Need some advice on getting wire through a conduit

[Jaguar Fan]

My in-ground swimming pool has a light in the pool about 3 feet below the surface of the water. That light needs to be replaced. I drained the pool enough, and have found the pool light wire runs through a conduit about 60-70 feet to a junction box next to the outdoor electrical panel. I used a tone generator to make sure I know which cable it is inside the junction box. In addition to 3-wire (white, black, green) encased in black plastic from the replaceable light to the junction box, there is a separate green wire that grounds the light housing.

I purchased a replacement light - one with a cord that is plenty long.

• I have tried without success to pull the existing cable out of the underground conduit.
• I attached a come-along, and that just broke the wire.
• I've tried using a fish tape from either end -- I get 3/4 of the way through before hitting a stop that I cannot get past.
• I'm about to give up & call a pool repair place, but my guess is they will just try the same things I've tried.

Any ideas? Here are 3 photos.

The housing - see, I drained the pool, and I have about 6 or 8 inches of cable left after it snapped from using the come-along.

Here is the junction box at the other end of the conduit:

Finally, here is the snapped cable (I pulled it from the swimming pool side of the conduit) :

This pool is about 6 years old. I am not the original owner, so I wasn't here during construction.

 

[matt151617]

When you say you get 3/4 of the way through the conduit with the fish tape from either end, do you mean 3/4 from one end and 1/4 from the other end? So there's some kind of obstruction in one spot? If that's the case, there's probably a root or some kind of damage to the conduit at that spot. If so, there's nothing you can do but get a shovel and start digging and laying new conduit...

 

[Jaguar Fan]

When you say you get 3/4 of the way through the conduit with the fish tape from either end, do you mean 3/4 from one end and 1/4 from the other end? So there's some kind of obstruction in one spot? If that's the case, there's probably a root or some kind of damage to the conduit at that spot. If so, there's nothing you can do but get a shovel and start digging and laying new conduit...

Actually, I get about 50 of fish tape in starting at the junction box. I also get about 50 feet of fish tape in when I start in the pool!

 

[nehog]

I'd first dig up as much of the conduit as I could easily get up and eliminate the 90 elbows. Once you are reduced to a straight shot it should be much easier to pull the wire. You may want to add some lubricant as well, letting it soak for a while, as that may help.

 

[jbberns]

possibly the green wire is wrapped around the cable. Did you try pulling both out at the same time?

 

[Steevo]

Actually, I get about 50 of fish tape in starting at the junction box. I also get about 50 feet of fish tape in when I start in the pool!

????
In your original post, you said the light is maybe 60-70' from the junction box.
If you can get 50 feet of fish tape in from either end, maybe you are fishing two different conduits?

Is that a low voltage light?
If not, was it code correct for them to pull what appears to be extension cord through a conduit in the first place?

 

[kkenney]

Take a vacuum and blow air from j box to wet niche housing in pool. If you have plenty of air coming out pour wire lube mixed with water and blow toward pool let soak and try pulling wires out. If you end up getting wires out make sure you lube up cord from wet niche fixture real good when pulling new in

 

[frankzlt1]

1 of your problems us the sjo cord thats attached to the light needs lube to pull it in. When i installed those lights in the pool it needs to be filled especially a long run like you have the water acts like a lube and makes it easier too pull. 2nd is the ground wire is most likely wrapped around the sjo cord and not allowing you to pull out the wire. Why are replacing the whole light anyways, those bulbs in those lights are replaceable.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

Thanks for advice. I started out just to change the light bulb. I needed to change the entire light as the seal had failed and the inside rusted out. Then, when I pulled the light up onto the deck, I found that the light fixture was spliced into the cord going through the conduit - definitely not code. They used **** connectors for the three conductors, wrapped it up in black electrical tape, etc - and this is submerged.

I finally got the old cable out using a come along on the jbox side.

I added about a gallon of really soapy water, and the cable pulled out ever so slowly usng the come along.

Then, I used a fish tape to go from the jbox to the pool, then started to pull the cable through using a lot of silicon lube (Klein Tools' cable pulling lube).

The conduit all-told is 75 feet long (using the fish tape to measure its lenght).

Project is all done.

 

[Doug1]

I had the exact same issue but I attached pull strings when pulling the old cable out because getting fish tape around some bends can be a lot of trouble. I wanted to go with different fixtures with better color options so I replaced the 2 units in the pool each had about a 75ft run to the junction box via separate conduits. One came out easily, one not so easily.