remove sealing compound

[wallyworld]

Can you see the chico that went past the the fitting?? Are you sure its Chico holding the wires in the conduit?

 

[arnettda]

If I remember right we poured vinegar down the pipe to loosen up the chico that was down in the 90. My JW at the time swore buy it. It helped break it loose some but did not make it vanish. We did alot of swabing to get it all out.

 

[augie47]

If I remember right we poured vinegar down the pipe to loosen up the chico that was down in the 90. My JW at the time swore buy it. It helped break it loose some but did not make it vanish. We did alot of swabing to get it all out.

was taught same by an old timer... stated must be "white vinegar".. it did seem to help the muratic acid I'm sure woul do better

 

[hillbilly]

Distilled Vinegar is concentrated Acetic acid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetic_acid

It will attack concrete, in addition to iron and Zinc
It's also handy for cleaning grout.:smile:

steve

 

[Fulthrotl]

Removing the old seal off was not the problem. The runs to the pumps exit a gutter in a very small electric room in a convienance store/gas station. This room is located near the center of the building. The sealing media leaked past the seal off in to the radius of the bend below the floor. I understand the mechanics of replaceing the conduit and related seals. The problem is trying to avoid removal of the concrete floor to access the open (unsealed)portion of the conduit(s) to replace them while trying to keep downtime of the fuel pumping abilitys to a minimum. This facility is located in a remote section of the Olympic Penensula. The next availble fuel is about 50 miles. The question was (still is) HOW TO REMOVE SEALING COMPOUND FROM IN SIDE A CONDUIT WITHOUT DESTROYING THE PIPE?

ok... you didn't say what size pipe, so i am gonna assume 3/4" conduit.

i am gonna also assume it's grc the entire length of the run, and doesn't
transition to pvc in the slab...

usually what happens is the slurry goes down and glues one or two
conductors on the bottom of the conduit, without filling the pipe solid.
saving the conductors isn't really gonna be likely. snoodling wires past
this might be possible if you get really lucky...... give it a try, you have
nothing to lose. see if you can blow air thru the pipe first. that'll give
you a good idea where you stand. if it's blocked solid, it's gonna get
ugly.

thhn or xhhw can usually be broken loose with a comealong, or a porta
power for large conductors. unless the pipe is filled full, then you are toast.
old TW is going to be a chore, period.

attach some mule tape to the conductors, so you won't have to fish
the pipe, and jack the old stuff out of there.... once the wire is out
of the pipe, the slurry on the pipe shouldn't be that much of a problem
to pull by... use lots of soap.

let's say there is a 3" blockage of solid chico in the pipe... it's no
different than getting concrete out.... i spent two months cleaning
out conduits plugged with concrete slurry on the meridian hotel in
newport beach... it isn't fun... get rubber gloves, and white vinegar....
and an old fish tape.. fill the pipe with vinegar, and let it sit a while....
stick the fish tape in until it bottoms, and cut it off 18" longer than that.

bend an eye on the tape, and put the bare end of the tape in a drill motor.
roto rooter the pipe until it is clean. flush the pipe out, and repull.

in extreme cases, i've used pool acid, and neutralized it with baking
soda in water afterwards... but i would never advise anyone to do that...

good luck

randy

 

[hardworkingstiff]

Get a couple of gallons of white distilled vineagar. Fill the conduit completely. I mean completely! Go away over night. Come back in the morning, take an old fish tape and bend an offset on the end (a little smaller than the diameter of the conduit). Cut the fish tape to about a foot or so longer than the blockage. Push the fish tape just past or right up to the blockage. Connect your drill to the end of the fish tape and spin that tape while pulling it out and pushing it it.

I've been able to clear conduits at every station I have ever been to except 1. Sometimes it takes a couple of days, but my success rate is high. Oh yea, I've retrofited over 50 stations.

Good luck, let us know how you did. (Sorry this response is so late).

 

[hardworkingstiff]

One more thing, when you go to blow out the conduit, do not, I repeat, DO NOT blow from outside to inside. Cover the conduit opening with a bucket on the end the vineager/debris will be exiting (unless you want to clean the canopy). Yea yea, experience. Not a good one either.