4 500 mcm 200+ feet by hand?

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OnPoint522

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central new jersey, USA
currently working for a local company which is installing an 800 amp back up generator besides the obvious need heres what is currently in place and what the plan of attack is (not mine) 2 4" emt runs which begins at pullbox along wall about 100' to an LB (which is only rated for 3 500 mcm max) ten continues 25' to a 90 then 60' to an about 16" offset into building thru a ceiling to next pull... the plan of attack is to use 5 men 2 pulling 3 feeding to pull the 4 500 mcm's by hand...... besidesthe obvious any comments im curious to see if im losing my mind beliving its foolish and near impossible and taking odds on success or failure by the way no block n tackles pulleys or any mech assistance is planned on being used
 
yea I think it's foolish if its CU conductors.
Just the weight alone will be tough

How do you expect to get 4 500's in the LB rated only for 3?
 
OnPoint522 said:
currently working for a local company which is installing an 800 amp back up generator besides the obvious need heres what is currently in place and what the plan of attack is (not mine) 2 4" emt runs which begins at pullbox along wall about 100' to an LB (which is only rated for 3 500 mcm max) ten continues 25' to a 90 then 60' to an about 16" offset into building thru a ceiling to next pull... the plan of attack is to use 5 men 2 pulling 3 feeding to pull the 4 500 mcm's by hand...... besidesthe obvious any comments im curious to see if im losing my mind beliving its foolish and near impossible and taking odds on success or failure by the way no block n tackles pulleys or any mech assistance is planned on being used
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Plug the numbers into an online pulling tension estimator such as the one on the Southwire website. Then estimate how hard two men can pull with no mechanical aids.
I will not comment in the issue of the undersized LB.
You have not mentioned how much vertical rise or fall will be involved.
What kind of access do you have to the end above the ceiling (if I am understanding you correctly?)
Pulling while standing on a ladder will be very difficult. :)
 
rise

rise

GoldDigger said:
Plug the numbers into an online pulling tension estimator such as the one on the Southwire website. Then estimate how hard two men can pull with no mechanical aids.
I will not comment in the issue of the undersized LB.
You have not mentioned how much vertical rise or fall will be involved.
What kind of access do you have to the end above the ceiling (if I am understanding you correctly?)
Pulling while standing on a ladder will be very difficult. :)
Click to expand...

the pipe run is along a building about 10 foot up only change in height is the offsets into building, the final pull box is in a drop ceiling about dead center of an office style room approx. 15' x 15' im just personally amazed at the incompetence leading this job eve the knockouts in the pull boxes are far from complying w/ the 6x rule
 
and yes its CU

and yes its CU

OnPoint522 said:
ask the all knowing owner who ordered the material it was pointed out to him and we were told to shut up and install them
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and also as a side note the two 1" emt pipe runs whick will contain the low and high voltage controls are both braught into the pull boxes. please tell me im not losing my mind I have been doing this over a decade and just cant figure out whats going through there mind to conceive such a design
 
OnPoint522 said:
and also as a side note the two 1" emt pipe runs whick will contain the low and high voltage controls are both braught into the pull boxes.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Partitions in a pull box could get interesting.
However, if the wiring method is correct and only current limited power supplies are used for the LV controls, the Code may allow the wires to mix.

I sympathize.
 
I shudder to think how many times I have seen wire damage on such a pull especially with that much conductor having to feed thru the undersized LB.

Ask for a Rough-In inspection before you pull and maybe your inspector will do you a favor and red tag it prior to the disaster.
 
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