noting the parallel conductor structure of Romex creates an undesirable, dirty ground.

I have also read that cable in a conduit should definitely be twisted uniformly to avoid impedance variations along the run. Some maintain only the hot and neutral should be twisted, and the ground run along-side in PVC conduit.

I have read metallic conduit (and outlet boxes) should be avoided, but I have both in some places.

I think there are compelling reasons for using various solutions, including cost and difficulty of a given solution in a particular use-case. Some of those needs will supersede theoretical aspects as they relate to SQ. IMO.