10/3 wire is a widely used wire size for all users. This wire perfectly matches every laundry room-to-run clothes dryer, washer and air conditioner: this wire can backup your 220 volts outlet and flow the electricity perfectly.
The 10/3 wire has three 10 gauge & one ground wire. Sometimes, the 10/2 wire is also used for such appliances if there are no 10/2 wires available, but it’s not recommended to use a 10/2 wire instead of a 10/3 wire.
Conduit size for 10/3 wire
½ inch conduit is perfect for 10/3 wires. It will have enough space to run three different 10 gauge wires through that conduit and give you the best electric flow. Also, the ½-inch conduit can be used with any amp service panel. And it will be a perfect match for your laundry room.
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Conduit size is always a crucial role for every EMT service panel. You need different-sized conduits for different wires and AWG.
When you have laundry appliances, you might have a 200-220 volts service panel and a 30-40 amp service panel. It depends on the entire circuit board and the power of your appliances.
Generally, the laundry appliances come with 10/3 wire gauge requirements. And you must have a ½-inch conduit to run the wires through it securely.
Some users might ask you to use 10/2 wire through the same conduit. But it isn’t ideal either; you must keep using the 10/3 wire for a ½-inch conduit.
Another consideration is ¾ inch conduit, although it’s not perfect for 10/3 wires. The ¾-inch conduit doesn’t have enough space to run this wire and will become a real threat.
The conduit will not come up with enough space that you can expect from a standard conduit. It’s the only reason you should consider using the perfect size conduit.
Here I will share three different types of conduit you can use for the 10/3 wire. But their conduit size will be pretty similar since the inside space of a conduit will remain similar.
You won’t find any significant difference among these conduits; only their materials and structure will differ.
PVC conduit:
The ½-inch PVC conduit is perfect for 10/3 wire. This conduit will have enough space and will hold this wire perfectly and better than any other conduit.
If you use the bendable and flexible PVC conduit for 10/3 gauge wire, I’d say to use the ½-inch PVC conduit. It will also go with your AMP service panel and will be enough.
Rigid conduit:
The conduit size will remain the same since the rigid and any other conduit bears the same inside space.
It means ½ inch rigid conduit is always a good solution for 10/3 wire. You may use the rigid conduit to get durable service if you have some regular appliances.
Emt conduit:
Steel-based conduit is the EMT CONDUIT you can use for any safe electric wires.
If you have a 10/3 wire size, you can use the ½-inch EMT conduit to get reliable and perfect service from them. They will be there and will remain the best compatible conduit for an AMP service panel.
It means that ½ inch EMT conduit will be better suited for the 10/3 wire. You can safely run this wire through that conduit and get the most helpful service.
It will go with any size AMP service panel and give you the best space inside the conduit. But you cannot use the other wires through the ½-inch EMT conduit.
Will 10/3 wire fit in 3/4 conduit?
The 10/3 wire will not fit in a ¾ conduit; it has little space to fit in and safely flow the electricity.
The conduit has a standard for every wire size; therefore, you cannot use any conduit for any wire. Although some users might ask you to run your 10/3 wire through ¾ conduit, it will be a mistake.
You should always use a ½-inch conduit for fitting your 10/3 wires because this wire had three 10 gauge wires or conducting wires and one grounding wire.
If you try to fit it in a ¾-inch conduit, it will not get enough space to fit. Therefore, the primary safety purpose of your conduit will be in vain.
Moreover, the wire size and conduit size will also affect your amp service panel. If you use the wrong size conduit, it will fail to be compatible with your AMP service panel. So, use the right size wire with the right size conduit to get the safest electric service panel.
2 factors that affect conduit size for 10/3 wire
Several factors determine the appropriate conduit size. Conductor fill and number if wires are two of them. You may find other factors that affect conduit size for 10/3 wires, but these two are the most valuable and used factors for 10/3 wires.
Conductor Fill:
It is essential to consider the conductor that will be passed through the conduit when determining the smallest size of conduit that is wired for a particular task.
The size of the conductor and the conductor count drawn through the conduit are both critical considerations in the appropriate size.
The size Fill represents the conductor fed through the conduit the exact size of the conduit will be decided. But the type of conduit used will be determined by the presence of water and the location.
Number of Wires:
When placing the same gauge and type of wire inside a conduit, the diameter of the conduit can be determined by the total number of wires.
Choose an amount that is either greater than or equal to the total number of wires installed inside the conduit.
When attempting to determine the diameter of the conduit while placing wires of varying gauges and types inside the conduit, it is necessary to calculate the wires’ total diameter.
How many 10/3 wires in 2 conduit?
According to NEC rules, you can use 63 10/3 wires in a 2-inches conduit. You can search the list of conduit sizes and the number of wires from that list.
You will have a clear picture of that. However, the 2-inch conduit is a significant size conduit that people mostly use for large electric appliances.
If you use the EMT conduit, it will contain 63 10/3 wires. But the PVC 2-inch conduit will hold 62 10/3 wires.
You may also find other conduit sizes and requirements that will decide the fixed number of 10/3 wires for that conduit. But you don’t need to use a 2″ conduit for running 10/3 wires for the home appliance.
You can safely run your wire through a ½-inch conduit since the amp service panel will be less than 40 or 50. Using a perfect conduit and avoiding oversize or undersized conduit for your 10/3 wires will be better.
How to determine conduit size?
You can determine conduit size by measuring conduit space, diameter, and thickness. You must consider these three things together to get a clear idea of what you should have in your mind for that.
Otherwise, you will decide on the wrong size conduit for your wires & amp service panel.
Conduit Space:
Determine the smallest amount of available space in the conduit. The maximum amount of space occupied by one wire within a conduit is 53% of its total volume.
For a configuration with two wires, the maximum fill is 31%. If there are three wires or more, the maximum fill is forty per cent of the total available space in the conduit.
Now that you know the cross-sectional areas of the wires, you can figure out the smallest size of conduit that will do the job.
Diameter:
An amp service will require an electric conduit at least ½ inches in diameter and either schedule 40 or 80 PVC. If necessary, you can switch to a larger conduit to keep the inner fill at or below 40 per cent.
If you are going to run three or more electrical wires through the same electric conduit, you should use a conduit that is either 1.5 or 2 inches in diameter.
Thickness:
When selecting an electrical conduit, it is recommended that you go with Schedule 80 PVC because it is thicker and can withstand greater moisture than Schedule 40 PVC.
Both pipes have the same outer diameter all the way around. On the other hand, due to Schedule 80 PVC’s increased wall thickness, there will be less room for inner fill. So, you must choose the right thickness for your conduit to run the wires through it.
Final Thoughts
Typically, the half-inch conduit is the best size for 10/3 wire. You can use this wire for all the house appliances, which will be successfully kept. If you have commercial appliances for business purposes, you may need to use a large size conduit for that. But the ½-inch conduit is perfect.