Smurf in the Slab

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Gary11734 said:
Yes, I'm thinking pvc as the stub up. So you think Sch 80 in lieu of Sch40? This makes more since. And, the finishers will have to work around the stub ups like they have been doing for years. Trying to convince some that ENT was not sent from heaven is a problem. Once a supplier says you can save 40% labor costs, most stop listening and start buying.

My issue here is, you can't penetrate the deck. I don't like wondering if I can pull wire later in this stuff.

Are you saying the Red dot 90 is a disaster? It sure looks like it...

Thanks for the info...

Gary
Click to expand...

yes. sch 80 is equal to GRC in most situations. and the finishing machine can't break it off as easily.
where i have a lot of pipes coming up, i'll take a 120 volt lincoln wire feed up on the deck, and
weld unistrut to the rebar to turn up for panels. a horrible waste of money? so is losing pipes.
i don't lose pipes in the slab, and my stuff coming up looks good.

the red dot 90 is your worst nightmare to get thru. usually, you've gone 140' and turned down.
then someone hangs flex on it, and goes to a box. the seasons will change trying to get stuff thru it.

carlon used to make what looked like a pvc floor flange, with a pipe thread in the bottom
and a glue fitting on top. glue the smurf right into the socket, and blow string thru it.
pull 5' out, coil it, stuff it into the smurf with a tail hanging out, screw in a pipe plug,
keeping the string hanging out so it can't get pulled back....

now, screw it down to the deck with 4 drywall screws.

if they don't exist anymore, here is how to get there.......

GRC pipe plug. drill two 3/16" holes in the center. use a good pipe plug, not cheapies.
screw it down with two drywall screws to the deck, socket side down.
spin a smurf FA adapter onto the screwed down pipe plug hand snug.
blow string into the smurf, coil up the 5' and stuff it up the smurf, leaving a tail out.
snap it into the smurf FA, leaving the tail hang out.
put a turn of tape around it to prevent seepage.

after the forms are stripped, chuck both screws in a battery drill, and use that to spin
out the plug.

reach up with a hooked wire, and pull the coil of string out.
spin another MA smurf connector into the embedded FA.
run smurf down to the box.

pull wire.

you're welcome.

ps~

smurf is stupid fast. my best day ever was on the 4th floor of the huntington beach hilton.
i did 1,000' per hour for 13 hours. 13,000'. it was 1990, and i was 45. not likely to repeat
that again. ever.
 
Last edited:
Fulthrotl said:
yes. sch 80 is equal to GRC in most situations. and the finishing machine can't break it off as easily.
where i have a lot of pipes coming up, i'll take a 120 volt lincoln wire feed up on the deck, and
weld unistrut to the rebar to turn up for panels. a horrible waste of money? so is losing pipes.
i don't lose pipes in the slab, and my stuff coming up looks good.

the red dot 90 is your worst nightmare to get thru. usually, you've gone 140' and turned down.
then someone hangs flex on it, and goes to a box. the seasons will change trying to get stuff thru it.

carlon used to make what looked like a pvc floor flange, with a pipe thread in the bottom
and a glue fitting on top. glue the smurf right into the socket, and blow string thru it.
pull 5' out, coil it, stuff it into the smurf with a tail hanging out, screw in a pipe plug,
keeping the string hanging out so it can't get pulled back....

now, screw it down to the deck with 4 drywall screws.

if they don't exist anymore, here is how to get there.......

GRC pipe plug. drill two 3/16" holes in the center. use a good pipe plug, not cheapies.
screw it down with two drywall screws to the deck, socket side down.
spin a smurf FA adapter onto the screwed down pipe plug hand snug.
blow string into the smurf, coil up the 5' and stuff it up the smurf, leaving a tail out.
snap it into the smurf FA, leaving the tail hang out.
put a turn of tape around it to prevent seepage.

after the forms are stripped, chuck both screws in a battery drill, and use that to spin
out the plug.

reach up with a hooked wire, and pull the coil of string out.
spin another MA smurf connector into the embedded FA.
run smurf down to the box.

pull wire.

you're welcome.

ps~

smurf is stupid fast. my best day ever was on the 4th floor of the huntington beach hilton.
i did 1,000' per hour for 13 hours. 13,000'. it was 1990, and i was 45. not likely to repeat
that again. ever.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info. I was looking at those 90's. It's like, can you get wire in this stuff after the fact? I did all slabs in EMT. In my hayday, the contractor was doing 18 condos in one year in Miami. Master bundles of 1/2" 3/4" and 1-1/4" was going in at a rate that was amazing. But, in my 20's then.... Now, this ENT, looks like a bunch of crap but they tell me it's fast. Ok, it may be fast, but, can I get the wire in it!

I appreciate the information. This is what I'm looking for to make the best decisions on the deck. We are doing a 20 something story right now in Tampa. It's a smurf job in a conventional deck. I'm heading that way next to take a look at the deck and going down in the rough to hear if the wire is going in OK...

Thanks again,

Gary


PS, can you get me a Cat number on the pipe plug you are referring to? I saw the pcv adapter that goes to the deck in the carlon catalog... Thanks...
 
Gary11734 said:
PS, can you get me a Cat number on the pipe plug you are referring to? I saw the pcv adapter that goes to the deck in the carlon catalog... Thanks...
Click to expand...

just a standard GRC pipe plug, with a square drive in it....
shop for the cheapest you can get. you can save them for reuse if needed.

just don't get the die cast ones like you find in a bell box. recipe for disaster.

plug.jpg

regarding red dots, i spent literally four months on the hotel meridian, across
the street from john wayne airport, getting pull strings thru red dots. months. no lie.


edit: flush all that. get this:

fitting.jpg

for the stuff above 1", use the above strategy.
 
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Gary11734 said:
Guys,

I'm doing a new Hotel in DisneyWorld. They are using smurf in the slab. I'm a EMT guy working in the past in conventional decks. This is a post tension slab at 8" thick. Trying to stay away from the finishers, I need to prop the smurf up with a PVC coupling that will be flush at the 8" mark. If not, the finishers will destroy the smurf. Any have experience with this pipe? Does caddy or anybody else have a way to prop this stuff up so it comes right to the 8" level, and stays in place? I'm running 1" and 1-1/4 smurf for fiber and electric. I'll be running two and three conduits per stub up... Not sure if I'll use gutters at the Panels are not.... Still thinking about it... Also, considering going down and down in the slab at panel and switch Home run to stay away from all this hassle... Also, I can't penetrate the deck...

Thanks for the help

Gary
Click to expand...
Smurfs has a different meaning here - at least I hope it is different...

https://www.google.com/search?q=the....69i57j0l5.12295j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
 
putting string in while installing (even if you have to unscrew boxes and such) is of course key! i showed up to a high rise that had a garage and 3 floors done with no string... i tried explaining to the leadman that until either string or wire is in place- you have no idea if the raceway survived.....which is stupid because god forbid, if you lose one, it can be run in the floor above.... the blind leading the blind kinda.

edit- the rate that these pours go, its never a bad idea to have 2 or 3 guys standing watch with compressed air and fittings (and rubber boots!) to fix stuff they break right then and there.
 
Fulthrotl said:
just a standard GRC pipe plug, with a square drive in it....
shop for the cheapest you can get. you can save them for reuse if needed.

just don't get the die cast ones like you find in a bell box. recipe for disaster.

View attachment 23303

regarding red dots, i spent literally four months on the hotel meridian, across
the street from john wayne airport, getting pull strings thru red dots. months. no lie.


edit: flush all that. get this:

View attachment 23304

for the stuff above 1", use the above strategy.
Click to expand...
Good, bad, IDK, but for past few years I don't think I have seen a bell box that has metal plugs anymore, was old stock if it did.
 
Gary11734 said:
Thanks for the info. I was looking at those 90's. It's like, can you get wire in this stuff after the fact? I did all slabs in EMT. In my hayday, the contractor was doing 18 condos in one year in Miami. Master bundles of 1/2" 3/4" and 1-1/4" was going in at a rate that was amazing. But, in my 20's then.... Now, this ENT, looks like a bunch of crap but they tell me it's fast. Ok, it may be fast, but, can I get the wire in it!

I appreciate the information. This is what I'm looking for to make the best decisions on the deck. We are doing a 20 something story right now in Tampa. It's a smurf job in a conventional deck. I'm heading that way next to take a look at the deck and going down in the rough to hear if the wire is going in OK...

Thanks again,

Gary


PS, can you get me a Cat number on the pipe plug you are referring to? I saw the pcv adapter that goes to the deck in the carlon catalog... Thanks...
Click to expand...

Why do you think you can't get wire in it, aside from obvious things like raceway filled with concrete which would be a problem with other raceway types as well?

Unless you have excessive bends (proper securing should prevent this) the stuff becomes very rigid once encased in concrete, not going to try to move when you pull through such a run like it can in other applications where not secured very well.
 
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