Conduit elbow question

Hi!

I couldn't find (and neither could the employee) the 1/2" conduit elbow to build the frame for the netting. The 90 degree elbow in the book looks like it just uses screws to tighten it? So what I ended up with was 3 different pieces (per side) to rig together so I could fit my frame together....which seems like too much trouble. This was at Home Depot.

I'm wondering where I could purchase an elbow like the one in the book to save some hassle?

Thanks!
Dave

I can't answer your question, but I can say that my two conduit trellis' I made was the 3 straight pipes with the 90 degree elbows and they were very easy to put together and held up for 2 years with no problems. They are just set screws to hold it tight, it doesn't go through the pipe. It took me all of 5 minutes to put them together.

I found the elbows at my local HD. But, Lowe's also should carry them...if not an ACE Hardware will carry, or special order, them for you without a problem. Usually, where there's a HD, a Lowe's isn't far away.

If not, I wondered myself about the PVC elbows. They are a good deal cheaper, and I wonder how much weaker they would be holding the metal conduit? Might not be a bad $1.50 experiment.

I got mine at HD too. Maybe someone else at HD can find or order them for you.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202241091/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

THis is what you want.

I think it also depends on the employee, unfortunately when you have a big company, product knowledge is not always great due to employee turnover. My husband is in construction, and he has had to give lessons to the employees, and helped customers that the employees could not. Lowe's definitely should and does have these, as does home depot. You can look online for what you want, get the part # and go in with your list. Hubby and I also find all our pieces and assemble right there in the store to assure a fit for things we need. If you are fortunate enough to have an Ace hardware, although you probably will pay more, you will have a better chance of getting a more knowledgeable person to help you, as most are locally owned.

I hope to get some of these set up one day, but we are currently using what we have on hand, shelving brought home from a job, t-posts and zip cords. If you want a look here are some pictures.

Yes ma'am, you are right there... I spend MOST of the time I am in HD and Lowes teaching the staff and helping customers (and teaching the staff ABOUT helping the customers)... Used to tick me off that customer service had declined so much in retail, but I've finally accepted it as reality, and now I try to help as much as I can... It works... they all know me, and I am never without assistance now. I'm sometimes ashamed that it took me so many years to change my outlook on how to handle poor customer service.

Sorry for the thread drift...

FarmerValerie wrote:I think it also depends on the employee, unfortunately when you have a big company, product knowledge is not always great due to employee turnover. My husband is in construction, and he has had to give lessons to the employees, and helped customers that the employees could not. ...

It does help to realize that in stores like this, not everyone is there so they can one day open their own store, most of them are only there until they find a regular job or career. Looking online before you go, or just spending an hour or two scoping out the store helps. I spend a lot of time in Lowe's just looking while waiting on hubby to get parts for a job.

Also, don't be afraid to ask, I asked about dead plants one day, and their containers, they have to account for every plant, so Lowe's does not give the containers away, however they do give away the trays they come in, I've pulled them out of the trash before. They also sell half dead plants for half price or lower, and you can sometimes make a deal with them on price, also Lowe's, HD, and Wal Mart, all have a guarantee on plants, so save your receipts and take back the ones that die.

Sorry I rambled, but I just wanted to pass along some tips.

On a funny note, my dad is so well known at his Lowe's, they run and hide when he comes in and they refer to him as Yes Sir Mr. Louis, and they give him a contractor's discount, 10% off most of his purchases just to get him out of the store.

Clay,

Last spring I spent a few weeks pricing various conduit options. I didn't want to buy a conduit bender (nor could find one to borrow) and have no welding skills. The following is what I determined to be the least costly solution in my neck of the woods. I don't remember the proper name for it, but you should hopefully be able to identify it by sight.



I DID finally find an electrician who knew what they were doing in the electrical department of the big box store I was at. He gave me a few pointers which ended in me arriving at this decision.

The most important point I found was flat to threaded transitions. Some people have used the (flat) conduit with (threaded) corner pieces with no problems. In that sort of set up, you are depending on gravity and the pressure of the set screw to hold it in place. I was anticipating a very heavy load on my trellis (how heavy, I had no idea!!! LOL) so I was determined to do it the "right" way, with a flat-to-threaded transition piece before the bend. This cost a little extra, but the trellises will last me for a lifetime, and I know after last year that they will hold up. (They are only as strong as the rebar, though.)

Thanks for all your help! I thought there was an easier way, but the 2 employees at HD didn't help out that much unfortunately. I should've gone to my favorite local hardware store but it was less convenient at the time.

Regardless, thanks for your help!

Dave

P.S. By the way I'm new here....I've had gardens for about the past 15 years but this is the first year I'm trying SFG, I'm excited to give it a shot!

Welcome Dave! Your gardening experience will be very much appreciated here, and we will do our best to help you out with SFG!

Absolutely welcome aboard, Dave.

I will tell you that getting an SFG set up IS an up front investment. And, it isn't all that cheap when compared to just tilling up some rows and sticking seeds in the ground. However, as you are finding out I'm sure, soil amenities are a constant cost the old way, and once the initial investment is out of the way, SFG is incredibly practical.

My tip would be to spend the extra money and do things right. Short cuts just cost more down the road. The one "short cut" I am taking this year, as I am building new boxes for a new house, is using white pine instead of landscape timbers or vinyl or concrete blocks. The difference in expense is enormous! So, I opted cheaply....for now. I only need something to hold the dirt for a couple years.

Once established, I will start replacing my wood with landscape blocks. Those blocks will never go away....and they look pretty. I am not moving again, so I don't care about an ongoing cost......where there really is no more when it comes to SFG.

Sorry that got long-winded. To summarize.....do it right the first time....and enjoy it for a lifetime.

Dave, thhanks for the question. Like you I am new to SFG. Have been gardening fo quit some time the other way. I find this to be alot more practical. And my grand kids are having a good time helping me set up.
Welcome aboard. So far I have gained a wealth of information.

Hey there Sully, welcome! Wow, there are so many newcomers it is getting hard to keep track of our welcomes.

I grew up on a small far, but was new to SFG last year. My big dollar items were: Vermiculite, trellis frame parts, irrigation system, and seeds. (I spent more than I needed to on seeds.... Baker Creek is a VERY addictive place! ) I also spent some on "friendly" pesticides (Neem oil, diatomaceous earth) and soil amendments.

We found DE for $1 a pound at our local feed store.

Speaking of DE.....

I saved a few containers to "shake" it on. I had a large cinnamon container from Costco, and we put the DE in there and opened the shaker side of the lid, worked like a charm.

I also kept a couple of the Kraft Parmesan shaker containers and did the same thing.....worked great.

Neat idea, thanks!!!

Last year my husband got out his Hopper, it's what you use to blow acoustic on the ceiling, loaded it with DE and sprayed the entire garden in under 30 seconds. For you guys this may be fun.

Generally I have better luck doing the following;

Know what I need, or have a printout of SKU's = HD or Lowe's

Need some "design options" or not sure what I need = ACE or other local hardware store.

The ACE by me is locally owned & there are a bunch of retired contractor types that work there part time. These guys just rock.

Can't say enough about the customer service & they spend whatever time it takes to get me what I need (even when I don't know what that is).

Welcome to the forum, Dave.

We had a long thread last summer about different options for the conduit corners. My husband made ours from outlet boxes. They were much cheaper than the curved elbows.

Maybe it's just early, but what is DE?

FarmerValerie wrote:We found DE for $1 a pound at our local feed store.

cautery wrote:Maybe it's just early, but what is DE?

FarmerValerie wrote:We found DE for $1 a pound at our local feed store.

Diatomaceous Earth, it works great for most garden pests, but be careful in you have bees, it may harm them too. We hope to have honey bees soon, so the only place we will be using DE is in the dog area.