Pull Question

A

Alwayslearningelec

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Occupation
Estimator
When running large parallel sets of feeders what determines whether you need to splice. Trying to avoid splicing but we have a 550' run of 7 sets with about (8) 90's degree bend and (5) offsets)...several pull boxes in the run. No way to pull this without splicing??? It's 3-1/2" EMT with 3 #500 & 1/0G.
 
Alwayslearningelec said:
Trying to avoid splicing but we have a 550' run of 7 sets with about (8) 90's degree bend and (5) offsets)...several pull boxes in the run. No way to pull this without splicing???
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From a pulling perspective you're going to have to splice because you're not going to economically pull out and back in a pull box with that size wire. I've seen guys try to pull 500's without splicing and they have 6 guys humping the wire @ $125/hour up off of the floor when one guy can make the splice in less than an hour. When it comes to pulling large conductors splices are your friend. I would figure at least two splice points in your runs.
 
Master Nater said:
358.24(B) restricts your EMT to no more than 360° of bends between pull points. will have to install pull boxes before reaching 360°.
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Code requires you to install pull points, but doesn't require you to use them.

The actual practical requirement is the pulling tension limit and ease of doing the pull. These are set by the characteristics of the conductors and conduit and lube and skill. Lots of folk here report simply puling right past the code required pull points (in other words, there is a box in the conduit system that could be used as a pull point, but the EC simply treats it as a straight bit of conduit and uses the next pull point in the conduit run).

OP describes 8 90's + 5 offsets; perhaps 900 degrees of total conduit bend. Code requires at least 2 pull points. OP describes several pull boxes in the run, so I assume they are already good from a code perspective.
 
winnie said:
OP describes 8 90's + 5 offsets; perhaps 900 degrees of total conduit bend. Code requires at least 2 pull points. OP describes several pull boxes in the run, so I assume they are already good from a code perspective
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That was my understanding as well. The conduit runs do have the proper number of pull points so that no section of the run exceeds 360°. If at all possible he's trying to eliminate splices.
 
winnie said:
Code requires you to install pull points, but doesn't require you to use them.

The actual practical requirement is the pulling tension limit and ease of doing the pull. These are set by the characteristics of the conductors and conduit and lube and skill. Lots of folk here report simply puling right past the code required pull points (in other words, there is a box in the conduit system that could be used as a pull point, but the EC simply treats it as a straight bit of conduit and uses the next pull point in the conduit run).

OP describes 8 90's + 5 offsets; perhaps 900 degrees of total conduit bend. Code requires at least 2 pull points. OP describes several pull boxes in the run, so I assume they are already good from a code perspective.
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no, you're right. the NEC doesn't require us to use the intalled pull points.

it's common sense and experience that requires good electricians to use pulling points and not try to pull anything over 360°.
 
Master Nater said:
it's common sense and experience that requires good electricians to use pulling points and not try to pull anything over 360°.
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Why??? There is no need to use the required pulling points where the pulling calculations show it is safe to pull the wire more than 360° without damage.
 
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