Advice on pulling feed wire

[Falcon67]

I'm about to pull the feed to the shop. I have to come out of a hole in the eve, down a 2" conduit and over to the shop. There are two 90 degree sweeps in the run. That part is only 35' total. However, looks like I painted myself into a corner. The 2-2-2-4 aluminum is pretty dang stiff and I hate to lay in the attic and try to feed it under the eve and down the pipe while adding cable lube. I'm feeling a tar and feather show fueled by lube and blown fiberglass. What I'm thinking about doing is mounting a pull box under the eve to allow room to feed it out of the attic, then re-feed it down the conduit. It's less elegant, but suggestions welcome.

The eve pic has the hole covered with duct tape - the mrs has a thing about potential critters and holes in the house.

 

[DoyleDee]

Could you not add conduit going from your house (the first section from the eve) after and pull the wire to your shop- then feed it to the section to the eve left out, and then put the two sections together?

 

[DoyleDee]

I hope I made that as clear as mud......
I'm thinking of adding an access point (like an LB) at the wall of my house to feed the shop easier- and then push the wire through the last section headed toward the house. My panel is only about 10 ft from the exterior wall I'm planning to use as an access.

 

[Aceman]

Read this thread, it sounds like you're trying to do the same thing:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86921

 

[David Ferguson]

I've found it easier to pull wire than to push/feed it. To do this, you have to get pull rope into the conduit -- this is actually quite easy, as you can simply attach it to a plastic grocery bag (ie it through the handles) -- then **** the bag and pull rope to the other end using a shop-vac -- just use duct-tape to tape the vac hose to the conduit. For this to work, you have to have sweeps instead of 90 degree elbows.

When pulling your wire, you may want to pull another rope so you can add more wires in the future.

When building my house/shop -- I had one run that was about 600' long. I ran fiber-optic cable and control cables for my well and water storage tank.

Non-stretching pull rope is available from electrical wholesalers (I may have gotten some at Home Depot, not sure). It comes marked with the distance in feet so you can figure out how far you've gotten.

 

[David Ferguson]

Oops, I missed that you are already pulling the wire. And just want to make the access to the conduit easier -- that's exactly what junction boxes are for -- so I say add what you need.

 

[-Brent-]

I just added pull ropes to a the runs in the house where I'll be putting data/HDMI cables eventually. Instead of buying the higher-priced specific stuff I made my own for $2.00.

 

[Falcon67]

Read this thread, it sounds like you're trying to do the same thing:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86921

Yep, thanks for the link. Nearly identical. I have a good thick pull rope ready. I have 120' of cable which is probably 30' too much but better two much than the other. The initial idea is to unspool it in the back yard and pull all but the last 36' up through the hole. I'm not sure I want to chance moving a heavy coil of wire across the attic and unspooling it up there. - one slip and we're all laying on the dining room table with some off topic work to do.

I'd like to not splice the wire if I can avoid it. I could splice in a J-box at the eve, but I'd rather leave a service loop in there and just loop back into the box. That could still be a wrassle since the cable is pretty stiff. If this fear of the splice is irrational and splicing the aluminum cable is no issue, just say so and I could certainly do that a lot easier. I would be able to feed the 36' conduit run from the shop end to the J-box a lot easier than from the attic. Pulling the rest thru the hole into the attic isn't such a challenge, except for footing.

I'm not sure I'd put a pull rope back in - it's pretty easy to run my fish tape that distance, but I can't see putting anything else in that conduit. I thought about a switch in the house to control the shop security lights, but I'm not sure how the code would treat that, with the switch wiring coming in from a separate building.

The other end has it's own interesting issues - it's only 4' down to the breaker box, so no real pull issues. The wire seems a little stiff for an L (maybe not a big one - have to go look at some) into the little 100A box. But a nice 90 degree sweep puts the conduit riser smack in the middle of a 6 x 12 eve vent.

 

[VHF]

Just put a straight-through conduit body (Type "C" instead of an "LB") somewhere in your exposed vertical conduit run between the eve and the ground. Personally I'd put it a couple feet above ground. Then you can use it as central entry point and pull the wire in both directions.

 

[kngelv]

If you only have a 4 feet to get to the panel would it be possible to do the entire run in conduit? If not I would put a splice box under the eave and only use the service cable from the box to the house panel. Putting a service cable in conduit is almost never a good idea. Using individual conductors is a better way to go. If you ever want to change anything it is much easier to deal with.

James

 

[buzz4041]

Just put a straight-through conduit body (Type "C" instead of an "LB") somewhere in your exposed vertical conduit run between the eve and the ground. Personally I'd put it a couple feet above ground. Then you can use it as central entry point and pull the wire in both directions.

This is correct put a "C" directly on the stub up from the ground and then run the conduit up through the eve. Then you have a firm stable place to add soap and pull from instead of from a ladder where you are in a bind.

 

[Falcon67]

If you only have a 4 feet to get to the panel would it be possible to do the entire run in conduit? If not I would put a splice box under the eave and only use the service cable from the box to the house panel. Putting a service cable in conduit is almost never a good idea. Using individual conductors is a better way to go. If you ever want to change anything it is much easier to deal with.

James

I'll have to post a pic of the other end so people are clear on that. The shop end is a drop out of the eve, total 30' of conduit. The other end is a Square D Homeline 6 slot 100A box tied into the meter can. It's about 4' down from the eve on the side of the house. The utility used the top of the box for the in feed, so the only real option is out the right side. If I El and go straight up, no problem. If I sweep out - right into a vent. Further thought might classify that at a "good thing" - I can drop my cable out of the vent hole in the eve, then make a cover from some of my left over HardiSoffit and just run the up conduit through that. I could put a box under the eve and go from #2 AL to #3 or #4 CU - but why if I can just run it into the box.

This is correct put a "C" directly on the stub up from the ground and then run the conduit up through the eve. Then you have a firm stable place to add soap and pull from instead of from a ladder where you are in a bind.

Bing - that was the bump I needed. Like this except in 2"
http://www.lowes.com/pd_115839-1716...rentURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=conduit+body&facetInfo=

 

[Falcon67]

After a shopping tip to Lowes, I cheesed out - bought a 6x6x4 box, some fittings, some good size aluminum splices, anti-oxidant and cable lube. I wasn't finding any C bodies in 2", but this is the same just different. The box has a nice weather seal on the cover. I'll mount the box at the eve and splice the wire in there. I'll make the whole thing an easier production. I can bring the attic leg from the garage opening and only have to handle the last 20' or so to the eve over the dining room. I can pull the ground part though the conduit then stand the riser and box up under the eve. Easy.

I also eyeballed some LBs at 1 1/2" and that should work for the other end. If I go out the side and straight up, I'll just miss the vent. Pic of far end where the breaker will reside:

 

[buzz4041]

I do not recommend pulling wire into any conduit that is not completely installed. You are only asking for problems by pulling wire and then thinking you are going to stand up the conduit and it be easy. What is easy is to damage the wire this way. Complete the installation of all conduit boxes etc and then pull your cable. Conduit runs and placement of boxes need to be planned out to ensure you can pull the wire safely and effectively.

 

[Falcon67]

Good advice - there's only 7' of difference in the run anyway and that is straight up. I seem to keep blowing off exactly how stiff this wire is. I have to go out and grab it, then get the "oh, yea". I would have had the conduit and box in tonight but it turns out I have every size hole saw except the 2 1/2" I need for the box fittings.

Clarify this - the Cantex plastic junction box has the size cast into the bottom, right next to the words "grounding required". Eh? Plastic?

 

[Falcon67]

Good 'nuff. Will run the rest through the attic tonight since the high is going to be 45F.

 

[buzz4041]

Chris it looks good. Add a few 1 hole straps to your conduit and you will be done.

 

[Falcon67]

Chris it looks good. Add a few 1 hole straps to your conduit and you will be done.

LOL - Left off the bushing from the conduit in the box. I'm looking for some proper sized clamps to steady the conduit. I planned to use a couple of conduit hangers on the wall behind the pipe but both stores have been out of 2" sizes. The pipe is about 1" off the wall.

 

[buzz4041]

With PVC the bushing isn't a show stopper. Now if it were rigid conduit then that is a different story. Fab up some 1 x 2 strips to mount to the wall and attach the straps to it to make up the difference since the conduit is not offset back to the wall.