[baronson]

I need to pull a conductor into an existing conduit run that already contains wire. It appears previous installation used loads of lube to pull their wire in and now it seems that the lube has solidified? and it seems "glued" the conductors to the conduit. My original thought was to pull out existing conductors (with a string and pull them back in with my one more conductor.
A few questions come up:
1. doesn't there have to be a pull box installed every 150 Feet?
2. how do i pull out the existing conductors with what seems like glue sticking the conductors to the conduit (for 400 Feet)

I'm bringing the Come Along tomorrow
Suggestions, please?

 

[lefleuron]

Yes, snot turns to glue.

The older the snot, the harder it gets.

I know that three months ago I pulled 32 conductors out of an old conduit and re-pulled 36 because getting 4 more in was impossible. Thanks to a butt load of snot being used the first time.

I also used a ton of snot to pull in the new 36. I also pulled 2 spares though- so I should never have to worry about it again. The next guy can fend for himself.

 

[Hack Work]

I've poured water into pipes to get the old hardened lube softened up, it always worked.

And that 150' between pullboxes thing is untrue.

 

[ponyboy]

Yellow 77 turns pretty sticky after time.

And there is no rule saying you need a box after a certain distance for an underground or horizontal run. Just one for every 360 degrees of bends

 

[Awg-Dawg]

What size conductors are there now?

 

[baronson]

My thoughts were there too...as it seems the lube is water soluable. I took a few chunks of the dried lube and "tested" this theory by soaking the chunks in water for about an hour but it didn't dissolve. I'll soak it for longer...

 

[baronson]

5- 14/2 UF in a 2" schedule 40 - no more than 360 degrees in bends but over 400 feet. I'm pulling in an 18/2

 

[theloop82]

Get a bunch of 2 liters of coca cola, pour em in, come back tomorrow, pull out wire. Make sure you vac it all out before you put the new wire in.

 

[macmikeman]

Wire lube is synthetic wax. Water will just roll off of it like it does on your car.
Put a resistive load on the end of the wires, and fire it up to 240 volts. Heat up the stuff via warm to hot conductors for a while and it will soften up, and make pulling out the old wiring easy. Think different.

 

[RIVETER]

I need to pull a conductor into an existing conduit run that already contains wire. It appears previous installation used loads of lube to pull their wire in and now it seems that the lube has solidified? and it seems "glued" the conductors to the conduit. My original thought was to pull out existing conductors (with a string and pull them back in with my one more conductor.
A few questions come up:
1. doesn't there have to be a pull box installed every 150 Feet?
2. how do i pull out the existing conductors with what seems like glue sticking the conductors to the conduit (for 400 Feet)

I'm bringing the Come Along tomorrow
Suggestions, please?

Use a shop vac to blow in one end and see if a considerable amount of air comes out the other end. After that tie a small diameter string to a sandwich bag and blow the bag as far as it will go...maybe to the other end of the conduit. If that does not work, try "sucking" the bag from the other end...with the same vac, of course, not your lips. hopefully, that will work. THEN, if you are successful tie the string that you tied to the bag to a slightly larger string and then pull a sandwich bag "loaded " with lube thru the conduit. If you are successful then tie your conductors to this string and lube and pull.. I have never NOT been successful.:thumbsup:

 

[LGLS]

And next time use Polywater. Which gets even slicker if you add water to it.

 

[Hack Work]

Wire lube is synthetic wax. Water will just roll off of it like it does on your car.

Smurf jizz isn't wax.

Water works.

 

[chicken steve]

I
A few questions come up:
1. doesn't there have to be a pull box installed every 150 Feet?


I'm bringing the Come Along tomorrow
Suggestions, please?

It's too bad your CA doesn't have a tension gauge like a tugger does baron

Inasmuch as there is no nec code, wire does have a tensile strength rating

Like anything else we install, product rating is a consideration

~CS~

 

[Knightryder12]

Smurf jizz isn't wax.

Water works.

Yeah, but the yellow 77 is and will harden over time. My experience with the smurf jizz is that stuff hardens like concrete.