Worst week I ever had was a Tuesday in July near Akron

I was pulling new lines for a whole apartment complex and the old conduit was packed with this black goo that looked like tar... took me 4 hours to clear just one run. Half the residents were screaming about their internet being down, and the boss kept calling every 20 minutes asking for updates. Anyone else run into nasty conduit gunk that makes you question your career choices?

2 comments

2 Comments

luna89124d ago

Honestly, I gotta disagree on this one. I've pulled miles of that black goo stuff and it's usually just old rubberized tape that melted over time. A little heat from a torch and a good pair of dykes, you can peel it out in strips, not chunks. Last July I had a run near Canton that looked exactly like your picture, cleared it in 45 minutes because I wasn't trying to yank it all at once. Maybe your boss was on your back so hard you weren't thinking straight, but that stuff isn't the devil everyone makes it out to be.

sageross24d ago

Yeah, that "peel it in strips" part is dead on. I had a job near Akron last fall, same stuff. Thought I was in for a nightmare. Then I just worked a corner loose with a flathead, hit it with a little heat, and it came off like a giant bandaid. Took me maybe 35 minutes. People see that black goo and panic, but half the time it's just old glue that ain't that hard to deal with.