Conduit Re-Route

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Alwayslearningelec

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Occupation
Estimator
From the theory peanut gallery, it would also seem that doing the cut-over in such a limited time window would also require getting as much of the work done as possible during 'normal time'. Horsegoer mentions running conduit and having wire in place, and based on synchro's question mentioned the switchboard 10' away.

So what does the job look like if you start a completely new run from that switchboard, going to the second splice location. New conductors already cut to length and ready for termination, or possibly already terminated on your splicing connectors. Pull tape already in the new conduit ready to go. Splice box already made up with openings cut, possibly some sort of box that can take up tolerances should your holes be slightly off. And a spare box on site so that if you screw up the openings you aren't out of luck and time.

-Jon
That's not a bad idea and thus why I think Infinity asked if we could get new conduits run out of switchboard? Correct Infinity?
 

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
I don't have a good feel for where the conduits are going to be moved to. Looking at the picture up above, will they move up towards the ceiling, or towards the back or front of the picture (off to one side)?
The conduits are going to drop down so the elevator pit can be installed. At least, that's the way I see it.
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
That's not a bad idea and thus why I think Infinity asked if we could get new conduits run out of switchboard? Correct Infinity?
Yes if you could run the 6 sets of conduit and wire from the existing switchbaord and set the splice box then you would only need to re-route the existing stuff duing the shutdown. Since you cannot I think that the best thing to do is to temp out the existing and re-route everything on straight time.
 

oldsparky52

Senior Member
The conduits in question are the six right above the exit sign. There are 4 - 4" with 500MCM and 2-2" with 3/0. I drew out a plan view of the extg. and re-route. We need to remove a 15' section starting about 2' to the right of the exit sign and continuing to the right for about 15' and then box it there and splice. So we will ned two splice points. One by the exit and the other ~15' away.
I'm thinking about your job, and ... what's the dimension from the wall to the "2' to the right of the exit sign"? Is that where you are planning to install one of the boxes?

What's on the other side of that block wall (to the left)?

What size box are you planning to use?
 

synchro

Senior Member
Location
Chicago, IL
Occupation
EE
Unless there are parallel sets of conductors that prevent it, as a first step could you do only the two 4" conduits on the outside of the "U" shaped route you will be creating? You could then attach them to a smaller splice box, using offsets as necessary to clear the other conduits. After wiring it up that would allow the place to operate Monday through Friday. Then the next weekend you would do the rest of the conduits on the inside of the "U" and connect them to another smaller splice box.
Other arrangements would be possible, but the idea is maybe you can do it in two or more stages and still keep the customer up and running.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Careful planning, measuring, precutting KO's, or making holes in wall's, installing what can be installed ahead of time, maybe even pre cutting anhy new conductors to be used before ever shutting down, can make it go pretty fast when you are shut down, but any mistakes can also dramatically slow things down.

If what needs moved/replaced is going to take too long there could even be possibility you can disconnect on a Saturday place some sort of temp wiring and do a majority of work during the week and transfer back to permanent wiring the next Saturday.

You have 4 -4 inch conduits and 500 kcmil conductors, but what is the actual loading, might be sized for expansion and true load is well under the ampacity of what is installed - if so any temp bypass may not need to be so large, (may need to temporarily use lesser overcurrent protection also though).
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
It might end up being faster to just cut the existing conduit out and run all new conduit and conductors rather than trying to reuse some of it.
Or if a situation like described where one may only use one junction box and pull new conductors to the gear that is not all that far away, maybe even cut conduit with conductors in it, in a location where you will be able to take conduit a little further apart and gain some conductor for in your junction box.

Still a situation of careful planning and measuring and you could have the junction box all pre punched and whatever new conduit is needed already in place, precut, and/or as much as possible in place to help minimize the necessary down time .
 
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