I've been attempting to install a new ceiling fan in my bathroom.
the
motor in the old one started making noise, and it was about 20+
years
old...so I figured an upgrade was in order.

I live in an old loft building, where I access the fan from above
my
bathroom (there is a crawlspace above the bathroom) but the rest of
the loft is open.

I'm trying to not have to pull down the sheetrock in my bathroom in
order to swap out this fan or otherwise make repairs. To be
honest,
I'm not the best with drywalling a ceiling..and that is a bit
involved
for just swapping out a ceiling fan right?

Anyway...their is a piece of metal conduit that was running next to
the old fan. I need to move that conduit by 2 inches in order for
the
new fan to fit. The metal conduit is connected to another piece
about
3 inches behind the fan...my inclination is to disconnect the
conduit
from the extension, and replace it with a piece of flexible
conduit.
that will allow me to go nicely around the new fan.

can I connect a piece of flex conduit to a piece of regular conduit
(I
assume I will use a junction box)?

There are transition fittings that will enable you to go from
conduit
(EMT) to armored cable or flexible metallic conduit. Ask for a Type
EFC or EGC combination coupling. There's no reason to use a
junction
box unless you will be cutting the wires and splicing.

You can also make a "gofrom" using an EMT connector to a rigid pipe
couping to a flex connector (assuming "metal conduit" is EMT). I
would use a "Tomic" coupling, which is 1/2 length, but they are
probably relatively hard to find.


can I assume that because I have flex, I can run it diagonally and
not
have to worry that the wires won't make it?

No, that is your principal worry. Take a piece of string or wire
and
lay it on the existing layout, then move it to where you want it to
be. If it doesn't quite make it, then you will have to go with plan
B
and install a junction box.

Or re-fish new wires.


I love the Tomic connectors and can't understand why they're so
hard to come by these days. I did a search and came up with a
two piece connector of the type you might see holding a power
cord on the back of a clothes dryer instead of the one piece
connector that you pop on the end of EMT. When I worked for an
electrical supply company in the early 70's we had them in stock.
The last time I saw any of them was at a missile range in the
late 80's. I wonder what happened to them.



*I have no idea what a Tomic connector is. Using three search engines
all I came up with is the two screw strain relief dryer cord connector
clamp. Anyone have a picture or a link to a picture?

You kiddin me John, never heard of a Tomic connector, why it's a, a,
well a kind of connector, like, you know, metal with screws, or a, OK,
OK, I give up, I never heard of one either. Bud, draw us a picture



*I'm thinking that it is something that I know by another name.

That was my thought too. In this business, I go to an electrical supply
house outside of NY, and it's like I'm speaking a foreign language.



*LOL. When I lived on the west coast it took me a while to learn the
language of the trade out there. One thing that is universal though is the
numbers. If I give the counterman a manufacturer name and part number he
has no trouble understanding what I want. Having it in stock is another
issue.