Featured Terms
Electrical Slang
What do a "bug" and a "cherry" have in common?
They are both electrical slang terms!
Curious about what these and other slang terms mean?
Scroll through our collection of slang terminology used in the electrical industry!
Whether you are an electrician, contractor, or just someone trying to understand what your local electrician is jabbering about, use the glossary to learn trade slang and electrical jargon.
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11/21/2019
Cover to adapt 4" or 5" boxes to accept a wiring device. Wall plate added later, (see also 'Square Device Box'; 'Combination Box Cover').
11/21/2019
A rat tail can be either the flexible mandrel alone or the mandrel and wire brush hooked together. This assembly is then pulled through the conduit prior to pulling cable to remove any dirt, debris or obstacles that were introduced after the conduit was installed.
11/21/2019
Rectangular box that a piece of 1/2" through 4" PVC is put into so it can be heated to the point where it can be bent for offsets, saddles, bends, etc. As compared to the PVC BLANKET, the HOT BOX bends a longer section of pipe and covers a wider range of sizes in one product. The PVC BLANKET, however, is smaller and more portable. To make bends, the electrician puts the pipe into the box, powers on the unit, rotates the pipe while it heats-up and waits for the pipe to become flexible. The pipe is then removed from the box and bent into the appropriate shape.
11/21/2019
The steel conduit hanger is used to secure 1/2" to 4" rigid (GAL) or EMT conduit to some type of support using the hole on top of the hanger. Typically, the pipe is suspended from strut or directly from the concrete using a piece of threaded rod but the hanger is also used to attach conduit directly to an insulator or some other surface. Manufactured by Steel City, Erico (Caddy), Bridgeport and others; the hanger is available with or without the lower bolt and nut. Originally invented by Minneralac in 1904 as the Standard Conduit Hanger.
"I hit my head on another pain hanger."
11/21/2019
The "Crosby" wire rope clip is a galvanized fitting used to securely fasten wire rope or guy strand. It is extremely durable. The U bolt goes over the wire and the iron saddle is attached below. Then, the bolts are tightened and the guy wire is locked in place.
11/21/2019
Electro Mechanical Tubing (EMT) is used to protect wires within an electrical system. It is the most commonly used raceway because it can be concealed or surface mounted, it is low cost, light weight and doesn't require threading tools like rigid. The bending process, however, requires more skill than with rigid because EMT is prone to kink. It is also called "thin-wall" because the wall is much thinner than rigid conduit of the same nominal size. Available from Wheatland, Allied, LTV and others.
