affordable/effective JetLine vac

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Mule

Senior Member
Location
Oklahoma
Ok, showing my ignorance here, In the past Ive been only been around more expensive units, but now being a GC I'm needing to purchase a "poor boy" unit. Will a standard HD shop vac work sucking in a string, lets say "250ft" in emt w/set screw fittings? and if so, what CFM or HP do I need and what is the best way to convert or connect to raceways, ie: best bang for the buck, kit to purchase? Or do I just need to purchase the real thing?

Thanks
Keeping overhead Lowwww
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
I have a Genie shop vac that I bought in 1996 and it's still working. I have used to to suck in jet line. to vaccum up water and even a lot of sheet rock dust. Back then it was the biggest cheap vac I could find and cost around $100 ( if my memory is good it may have been more ).

I think you can get a good shop vac now for much cheaper. It doesn't take that much to suck in jet line.

If you have tools that are going to be used by a crew you need something that's almost indestructible if you use it yourself you can take better care and get by with a less expensive tool. At least that's how I look at it.
 

Rich R

Senior Member
I just use a regular shop vac, I have a Rigid 10 gallon model, was about $130. Has plenty of power to suck in a jet line.

To connect to the conduit I have an assortment of Plumbing ells and reducing fittings and of course plenty of duct tape to seal it all up. I suppose If you spent the time you can make a real nice connection fitting complete with rubber seal and all.

I don't have to vac lines that often and couldn't see myself blowing $1000 on a greenlee vac system. Got plenty of other tools to spend that money on.

Longest run I pulled with it was about 180' and string went through in about 3 seconds. This was with regular jet line and a small piece of plastic bag tied to end of it. You could buy the mice (conduit pistons) to tie onto the string for a better suction seal
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
I also use a Rigid 10 gallon. It also can blow, so I can work from either end as needed.

I took a step-adapter that they sell along with the vacs. I kind of looks like a step-drill bit (Unibit), but it's larger and is plastic. It allows me to work with any pipe size from 3/4 to 2". On the end, I put a standard plumbing elbow with a small hole in the outside edge for the string to go through if I'm blowing.

I also use a foot-pedal power cord to turn it on and off so it keeps my hands free.
 

Cavie

Senior Member
Location
SW Florida
Never bought jet line. Just follow the block masons around and pick up the nylon building string they always leave laying around.
 

Rich R

Senior Member
Cavie said:
Never bought jet line. Just follow the block masons around and pick up the nylon building string they always leave laying around.


I used mason line before also, but I think the jet line works better for suction, maybe because of the wider surface area, I'm not sure.
 

Mule

Senior Member
Location
Oklahoma
priced the Greenlee pig and connector set today....like $400...I fell over back'urds....for plastic, foam, and a tin box? come on !!
 

LLSolutions

Senior Member
Location
Long Island, NY
I use a rigid 16gal w/d vac from the orange store under $150. Simple tip, put tape around tha couplings on the pipe runs, sometimes that extra little bit of suction is a job saver
 

Mule

Senior Member
Location
Oklahoma
LLSolutions said:
I use a rigid 16gal w/d vac from the orange store under $150. Simple tip, put tape around tha couplings on the pipe runs, sometimes that extra little bit of suction is a job saver


Mmmm...are you seating your couplings? just kidding..:)
 

Podagrower

Member
Location
Central Fl
The Rigid shop vacs in the $125 range are all you really need for most applications. On the rare occasion you need more vac (mud, excessive water, cracked pipe), a second $125 vac and a 2" plumping tee or wye can prove quite effective, and still leaves lots of money for tools (beer) over a $1000 Greenlee system.
Ditto on the duct tape for set screw fittings, and the step adaptor.
If you are in real trouble, rent a CO2 bottle from a gas retailer, a couple thousand PSI can move an impressive amount of garbage out of a pipe.
 

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
Put some cheese at one end of the pipe.

Get a real mouse (not a foam one) and tie the string to his tail. Let him go into the pipe.
 

Rampage_Rick

Senior Member
Chances are that some of you old-timers have flown on planes wired by ferret.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Are_there_any_cool_facts_about_ferrets

Anyways, I've used many different shop-vacs for stringing conduit. The only one I've had problems with was a tiny 2-gallon model. The easiest way to check is to look at the hose diameter. Clearly a vac with a <2" hose won't generate sufficient airflow. Any vac with a 2" or larger hose should work fine.
 

MAK

Senior Member
Rampage_Rick said:
Chances are that some of you old-timers have flown on planes wired by ferret.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Are_there_any_cool_facts_about_ferrets

Anyways, I've used many different shop-vacs for stringing conduit. The only one I've had problems with was a tiny 2-gallon model. The easiest way to check is to look at the hose diameter. Clearly a vac with a <2" hose won't generate sufficient airflow. Any vac with a 2" or larger hose should work fine.
Just wondering would Freddy and Misty be required to have a license since they are pulling circuits?:roll:
 

kbsparky

Senior Member
Location
Delmarva, USA
On long runs of EMT with set-screw fittings, you will lose some suction from each coupling. We had one run over 300 feet that the normal method of using the shop-vac would NOT provide enough suction to do the job. We ended up having to break the line in the middle and do the run in halves.

If that is impractical, using a jack-hammer type air compressor will usually do the trick ... :D
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
MAK said:
Just wondering would Freddy and Misty be required to have a license since they are pulling circuits?:roll:
Not as long as they're working under the supervision of a Master electrician.
 

Mule

Senior Member
Location
Oklahoma
Years ago I purchased a battery controlled toy 4wheel truck, strapped a head band light over the cab and drove it across a school gymnasium suspended ceiling pulling jet line, while watching it from the top of the bleachers from a ladder. I took one of the batteries out, installed a piece dowl rod with a piece of #12 across it to slow the truck down. Xtmr would only work for around 75ft, so I had to go the other side, to drive all the way.
We were pulling single pair twisted ;)
 
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