SO cable pulled in EMT and Greenfield

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Purr24

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Pennsylvania
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Electrician
I am hooking up CT scan in a hospital. The equipment guys came to pull cables which are all SO cables sized. 3/#2/O. conduits and Greenfield are oversized but still alot of drag on the conduit with the rubber jacket on the cables. 1 offset and 2 -90 degree bends. Any suggestions? Already tried pulling gel. Still difficult pulling.
 
Why SO cable?
SO cable in conduit is a code violation, not allowed to use portable cord as a substitute for fixed wiring.
my suggestion is to use a code approved wiring method, esp in a hospital.
 
Didn't the machine vendor specify the conduit sizes and routes?
 
Why SO cable?
SO cable in conduit is a code violation, not allowed to use portable cord as a substitute for fixed wiring.
my suggestion is to use a code approved wiring method, esp in a hospital.
Typically medical installations are installed as listed machines/equipment and SO type cables are normal.

Roger
 
Yes conduit size were select from vendor, routes altered with Duct work etc that's the reason for 20' of Greenfield.

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In my experience the machine manufacturer will not be very sympathetic if their engineered drawings are not followed to a tee, they think they are special. You might have to use a tugger.

Roger
 
I suggest you disconnect at least one end of the flex, pull in the cable with it straight, then re-install it.
 
Is the Greenfield on one end of the conduit route, and if so, which way are you pulling the cables? I would think it might be better not to pull it out from the greenfield side because then the drag from most of the run could create more sideways force against the corrugations of the Greenfield.

I just saw Larry's post to disconnect the Greenfield first, and that's another way to do it.
 
Typically medical installations are installed as listed machines/equipment and SO type cables are normal.

Roger
Ok, but that’s interesting. Must be a reason they use SO cord, even though it makes installation harder
 
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Normally SO is only required where extra flexibility of the conductors is needed (equipment vibration, moving of equipment etc.) so installation inside a rigid (non flexible) conduit seems too negate the reasoning for SO cable.
Perhaps this cable also has control wiring in it as well like the generator cable made for Generac?
Did look at the GE scanner requirements. It indicates wiring with "no splices" and needing at least 10 ft of pigtail for equipment connection (flexible wireing like SO here) and with the no splice requirements guess that would indicate SO all the way to the panel connection. They also list requirements for large sweep bends in conduit, likely to allow easier pull of SO.
 
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