PULLING WIRE

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mstrlucky74

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I know dumb question. Existing underground conduits already installed underground. 2 new building being built with bottom feed switchgear going in slab on grade. You obviously can't pull the wire after they pour the slab but before the gear is set, correct? THinking you may be able leave enough slack and have the gear set over it and then pull it in/up.
 

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How are new buildings going to use existing conduits?

Are the conduits turned up in PVC and they will pour around them?
 
A long as your layout is correct and the conduits are clear to get in the pulling machine or sheaves you would set the gear then pull the conductors.
 
infinity said:
A long as your layout is correct and the conduits are clear to get in the pulling machine or sheaves you would set the gear then pull the conductors.
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Don't fully understand. So your saying you can pull in the wire prior to setting gear and then pull in the remainder of the way when gear is set?

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mstrlucky74 said:
Don't fully understand. So your saying you can pull in the wire prior to setting gear and then pull in the remainder of the way when gear is set?

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of course you can.. the question is what are you using to pull it? and what size/ type cable? you can really do it either way, but sometimes the gear and/or cables can be damaged pulling into gear... of course its a bad idea to pull before hole is patched..
edit wait! pull the full length needed to terminate then have a man protect it while gear is dropped! doing the pull half way is a bad idea..
 
depending on the location of stubs of course... if it ended up below busses or a mcb then that might be hard... we use a crane (usually) pull all runs then set the gear same day. of course we own the old crane...
 
rambojoe said:
depending on the location of stubs of course... if it ended up below busses or a mcb then that might be hard... we use a crane (usually) pull all runs then set the gear same day. of course we own the old crane...
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Ok you’re using a crane for construction......

does the crane itself have its annual certification?
does the crane operator have their crane operators certification?
does the person connecting the load to the crane have their riggers certification?
does the person giving the instructions to the operator have their signal persons certification?

this applies to any crane is capable of lifting more than 1,000 lbs, and swings under power.
 
mstrlucky74 said:
Open ceiling. It's a substation house with slab and walls no Ceilings

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Then you can pull the wire and set the gear when it comes in.
The gear can be adapted to a point at the factory to fit the footprint of the pipe.
 
Dzboyce said:
Ok you’re using a crane for construction......

does the crane itself have its annual certification?
does the crane operator have their crane operators certification?
does the person connecting the load to the crane have their riggers certification?
does the person giving the instructions to the operator have their signal persons certification?

this applies to any crane is capable of lifting more than 1,000 lbs, and swings under power.
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sure dude. since you are the safety inspector and its such a valid question.. fly down to phoenix and verify these issues. I must warn you though, of my boss... do not waste his time, sir. why are you asking these questions to me?... it doesn't really help the op. what kind of crane do you think a electric company would have?! p.s.- it is a 1960's international that smokes like hell....
 
Apparently contrary to many here, if I understand your question I have done it both ways. As I understand, the gear has an open bottom and you will merely set the gear on top of the conductors maybe feeding them through the bottom frame and out the front? Given the design of many pieces of gear, I have certainly opted to pull first. Often the required bending space per the NEC doesn't make it pull friendly.
 
rambojoe said:
depending on the location of stubs of course... if it ended up below busses or a mcb then that might be hard... we use a crane (usually) pull all runs then set the gear same day. of course we own the old crane...
Click to expand...

Use a crane? For what? Pulling? How?
 
well, a small flat bed with a crane on it... you drive it up by the service and have at it. of course its outside.. i tug it in 20' intervals and just do a safety hitch around the hook. most of the manpower is needed inside belaying the spools and guiding it in the hole. hell of alot better than using a (ahem) boom fork... or a tugger! then the crane flys the gear on the pad. alot of ways to slam in big cable but i have it down to a art. trust me on that. there is about a hundred ways to pull cable and drop gear I suppose, but only a few will not destroy 300' of 500mcm- that will make or break the job.
 
and there are alot of ways to drop big gear- even when you cant get a hoist over it. or a 800lb motor... thats the fun of it, right? only a few ways will be successful...
 
mstrlucky74 said:
Use a crane? For what? Pulling? How?
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You use whatever you have, but mostly you have to use your brain. Two pulls that come to mind for me. I had to pull a long run of big copper out. We didn't have a sheave, so I pulled my truck with a rack on it up. Ran the rope and eventually the wire right up over the rack and hooked it to the ball of another truck and slowly drove away.

My favorite though (all my idea), was a 500 foot run of 500KCMIL (MCM back then) It was on a Wemco reel, but the pull had to go through a ground box in the middle of it and the entire area was a mud pit. We set up a Lull (boomable fork lift) at the box with a 24" sheave. Set the tugger at one end and the reel at the other. We would tie off the rope at the tugger raise the Lull all the way up. That would pull wire in the first run of conduit, then we would lower the boom while pulling at the tugger end. Tie the rope off again and repeat. Eventually the wire came out of the first pipe up over the sheave and down in to the second pipe, where the tugger started to do work also. The genius If I say so myself) was that the wire didn't touch the ground and we didn't have to do something really difficult like lay down plywood and tarps to keep the mud off of the wire. My boss was quite impressed with my ingenuity.

My point though is, think about the pull and use whatever you have that can be used safely.
 
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