# pull push cable



## Ozwelder (May 30, 2014)

I am waiting for my 30 x 20  shed to be built and had the trench dug and conduit with a pull cord fed through it waiting for the electrician..The 3 year old grand daughter was visiting today has found it and pulled off the tape holding it to the conduit and pulled all the cord out.

My question is ,will the flexible  snake that  electricians use be rigid enough to push through 50 feet of 2 " conduit that has 2x 90 elbows in it.
Has someone here done this  before? I am not looking forward to digging it up.

Thanks 
Oz


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## Don B (May 30, 2014)

This might sound silly, but something like that happened to me once, tie a string to something and see if you can get the vacuum to suck it through, then pull through a larger string and so on.)


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## hermetic (May 30, 2014)

If you can't manage to do it as above, you could just dig it up at the elbows, if you can remember where they are. In the UK we never put elbows in underground ducts for this very reason. If you get some small string, and attach it to a bundle of cotton wool that is a loose fit in the duct, this should pull through ok with a vacuum. or blow through with compressed air (or both?) This is the method used to put fibre optic cables into ductwork.
Phil


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## AlanR (May 30, 2014)

Don B said:


> This might sound silly, but something like that happened to me once, tie a string to something and see if you can get the vacuum to suck it through, then pull through a larger string and so on.)


Electricians do that all the time, there are vacuums designed just for that with various sizes of "mice".

http://www.greenlee.com/products/BLOWER%40FVACUUM%40cCOMPACT-(38594).html?product_id=18747


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## Don B (May 30, 2014)

AlanR said:


> Electricians do that all the time, there are vacuums designed just for that with various sizes of "mice".



That's interesting I never knew that, we just took the filter and the foam off the shop vac to get as much suction as we could, duct taped the hose to the pipe, went to the other end and experimented with different size rages, when we got the rage tied to the string down to the right size it went right through slick as anything, we only had the trench half back filled when my Nephew found the string and pulled it out.


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## TOOLMASTER (May 30, 2014)

doesn't take much if a 3yo pulled it all out


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## Ozwelder (May 30, 2014)

I knew I forgot something.
The pull cable has been in there 3 weeks and the conduit was filled with water.Grandma caught the precocious one and told me.
The conduit is full of water  even though it was duct taped off . This kid is hyperactive .Wiring rules demand the conduit is 600mm -2 feet underground so the elbows which are wide radius -about a foot- are at each end .Somehow I think my wet and dry shop vac will  not pull that amount of water out. I have seen PVC conduits opened up before and they have had water in them.

It looks as though a snake may be my only option but did not want to spend $100 Au for something which may not work.

thanks


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## Don B (May 30, 2014)

Can you push the water out with compressed air..? Or most of it an maybe the vacuum could take care of the rest.:thinking:


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## AlanR (May 30, 2014)

Ozwelder said:


> Somehow I think my wet and dry shop vac will  not pull that amount of water out.


It may well do it but slowly. You'll never know till you try it.


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## canerodscom (May 30, 2014)

Is the water in the conduit going to be a problem?  I know next to nothing about electrical work, but running wire through a pipe filled with water does not sound right to me.  Sure makes me wonder what use the conduit is...

Best of luck.  Sounds as though you have some good suggestions.

Harry


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## schor (May 30, 2014)

I had no problems running a fish tape throught 1.5" conduit with 2 90deg large elbows and 50' of conduit. Definitely get the water out.


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## Fabrickator (May 30, 2014)

Vacuum the water out and use a wand to get down into the bottom of the 90s. More often than not, the conduit will not be perfectly level so do it from both ends. Then try to get a fish line through it.  If not use the vacuum to retrieve a 1 3/4" paper cone mouse with light weight string tied to it.  Once you got that, tie your fish line onto it and your home free.

- - - Updated - - -

Opps, I forgot, or did I miss it?  What size wire/cable are you pulling to what amp/phase service?

I only ran a 50amp single phase service to my garage because that's all I had left on my house panel, and it's marginal at best.  A good size shop should at least have 100amp.


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## AlanR (May 30, 2014)

canerodscom said:


> Is the water in the conduit going to be a problem?  I know next to nothing about electrical work, but running wire through a pipe filled with water does not sound right to me.  Sure makes me wonder what use the conduit is...
> 
> Harry


You'd be amazed at how much conduit is water filled everywhere. That's why outdoor utility workers bring pumps. :whistle:


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## Marco Bernardini (May 30, 2014)

The wire used for underground lines, at least here, is waterproof (data here) because underground pipes have a great probability of being flooded.
Remove the water, anyway, or it will rot and smell like a swamp.
A suggestion: if you have to dig up an elbow, add an inspection pit like this one




at the end of the straight pipe, and place the elbow inside it. 
This will make maintenance easier.


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## TOOLMASTER (May 30, 2014)

suck/blow what you can..attach a blow drier on low for a while


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## John Hasler (May 30, 2014)

canerodscom said:


> Is the water in the conduit going to be a problem?  I know next to nothing about electrical work, but running wire through a pipe filled with water does not sound right to me.  Sure makes me wonder what use the conduit is...
> 
> Best of luck.  Sounds as though you have some good suggestions.
> 
> Harry



There will be water in your conduit unless you take extreme measures: it just will be condensation if the conduit was properly installed.  Don't worry about it.  The insulation on the wires is completely waterproof.  The conduit is for mechanical protection and to make replacement easy.  Wire is often directly buried (only wire so rated, of course).  Hopefully you oversized the conduit so that you can pull in larger wire in the future should you find you need it.


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## Marco Bernardini (May 30, 2014)

I forget a last suggestion!
Together with the power cable, pull a piece of nylon rope.
The day you'll have to add a cable you'll be very happy of having something in place to pull it.


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## JimDawson (May 30, 2014)

+ 1 on what John Hasler said.


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## Bishop (May 30, 2014)

I use a small shop vac to winterize my pool, that means sucking out 40 feet of 2" pipe, no problem with a shop vac.

Shawn


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## jpfabricator (May 30, 2014)

Use a plastic shoping bag for your "mouse" it works wonders and is FREE!

Jake Parker


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## 12bolts (May 30, 2014)

Oz,
Electricians regularly put string lines through 100's of feet of conduit with these


Use compressed air. Sparkies usually have the whole kit but if you dont want to make the fittings up you can just use a nozzle gun on your compressor, seal it with your hand, and sort of jiggle your fingers to let the string feed through and blow it through for a one time use. Go to your local L&H, AWM, Middys, and ask for a line carrier for the size of conduit you have. They are made to go around elbows and such. If you know someone with a scuba cylinder they can work effectively because you can really blast them through with a quick flick of the valve, which might be what you need to do if the standing water is slowing/stopping your line carrier. Just use a lightweight brickies string line on the carrier and use that to pull through a heavier rope to pull through the electrical wire.

Cheers Phil


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## jim18655 (May 30, 2014)

Any buried conduit will contain water and it won't be a problem as long as you follow a few simple rules.
1. Any wire installed MUST, by code, be a conductor that is rated for wet locations. Usually will have a 'W' in the wire type designation. XHHW, THWN, are two examples.
2. Make absolutely sure not to nick the isulation while you are pulling the cables into the conduit. Any small hole in the jacket will eventually cause the conductor to fail, either by unintentional grounding or deterioration of the conductor itself

Also, you must pull a ground wire in the conduit to comply with the latest version of the NEC.


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## Hawkeye (May 31, 2014)

We had a 3" conduit last year that was full of water and gasoline. (Someone tried to burn down the power pole.) The inspector said we could pull the new wires into it if we got it dried out. We rented a large trailer-type compressor and I made up a fitting to handle some pressure at the house end.

I bought a sponge ball and forced it into the conduit, then hooked up the fitting and air hose. I watched the apprentice at the other end after I turned on the air. He was looking down into the pit when the water shot out of the end. He was fast enough to get clear as the whole mess flew up like a geyser. :lmao:

After we got all the liquid out, we let the compressor blow through the conduit for nearly an hour to dry it out.

If you're using a vacuum to pull in a string, the best material to tie on the end is really thin plastic, like the bags dry cleaners use, or thin food wrap. Tie a loose wad to the string. The air moved by the vacuum will pull it along very easily. Stiff plastic will have more resistance inside the conduit. Too big a wad will have a hard time getting through.

In answer to the question asked, yes, an electrician's fish tape will push through a 2" conduit, especially one as short as 50'.


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## Ozwelder (Jun 1, 2014)

The wiring is for a shed that is not yet built.I am waiting for the rain to stop so the concreter  can lay the slab Its been nearly - month.They won't pour a slab if it even looks like rain.

The electrician will have two cables-one for the solar panel feeds to the house and the other for the shed power.They are bigger gauge than normal because of the long run back to the board- about 65 meters.The electrician who is installing the solar panels will also wire the shed.I put in the code required conduit and the warning strip in the fill so that future excavators digging up the orange plastic strip roll-WARNING LIVE CABLE- are warned and don't tear a live cable up.

As soon as its dry enough I'll be out there with the airline .
Thanks  fellas


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