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I'm trying to make this structure as weather and rodent/insect-proof as possible so ideally, I don't want any holes in the walls and ceilings. I know in my current shop I'm always running new outlets as I move equipment around so I had this idea of not running NM cable in the walls but instead running a couple of 1" conduit runs around the ceilings and doing drops to outlets where I need them. Same with lights. Since the walls are high the conduit won't get in the way and this would allow me to branch off a new outlet anywhere in the shop while also not having holes in the walls. I would put a junction box every 6' so I could easily branch off when the time comes. Are there any issues, besides it costing more, with this approach?

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  • For things you're less likely to change (in the wanting to pull more wires in way, anyway), that are single drops, armored flex cable can be handy (lights, for instance.)
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Oct 22, 2021 at 14:13

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This is a great idea. It also:

  • Eliminates the need for separate ground wires (assuming you use metal conduit)
  • Allows for upgrades. Want to install a heavy-duty tool that needs 30A instead of 20A? No problem - just add (or replace) wires in the conduit.

Keep in mind that there are limits to conduit, such that if you hit a certain limit (I think 4 circuits, but not sure) that you have to derate, which then leads to bigger wires and other problems.

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    4 circuits is all you want to put into conduit. Above that (or above 30A) you'll have to fiddle with derates a lot.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Oct 21, 2021 at 20:39
  • Any conduit? So, if I ran 2" I would still only want four circuits? If that's the case I'm better off running 2- 3/4" conduits on each side
    – Ryan Detzel
    Commented Oct 21, 2021 at 20:50
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    Correct. There is an exception for very short conduit (IIRC, such as up to 24" connecting a panel to a subpanel) but for normal use, the # of circuits really affects things. Keep in mind though (Harper can clarify) a circuit could be 240V/MWBC.
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Oct 21, 2021 at 20:56
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    @RyanDetzel... yeah unfortunately. The rules improve for 2-1/2" and above, but prices get worse. My own preference is for 1/2" conduit since it accepts 9-10 wires up to #12, so four 20A circuits and 1-2 of them can be 3-wire H-H-N. Assuming you are using shell as ground. I'm a big fan of multiple parallel conduits.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Oct 21, 2021 at 21:10

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