peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
I was using the good ole vacuum and shopping bag trick to install a pull line in a 2" PVC the other day. I was having a problem with a blockage. Guess what it was? 3 dead rotting mice. Yuck!
Really gross pull string installation
- Thread starter peter d
- Start date
- Status
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Re: Really gross pull string installation
So, then, what's the trick for removing dead rotten mice from a 2" conduit? Did they vacuum out? Or did you need to pull a swab? Yuck, in any event.
So, then, what's the trick for removing dead rotten mice from a 2" conduit? Did they vacuum out? Or did you need to pull a swab? Yuck, in any event.
- Location
- Massachusetts
Re: Really gross pull string installation
It could have been worse.
You might have blown the string through with compressed gas only to shoot the mice out like a potato gun. That could have been messy.
It could have been worse.
You might have blown the string through with compressed gas only to shoot the mice out like a potato gun. That could have been messy.
peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
Re: Really gross pull string installation
The bag pulled them right into the end of the pipe where I had the vacuum attached. The whole mess stopped right where I had the vacuum inserted into the pipe (since the vacuum hose was smaller than the pipe, and I had to use duct tape to seal it in place.)
I managed to take a long, thin scrap of plywood and pull the whole mess out of the pipe.
The bag pulled them right into the end of the pipe where I had the vacuum attached. The whole mess stopped right where I had the vacuum inserted into the pipe (since the vacuum hose was smaller than the pipe, and I had to use duct tape to seal it in place.)
I managed to take a long, thin scrap of plywood and pull the whole mess out of the pipe.
peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
Re: Really gross pull string installation
Yeah, that would have been pretty awful. All I that was left of them that I could recognize was tails.Originally posted by iwire:
It could have been worse.
You might have blown the string through with compressed gas only to shoot the mice out like a potato gun. That could have been messy.
charlie tuna
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
Re: Really gross pull string installation
about thirty years ago -- we were wiring a new department store -- we had 3" feeders run to each corner of this large store to feed electrical distribution rooms that also incorporated a telephone board. we had two pipes that we couldn't vacuum thru! there was a large air compressor on the store's loading dock. we got permission to use it and thought we knew which pipe went where in the switchgear..... wrong! the first one we blew happened to end up in a room that the telephone man was working -- and apparently had been used as an emergency "jiffy john"--------we heard a heck of a scream!! and see this telephone guy covered--really covered with stinky crap holding his arms straight out to the side! walked to his telephone truck - left his tools,etc. on the job and just drove off!!! he returned the next day and was in very good spirits about the mistake!!!
and another time we were contacted to dig up a paved parking lot to install a four inch telephone raceway to keep a major building tenant from moving out. this would have been a major expense to the building owner. while looking at the job we found an empty four inch raceway in the telphone room??? using a 200 foot metal snake which went so far then hit a dead stop! we got a measurement and then layed it out on the driveway where we intended on digging! it ended up at the telephone service manhole area. considering the costs of the new pipe -- we suggested digging down to see if this other pipe was never brought intot the manhole. sure enough we found a duct taped four inch raceway. but we couldn't get the snake through it --we could hear the snake but it was blocked in both directions!!! i ordered a greenlee 500 foot fiberglass duct rodding snake and had it aired to my supplier. that did it --- and 48 empty budwiser cans were pushed out the end of the pipe. years later, i came across an electrician who worked on this job. he told me they had a christmas party in this room and the boss sent out "a couple of cases of budwiser"!!!! i did not mention this to the building owner!!!
about thirty years ago -- we were wiring a new department store -- we had 3" feeders run to each corner of this large store to feed electrical distribution rooms that also incorporated a telephone board. we had two pipes that we couldn't vacuum thru! there was a large air compressor on the store's loading dock. we got permission to use it and thought we knew which pipe went where in the switchgear..... wrong! the first one we blew happened to end up in a room that the telephone man was working -- and apparently had been used as an emergency "jiffy john"--------we heard a heck of a scream!! and see this telephone guy covered--really covered with stinky crap holding his arms straight out to the side! walked to his telephone truck - left his tools,etc. on the job and just drove off!!! he returned the next day and was in very good spirits about the mistake!!!
and another time we were contacted to dig up a paved parking lot to install a four inch telephone raceway to keep a major building tenant from moving out. this would have been a major expense to the building owner. while looking at the job we found an empty four inch raceway in the telphone room??? using a 200 foot metal snake which went so far then hit a dead stop! we got a measurement and then layed it out on the driveway where we intended on digging! it ended up at the telephone service manhole area. considering the costs of the new pipe -- we suggested digging down to see if this other pipe was never brought intot the manhole. sure enough we found a duct taped four inch raceway. but we couldn't get the snake through it --we could hear the snake but it was blocked in both directions!!! i ordered a greenlee 500 foot fiberglass duct rodding snake and had it aired to my supplier. that did it --- and 48 empty budwiser cans were pushed out the end of the pipe. years later, i came across an electrician who worked on this job. he told me they had a christmas party in this room and the boss sent out "a couple of cases of budwiser"!!!! i did not mention this to the building owner!!!
kentirwin
Senior Member
- Location
- Norfolk, VA
Re: Really gross pull string installation
I remember once trying to blow a string into a 2" underground conduit with 90 stub-up on each end. Each time we blew it the string would go as far as the base of the ninety on the other end and then stop. We tried from both ends several times with the same results. We finally blew it to one end and I experimented with a 1/8" tape to see if I could snag whatever it was. I finally got past the object and was able to finally coax it out of the conduit. Someone had dropped a tennis ball in the pipe. The vacuum we were using had enough power to blow it to the base of either ninety but not enough to come up and out! :roll:
I remember once trying to blow a string into a 2" underground conduit with 90 stub-up on each end. Each time we blew it the string would go as far as the base of the ninety on the other end and then stop. We tried from both ends several times with the same results. We finally blew it to one end and I experimented with a 1/8" tape to see if I could snag whatever it was. I finally got past the object and was able to finally coax it out of the conduit. Someone had dropped a tennis ball in the pipe. The vacuum we were using had enough power to blow it to the base of either ninety but not enough to come up and out! :roll:
hardworkingstiff
Senior Member
- Location
- Wilmington, NC
Re: Really gross pull string installation
I heard this story (makes me nervous).
Guys roughed in the flex plastic water lines on the dock. It sat for a while (months) before the power centers came in and were installed. After the installation, some of the water valves just trickled water. (I'm sure you can guess where this is going).
Yup, they found some dead mice in the water line. The part that makes me nervous, they did not replace the water line. They ran some bleach through it and let it go.
I heard this story (makes me nervous).
Guys roughed in the flex plastic water lines on the dock. It sat for a while (months) before the power centers came in and were installed. After the installation, some of the water valves just trickled water. (I'm sure you can guess where this is going).
Yup, they found some dead mice in the water line. The part that makes me nervous, they did not replace the water line. They ran some bleach through it and let it go.
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