Chapter 4 Wiring Systems
91
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Box Offset
An offset that is used frequently is called a
box offset. The box offset brings the conduit
off the mounting surface so that it can fi t into
a knockout hole of an electrical box. See
Figure 4-23.
1. Place one mark 2″ and another 8″ away
from the end of the conduit.
2. Place the conduit bender handle on the
fl oor and secure it in place with your foot.
3. Place the conduit in the bender so that the
2″ mark is aligned with the arrow.
4. Bend the conduit to a 5° angle.
5. Without removing the conduit from the
bender, rotate the conduit 180° and slide it
forward (away from you) until the second
mark is aligned with the arrow.
6. Bend the conduit (now in the opposite
direction) to a 5° angle.
Saddle Bend
The saddle bend goes around an obstruc-
tion and, unlike the offset bend, returns to the
same level after passing the obstruction. The
most common saddle consists of one 45°
center bend and two 22 1/2° lateral bends.
See Figure 4-24.
1. Measure the height of the offset and the
distance between the connection point
and the offset.
2. For every 1″ of obstruction height, move
the center mark forward 3/16″ (assuming
1/2″ conduit is being used). Mark the conduit
with this new center mark.
3. Lateral marks are placed 2 1/2″ away from
the center mark for every 1″ of obstruction
height. Place one mark on each side of the
center mark.
4. Place the conduit bender handle on the
fl oor and secure it in place with your foot.
5. Place the conduit in the bender so that the
center mark is aligned with the rim notch
(or the teardrop mark).
6. Bend the conduit to 45°, being careful not
to kink it.
7. Without removing the conduit from the
bender, rotate the conduit 180° and slide
it forward (slide the fi rst bend away from
you) until the lateral mark closest to you is
aligned with the arrow.
8. Bend the conduit to 22 1/2°.
9. Remove the conduit and fl ip it end-for-end
Place it back in the bender with the second
lateral mark closest to you.
10. Line up the second lateral mark with the
arrow and bend to 22 1/2°.
Step 1
Mark the conduit at 2″.
Step 2
Mark the conduit at 8″.
Step 3
Place the 2″ mark at
the arrow, and bend the
conduit 5°.
Step 4
Place the 8″ mark at the
arrow, and rotate the
conduit 180°, and
bend it 5°.
Step 5
Install.
Figure 4-23. A box offset is used to bring the conduit
away from the mounting surface so that it fi ts into a box.
box offset: The small offset, or “kick,” needed in the
end of a piece of conduit so it can enter a knockout in a
junction box or a device box.
saddle bend: Most commonly a bend made of three
bends close together used when the conduit has to
leave its surface to go over an obstruction then return
to the same surface. There is also a four-bend saddle,
which consists of two offsets back-to-back or a short
distance apart.