BaitMaster
Certified Redneck
Conduit (EMT) has a few benefits:
1) Its visible. Any damage done is plainly apparent and there is no mystery hidden in a wall.
2) If you upsize the conduit (cheap if running conduit anyway) you can pull more circuits in later and add plugs/equipment as you need it.
3) Its basically rodent / damaging pest proof. A properly installed conduit system will never suffer pest or rodent damage.
4) Its durable. It takes a lot to damage conduit.
And a few downsides:
1) Its significantly more expensive when compared to running NMD in the walls before drywall/tin. Depending on the setup, probably 1.5x the price for the same number of devices. This includes labor and materials. Its slower to install, and the parts cost more.
2) Its visible. Some people(s wives) don't like the look of visible conduit as it definitely has a "commercial" appearance.
3) Most people are not comfortable DIY'ing conduit. There is more code to be aware of and the skill is definitely something that doesn't come naturally.
If I were wiring a shop for myself I would do it. But I'm a licensed sparky who is well practiced and my labor is free for me. It really depends on who you are and what you want. Alot of farm/industrial shops do it because of the benefits. Rodents wrecking wires in walls absolutely does happen and it really really sucks. It is super nice to be able to slap another couple wires in an existing pipe when the customer buys a new air compressor. That saves money / time in the long run.
1) Its visible. Any damage done is plainly apparent and there is no mystery hidden in a wall.
2) If you upsize the conduit (cheap if running conduit anyway) you can pull more circuits in later and add plugs/equipment as you need it.
3) Its basically rodent / damaging pest proof. A properly installed conduit system will never suffer pest or rodent damage.
4) Its durable. It takes a lot to damage conduit.
And a few downsides:
1) Its significantly more expensive when compared to running NMD in the walls before drywall/tin. Depending on the setup, probably 1.5x the price for the same number of devices. This includes labor and materials. Its slower to install, and the parts cost more.
2) Its visible. Some people(s wives) don't like the look of visible conduit as it definitely has a "commercial" appearance.
3) Most people are not comfortable DIY'ing conduit. There is more code to be aware of and the skill is definitely something that doesn't come naturally.
If I were wiring a shop for myself I would do it. But I'm a licensed sparky who is well practiced and my labor is free for me. It really depends on who you are and what you want. Alot of farm/industrial shops do it because of the benefits. Rodents wrecking wires in walls absolutely does happen and it really really sucks. It is super nice to be able to slap another couple wires in an existing pipe when the customer buys a new air compressor. That saves money / time in the long run.