fishing 6 gauge wires through conduit

[John Grabowski]

Use 1" conduit. It will be easier to pull or push the wires in. If you are going to be installing the wires yourself install a "C" condulet (Maybe 2) about halfway into the run. It will make it easier for one person to install the wires.

I suggest a # 8 for the ground conductor. It is all you need and it will take up less room in the conduit.

Install the conduit first and then install the wires. You will be dealing with too much if you try to do it all at once.

John Grabowski

[HorneTD]

3/4" EMT is legal for four #6 AWG THHN wires. When you say three turns do you mean three 90 degree bends through which you will pull the wire or do you mean two ninety degree bends and one LB as you indicated earlier? What made you decide to go with EMT instead of the cheaper and easier SER cable? Did you consider running Type MC metal clad cable to get much of the physical protection of EMT with most of the ease of installation of cable?

Even with three ninety degree bends it should not be a tough pull. Just use a quart bottle of pulling lubricant. The US NEC requires that a conduit run be completed before the wire is pulled. Experience has shown that the conductors are far more likely to be damaged if they are inserted into the conduit as it is assembled.

[300.18 Raceway Installations. (A) Complete Runs. Raceways, other than busways or exposed raceways having hinged or removable covers, shall be installed complete between outlet, junction, or splicing points prior to the installation of conductors. ...] copyright 2002 National Fire Protection Association

-- Tom H

[John Hines]

Fishing should be possible, I did that myself with 3/4" IMC. Only 180 degrees worth of turns though.

The ground wire can be #8, but I'd keep the neutral the same as the mains, since it is possible to fully load one half of the service, requiring the neutral to carry full load.

You can get wire pulling lube at the store, it makes pulling easier.

[Ignoramus22732]

Yes.

What is LB?

Supposedly, our town requires solid metallic conduit.

Oh, I see. I will do that. As I said, I want to use a pulling box (?) on one or even two turns.

Thanks. I want to be 100% kosher on this.

i

[Ignoramus22732]

Thanks, I will get wire pulling lube. I also need a fishing tape, I would suppose... Should I buy a cheap one on ebay?

i

[Charles Bishop]

If, by "multiple pulls" it means feeding the wire through each section of conduit separately, then connecting the conduit, it could be they are worried about catching the wire on the sharpish ends of the conduit and nicking it. With the conduit completely assembled, the ends are in the connectors and there shouldn't be any exposed to catch on the wire.

[snip]

charles

[SQLit]

Your kidding about pushing the wire........ HA HA HA...

You will be so frustrated before you done that screaming will seem not enough.

Install the conduit, strap it down. Now if you have a fish tape use it if not get a plastic bag from the SO and tie some light string around the middle of it. I use nylon. Suck the baggie though the conduit using your vacuum. Now pull a small rope through the conduit.

I highly suggest that you pull a ground wire. Relying on conduit is not a good idea. Connectors and coupling do get loose and then you have no ground.

Put a loop on the end of the rope using tape. Double it back on itself and/or twine the strands into the rode, we call it weaving. SMALL as possible for this loop/head.

Now the wire, strip all of the conductors back starting with 4 inches and stair stepping to 8 inches. Bend over 4-5 strands of each wire and cut off the rest. Use the 4-5 strands to lay in the wire to your loop. Now tape up the "head" of the wire leaving the exposed looped over wire. Helps believe me.

Your all set to pull in the conductors.

If you do not have any wire lube, you can use IVORY soap. NOTE SOAP not detergent. Slime the head and have some one pull gently until the head is completely in the pipe. Keep slack on the wire and allow the rope to pull the wire thorough. Slimeing with each pull.

Comment on the #8's was right on reducing the neutral for the load is quite common.

[Ignoramus22732]

Thanks, I will do as you say, sans the #8 conductor, since Ialready bought #6 wires.

i

[John Hines]

You can. I far prefer my fancy Klein, since it has a case that the tape winds back up in. Fish tapes are always a PITA to store, since they are very springy.

[John Hines]

Hopefully stranded. I remember a run with 3 stranded, and one solid (bare) number sixes, and it was a real bitch.

[Ignoramus22732]

yes, all three are stranded.

i

[Ignoramus22732]

I bought a greenlee 125 feet in a round case. (kind of like measuring tape)

i

[FarmerJim]

Nobody's mentioned it, but the NEC requires that the conduit fill be reduced for each bend.

What this meant in my case, running 210 feet underground betwixt barn and garage through four bends, was that my conduit fill allowance was reduced to total about 16% of the cross-sectional area of the conduit rather than the 40% fill allowed for straight runs.

[Ignoramus5713]

Thanks. I already did everything, I decided to reduce the # of turns to 1. I used corner thingys for the pther turns.

i

[DanG]

I hope those corner thingies are not underground and are accessible.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) [e-mail]

"Ignoramus5713" wrote in message news:crvc92$t77$ [e-mail]...

[Ignoramus22481]

Quite accessible, yes.

i