Glossary

Conduit & irrigation terms, defined

A plain-language reference for the terms used across underground electrical, broadband, and irrigation work — and how they map to the products we manufacture.

Underground Electrical & Broadband

Conduit also: raceway, electrical duct: A rigid or semi-rigid tube that routes and protects electrical cable or fiber underground or in a structure. Trade sizes (e.g. 1"–8") name the conduit by its nominal bore, and fittings such as plugs, spacers, and caps are matched to that trade size.; See: Sealing Devices Duct Spacers Caps
Conduit end cap also: PVC end cap, conduit cap: A high-impact PVC cap that closes the open end of a conduit to keep out water and debris. It pushes on by hand with no tools or solvent cement and fits Schedule 40 and 80 as well as EB and DB conduit.; See: PVC End Caps Caps Schedule 40 vs. Schedule 80 Conduit Caps: How to Choose
Direct burial (DB) also: DB conduit: An installation in which conduit is buried directly in soil and backfilled, without a concrete encasement. Duct spacers hold alignment through backfill and compaction, and caps and plugs seal the conduit underground.; See: Duct Spacers Caps Sealing Devices
Duct bank also: conduit duct bank: A group of parallel conduits installed together in a trench, held in alignment by duct spacers and then either encased in concrete or direct-buried. Even spacing lets concrete or backfill flow around every duct and keeps the bank straight for future cable pulls.; See: Base & Intermediate Clip Spacers Duct Spacers Conduit Duct Bank Spacing: Intervals, Separation, and Cover How to Install Conduit Duct Spacers
Duct spacer also: conduit chair, duct bank spacer, trench spacer: An interlocking support that holds conduit in precise horizontal and vertical alignment while a duct bank is assembled, poured, or backfilled. Innovative Plastics base and intermediate spacers interlock without banding or tie wire.; See: Base & Intermediate Clip Spacers Duct Spacers How to Install Conduit Duct Spacers Conduit Duct Bank Spacing: Intervals, Separation, and Cover
Encased burial (EB) also: EB conduit, concrete-encased duct bank: An installation in which a duct bank is surrounded by concrete for mechanical protection. Spacers must be secured against float so the bank does not lift when concrete is placed, then poured and consolidated around the conduit.; See: Duct Spacers How to Install Conduit Duct Spacers
Innerduct also: sub-duct, inner duct: A smaller duct installed inside a larger host conduit to subdivide it into separate pathways — common in fiber and broadband construction. Because innerduct is smaller than its host conduit, it takes a smaller temporary plug.; See: Temporary Plugs How to Size a Temporary Conduit Plug
Mule tape also: pull tape, pull-line: A flat woven pull-tape used to pull cable through conduit. Leaving a mule tape tied off under a riser cap means a crew has a ready pull-line in the conduit months later, avoiding the slow job of re-roping a buried run.; See: Riser Caps Riser Caps and Mule Tape: Seal a Conduit and Keep the Pull-Line
Riser cap also: rope-tie cap, mule-tape cap: A PVC conduit cap with an underside rope-tie loop, so it seals a conduit while still letting you tie off mule tape or a pull-line for the next cable pull. Useful on stubbed-out or stored conduit that will be cabled later.; See: Riser Caps Caps Riser Caps and Mule Tape: Seal a Conduit and Keep the Pull-Line
Schedule 40 / Schedule 80: Wall-thickness ratings for PVC conduit. For a given trade size, Schedule 40 and Schedule 80 share the same outside diameter, but Schedule 80 has a thicker wall and more impact resistance. Because caps fit over the outside, one cap trade size fits both schedules.; See: PVC End Caps Riser Caps Caps Schedule 40 vs. Schedule 80 Conduit Caps: How to Choose
Temporary conduit plug also: poly pull plug, universal plug, flower-pot plug, top-hat plug, tri-plug, end plug: A snap-in plug that closes an open conduit, duct, or innerduct to keep out water, dirt, debris, and animals before cable is pulled. Molded from LDPE, it installs and removes by hand and includes a built-in rope-tie for mule tape.; See: Temporary Plugs Sealing Devices How to Size a Temporary Conduit Plug

Irrigation

Cut-off riser also: poly cut-off riser, sprinkler riser: A threaded polyethylene riser that is cut to length to set a sprinkler head at the exact height the grade requires, so one part covers a range of conditions. It resists impact and corrosion for long underground service.; See: Poly Cut-Off Risers Risers & Tubing
Funny pipe also: swing pipe, flexible riser tubing: Flexible LDPE tubing used to connect a sprinkler head to a lateral line. It bends at sharp angles without restricting flow, so heads can be positioned precisely and impact is absorbed. Innovative Plastics swing pipe is ½" (.690" OD × .490" ID) and ships in 100 ft coils.; See: Swing Pipe Coil (Funny Pipe)Swing Joint Assemblies Risers & Tubing What Is Funny Pipe (Swing Pipe)?How to Build a Swing Joint On Site
Lateral line: The downstream pipe in an irrigation zone that carries water from the valve to the sprinkler heads. Swing joints and risers connect each head to the lateral line.; See: Swing Joint Assemblies Swing Joints
Male adapter: A fitting that transitions irrigation slip pipe to a male threaded connection, letting you thread into valves, fittings, and risers. Innovative Plastics male adapters are molded in durable black PVC in ½" and ¾".; See: Male Adapters (Black PVC) Irrigation Fittings
Street ell also: street elbow, Marlex street ell: A 90° elbow with a male thread on one end and a female thread on the other, used to turn an irrigation run. Innovative Plastics street ells are molded from self-lubricating Marlex HDPE for a leak-free connection and are the same ell built into the swing joint assemblies.; See: Marlex Street Ells Irrigation Fittings How to Build a Swing Joint On Site
Swing joint: The flexible connection between a buried lateral line and a sprinkler head. It lets you set the head to the exact height and angle, and absorbs mower and foot-traffic impact instead of cracking rigid pipe. It can be bought pre-assembled or built on site from funny pipe and fittings.; See: Swing Joint Assemblies Swing Pipe Coil (Funny Pipe) Swing Joints How to Build a Swing Joint On Site Are Innovative Plastics Swing Joints Compatible with Rain Bird?

Materials

Celcon M90 (acetal) also: acetal, POM: An acetal (polyoxymethylene) engineering plastic used for the funny-pipe insert fittings in swing joint assemblies, chosen for stiffness, dimensional stability, and durability in buried connections.; See: Swing Joint Assemblies
LDPE (low-density polyethylene) also: polyethylene, poly: A flexible, high-impact, chemically inert plastic with very low moisture absorption that resists UV, ozone, and wide temperature swings. Innovative Plastics uses LDPE for temporary conduit plugs and irrigation swing pipe.; See: Temporary Plugs Swing Pipe Coil (Funny Pipe)
Marlex HDPE also: high-density polyethylene: A heavy-duty, self-lubricating high-density polyethylene used for irrigation street ells. Its self-lubricating thread assembles leak-free without thread sealant.; See: Marlex Street Ells Swing Joint Assemblies
PVC (polyvinyl chloride): A rigid, high-impact plastic used for conduit and for Innovative Plastics end caps, riser caps, and male adapters. It resists warping underground and installs without tools.; See: PVC End Caps Riser Caps Male Adapters (Black PVC) Caps

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