Pull string in PVC

[220/221]

It's absolutely necessary to pre lube the conduit. It doesn't take much for pull string to burn into the conduit and it doesn't take much lube to prevent the burn.

Squeeze some wire lube into both ends, mostly into the end the string is going in. Be generous. Wire lube is cheap.

Also, it seems like some manufacturer would have come up with a teflon coated slippery string by now.

 

[Cow]

OK, I'll bite, how? Poly line TDR?

OK I youtube'd it. Nice.

I couldn't find anything on youtube? Whats it under?

 

[nhfire77]

I couldn't find anything on youtube? Whats it under?

See Ohmhead's profile.

 

[ohmhead]

I have installed polyline in conduits for over 37 years and ive only cut one or two pvc 90 elbows in that time since ive been in the trade.

Installing a string sounds easy but it must be done correctly or your wasting time and labor .

The damage was not due to polyline its distance and the electrician pulling it in any run thats over 300 feet and has more than the normal two 90 deg bends is going to be tuff add dirt water and if you tie on a big rope without the smaller rope first your asking for trouble . We vacuum in a string we get our measurement with Polyline we leave the Polyline in the conduit no mule tape no true tape ever .

We order our feeders and wait a month or two to receive them when we pull in our pull ropes we use a 1/4" inch to pull in the 1/2" rope we use a 1/2" rope to pull in a 3/4" or a 1 inch or a 1 1/4" or a 1 1/2" rope these are white nylon brad tuff lots of foot pounds here .

We only use the Polyline once and were done we save money on mule tape we save money on labor i work in the field as a electrician we have on the average from 250 to 350 feeder conduits on most projects this is now major labor savings it normally takes a month or two to measure our projects but now its a week to two weeks .

Pulling wire and measuring conduits is a task that you learn after 1000 conduits! Its not a helpers job we only put our best folks on this copper is money !


If you can save labor today your doing fine if you can find good people today your doing fine .

 

[wireguy8169]

What do you guys/gals use for a pull string in pvc pipe. I have run into this on our last 2 jobs where we have sucked in a greenlee string or mule tape (the rope thats flat and light weight) and we cant even pull in a larger rope with it. I think the string is cutting into the pipe around bends. We finally ended up sucking a #12 thru and that worked well, except a little expensive. Does any one have reccomendations?

Its very possible that the string did not cut into the pipe but got stuck in some excess pvc cement, especially if you pulled it in the same day you ran it. If you pull a rope in immediately its usually not a problem but if you just put in a jet line I have seen it be an issue.

 

[Fulthrotl]

I just did an 800' pull using mule tape with no problems. Are you feeding the mule tape in flat or is it twisted up? Poly string is deadly on long pulls, you'll definitely want rigid 90's on the ends or you'll burn through for sure.

What size and length of pipe runs are you having trouble with? How many bends?

Mule tape comes in flavors from 1200 to 7000 lb test.

It will not cut the pipe, rot, and the footage is marked each foot.
I pull most stuff with 1800 lb directly.

You can also get it with a trace wire in it for underground conduit locating

I love the stuff

Randy

 

[ohmhead]

Mule tape comes in flavors from 1200 to 7000 lb test.

It will not cut the pipe, rot, and the footage is marked each foot.
I pull most stuff with 1800 lb directly.

You can also get it with a trace wire in it for underground conduit locating

I love the stuff

Randy

Question how much does a roll of mule tape cost ?

Lets say you have 300 feeders on a project nothing smaller than 2 1/2 inch to 4 inch and the runs are 300 foot to 450 average distance in length.

The tugger is rated at say 6500 lbs force and thats our small tugger the rope must be rated at a higher level than the tugger its a safety rule what is mule tape rated at whats the highest foot lbs for mule tape .

Normal project we do rope is 10,000 lbs rated to 16,000 lbs and must pull in wire sizes like 250 mcm to 750 mcm so mule tape kinda breaks or doesnt have the foot lbs we need but that and the cost is so high to install it on a project we use polyline it comes 6500 foot and at 25 dollars a bucket so we kinda use it a lot .

Take care thanks for the input

 

[Fulthrotl]

Question how much does a roll of mule tape cost ?

Lets say you have 300 feeders on a project nothing smaller than 2 1/2 inch to 4 inch and the runs are 300 foot to 450 average distance in length.

The tugger is rated at say 6500 lbs force and thats our small tugger the rope must be rated at a higher level than the tugger its a safety rule what is mule tape rated at whats the highest foot lbs for mule tape .

Normal project we do rope is 10,000 lbs rated to 16,000 lbs and must pull in wire sizes like 250 mcm to 750 mcm so mule tape kinda breaks or doesnt have the foot lbs we need but that and the cost is so high to install it on a project we use polyline it comes 6500 foot and at 25 dollars a bucket so we kinda use it a lot .

Take care thanks for the input

no argument there, it's ridiculously expensive.

and you aren't gonna pull large feeders with it, of course.
i do a service truck. most of my stuff is 2" or less. i keep
a roll of 1,200# test muletape on my truck... it comes in
handy for all sorts of stuff.

if i was pulling bucketloads of feeders, i'd use poly line
to pull the tugging rope in.... but i don't....

looked at your little measuring widget, by the way...
nice idea... if i pulled a lot, there'd be one in the
tugging equipment bin.

one thing i do have, is a set of "triggers".... the
dual foot pedals to control a pull.... if you have never
used them, you might want to take a look at them....
after using them, i won't pull without them.

http://www.maxis-tools.com/product/triggers/

the first set i used, died after two pulls.... turns
out they had a bad batch of components sent to
them.... i called up on a friday afternoon to their
offices, said i needed them for a pull on the next day,
and they looked up who had some near me in stock,
called to expedite it, and told me who to see at the
wholesale house, while i was on hold... took less than
ten minutes, drove to the wholesale house, and was
back in business in an hour.

i cannot speak highly enough about their customer
service. second to none.


randy

 

[laketime]

looked at your little measuring widget, by the way...
nice idea...


randy

Where is the measuring widget

 

[ohmhead]

no argument there, it's ridiculously expensive.

and you aren't gonna pull large feeders with it, of course.
i do a service truck. most of my stuff is 2" or less. i keep
a roll of 1,200# test muletape on my truck... it comes in
handy for all sorts of stuff.

if i was pulling bucketloads of feeders, i'd use poly line
to pull the tugging rope in.... but i don't....

looked at your little measuring widget, by the way...
nice idea... if i pulled a lot, there'd be one in the
tugging equipment bin.

one thing i do have, is a set of "triggers".... the
dual foot pedals to control a pull.... if you have never
used them, you might want to take a look at them....
after using them, i won't pull without them.

http://www.maxis-tools.com/product/triggers/

the first set i used, died after two pulls.... turns
out they had a bad batch of components sent to
them.... i called up on a friday afternoon to their
offices, said i needed them for a pull on the next day,
and they looked up who had some near me in stock,
called to expedite it, and told me who to see at the
wholesale house, while i was on hold... took less than
ten minutes, drove to the wholesale house, and was
back in business in an hour.

i cannot speak highly enough about their customer
service. second to none.


randy

Thanks Randy we used radios in the old days today we use cell phones when tugging but checked it out thats nice but my guys would screw it up the first day or it would be lost in one week HEE HEE . Iam a electrician i do this as a past time for the trade and have made lots of tools over the years iam on my own and enjoy it iam not here to sell it or promote it in anyway thanks for looking .

 

[LEO2854]

I have never had a problem with this product.

Thats what i use never had that problem

 

[ohmhead]

Polyline tricks

Polyline tricks

Heres some tricks over the years we have used with true tape issues take a brand new roll of true tape new at 3000 foot .

Take a plastic bucket or storage type of box with top clean and dry drill holes in each side level to install a 3/8 threaded rod with nuts and washers too hold a roll of true tape inside .
place so it rolls off nice from inside the bucket drill a hole on one side to let the tape come out the side and now the roll of true tape is in the center of the inside of the bucket install cover get a can or two off scotch guard furniture protection stuff your wife has spray it into bucket with top on spray it while its flying down the pipe dont forget to tap con down the bucket to the floor or have a helper hold it this will coat that tape and allow it to move easy down the pipe if you have the time try it !

After one good coat it will last for a few weeks and your good to go it will not stick in pipe .

We roll it off completely onto another roll and let it dry on tape good this works better if you have time to wait !


So if you have more time spray Scotch Guard inside bucket and wind up the whole roll on another spool thats better just thought you might like to know what we do to improve our work load and have fun at the same time .

Take a minute to save thousands of hours in labor or do it the hard way and waste time !

 

[Fulthrotl]

Thanks Randy we used radios in the old days today we use cell phones when tugging but checked it out thats nice but my guys would screw it up the first day or it would be lost in one week HEE HEE . Iam a electrician i do this as a past time for the trade and have made lots of tools over the years iam on my own and enjoy it iam not here to sell it or promote it in anyway thanks for looking .

The day before I bought the triggers I did a pull... I was right next to the compressor rack in a food packing plant and the phone kept dropping the call

Couldn't hear anyone over the noise, the pull was 350' of 500's in a 4"
Pipe. A huge Charlie fox, in military lingo.

Feeders, on burn ups, I take the cost of the wire, and double it, installed,
Meggered and landed.

The wire was 7,500 at the time, it was all day to get the wire delivered, pulled and landed. There was enough there for the triggers. Never regretted the purchase. I'd bet ya a cheeseburger if you used them once, you'd buy em.