Surface mount conduit to flush mount breaker box

[Ryan Lee]

What is the best way to transition surface mount conduit to a flush mounted breaker box? The breaker box is mounted between two 16oc 2x4s on drywall.

[Mark Bolton]

Likely just terminate the conduit into a surface mount junction box (perhaps 4x4 handy box with stamped cover and receptacles) below the panel (so your in the same stud bay) then out the back of the handy box into the stud bay and up into the panel with romex.

The stamped cover and receptacles aren't necessary just a suggestion as youll have a box there anyway.

If you had multiple conduit runs you could terminate them into a trough at the panel location and then out the back of the trough, into the stud bay, and up into the panel. Youll be in the wall at that point so romex would be fine.

Mark

[Steve Meliza]

Get a pair of 4" metal boxes and screw a mud ring to each box opening. Now place the two boxes together with the mud rings facing each other and then screw the mud rings together. One box will sit proud of the wall surface and accept the surface conduit while the other box is behind the wall and allows you to run conduit into the panel. The hole you make in the wall covering only needs to be as big as the small opening in the mud ring and the height of the mud ring depends on the thickness of the wall covering. Note that it is easier to mount the box in the wall with mud ring and add the second box later once the wall covering is on.
EDIT: Rather than a 4" metal box, use a 4" box extension ring and blank cover plate for the box that sits on the surface of the wall. This way you can have an access point when pulling the wires.

If you don't need to run conduit to the panel do like Mark suggested and have a junction box that transitions to NM for inside the wall.

[Mark Bolton]

Why would you need to run conduit in the wall? It would be unnecessary even by the NEC? Not to mention the ballet act of getting a stub of conduit and a TA in the hole, up into the panel and nutted, and then inserting your box in the wall and getting onto the TA and then nutted, and so on.

Of course a surface mount panel would be best but that would have required someone to sheath/insulate the interior before realizing they were going to install electric.

Not nit picking but this sound like a finished/semi-finished space that was perhaps wired with utility devices and now adding receptacles for shop needs is more practical with surface mount conduit as opposed to fishing wires behind the drywall. There would be no need to run conduit clear to the flush panel when you can use two romex connectors and a hank of wire.

If the box with blank cover or receptacle is unacceptable could run an LB and get in the wall but it would be less attractive and my thought is your making a turn anyway so why not gain 4 more receptacles.

[Ryan Lee]

Why would you need to run conduit in the wall? It would be unnecessary even by the NEC? Not to mention the ballet act of getting a stub of conduit and a TA in the hole, up into the panel and nutted, and then inserting your box in the wall and getting onto the TA and then nutted, and so on.

Of course a surface mount panel would be best but that would have required someone to sheath/insulate the interior before realizing they were going to install electric.

Not nit picking but this sound like a finished/semi-finished space that was perhaps wired with utility devices and now adding receptacles for shop needs is more practical with surface mount conduit as opposed to fishing wires behind the drywall. There would be no need to run conduit clear to the flush panel when you can use two romex connectors and a hank of wire.

If the box with blank cover or receptacle is unacceptable could run an LB and get in the wall but it would be less attractive and my thought is your making a turn anyway so why not gain 4 more receptacles.

This is in my attached garage. It is the main breaker box for the house and the garage is finished with drywall. I'm installing some 220v outlets for a future air compressor and dust collector. Additionally, I have my planer running off of an extension cord from an outlet on the other side of the room and I'd like to put one near it.

[Steve Meliza]

The reason to run conduit in the wall to the panel is to allow the use of THHN wire for the whole run and to allow use of the conduit as the ground if desired, and that's exactly how I wired mine as I had the wall covering off. In this case it sounds like running NM in the wall will be the easiest. My wife was not the least bit amused by the thought of having the panel be surface mounted so it is flush mounted with surface run conduit because that's what I decided was best even though I could have run NM through the studs.

[Steve Milito]

How about a conduit body on the exterior with a 90 elbow behind the wall.
halex_58620.jpg

[Mark Bolton]

The reason to run conduit in the wall to the panel is to allow the use of THHN wire for the whole run and to allow use of the conduit as the ground if desired, and that's exactly how I wired mine as I had the wall covering off. In this case it sounds like running NM in the wall will be the easiest. My wife was not the least bit amused by the thought of having the panel be surface mounted so it is flush mounted with surface run conduit because that's what I decided was best even though I could have run NM through the studs.

I guess. I would still simply run romex and bond it to the box and in the panel if THHN.

[David Kumm]

How many amps are you running? 60 would be my minimum and 100 would be better. Dave