Pull strings in conduit or tubing with energized conductors

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chris kennedy

chris kennedy

Senior Member
Location
Miami Fla.
Occupation
60 yr old tool twisting electrician
Often we will pull a jet line in conduits with the branch circuit conductors during installs in case something is missed or added. We pull these out before final.

I have an install where I would like to leave the pull strings in 6 EMT's for future.

Violation?
 
chris kennedy said:
Often we will pull a jet line in conduits with the branch circuit conductors during installs in case something is missed or added. We pull these out before final.

I have an install where I would like to leave the pull strings in 6 EMT's for future.

Violation?
Click to expand...

Probably not.

An incident:

Pull line was installed in a conduit that had wires in it. The time came to add the additional wires. They shut down the existing circuits while pulling. Megged the new wires. Everything is OK. Energized the old circuit and....

KabOOOM.... Short.

Evidently the pull line abraded the existing insulation as it was dragging along the conductor until it exposed the copper and shorted to ground upon energizing.
 
This is a common practice for small conductors. In fact often times when many conductors are being pulled into a conduit a "drag" line is pulled in with the first pull. That same line is used for the second pull and a new line goes in with the second set of conductors an so on. IMO problems aren't very likely.
 
Every time a pull line is pulled in with conductors it wraps around the conductors. I never use an existing pull line. Blow a new one in and use that line to pull in Mule Tape. The same pull tape used by the telephone company and cable companies to pull fiber optics. This tape is flat about 1/2 in. in width, very soft with a lubricant in the material. You will never cut into other conductors or PVC conduit.
 
FlyFish said:
You will never cut into other conductors or PVC conduit.
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That's a very bold statement.

What if the mule tape has sitting in the bed of my ungaraged truck for the past decade?
 
ItsHot said:
Yep! You ever see a plumber cut a piece of pvc pipe with a nylon line?:smile:
Click to expand...

I would say more electricians do this than plumbers. I have done it many times myself. It works great in hard to reach places like hand holes.
 
John Valdes said:
I would say more electricians do this than plumbers. I have done it many times myself. It works great in hard to reach places like hand holes.
Click to expand...

I agree.

Roger
 
celtic said:
That's a very bold statement.

What if the mule tape has sitting in the bed of my ungaraged truck for the past decade?
Click to expand...

either you haven't been busy, or your truck *really* needs cleaning....:wink:

mule tape is my friend, and i would never leave it out in the cold and dark.
i've used bunches of it, and i find it unlikely that it'll cut, even if gritty.

however, anything is possible..... that's why meggers are nice for all
conductors in a pipe, not just the new ones.....

randy
 
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