Found a way to pull wire through a packed conduit that saved a whole day

Had a job last week where we needed to add a circuit to an old office building in Tacoma. The existing 1-inch conduit was already full with three #10 wires, and the spec called for a fourth. My first thought was to pull everything out and start over, which would have taken at least eight hours. Instead, I tried something my old foreman mentioned once: using a ton of wire pulling gel and a fishtape with the hook bent almost straight. I coated the new wire and the existing bundle, then slowly worked the fishtape in alongside them. It took about 45 minutes of careful wiggling, but the new wire slid right through without damaging the old ones. I was sure it would bind up, but the extra lube and patience did the trick. Has anyone else had luck with a method like this on a really tight pull?

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3 Comments

nelson.nancy6mo ago

Glad it worked out, but man, bending the fishtape hook straight is a huge risk. If it catches on a coupling, you can really jam things up. I've seen guys use a smaller gauge leader wire first to feed through the gel, then attach the new wire to that. It gives you less chance of messing up the existing bundle. Your method is basically playing conduit jenga.

8

nancy5246mo ago

Is it really that big of a deal?

2

henry3155mo ago

Nah, a bent hook can wreck your whole pull. Learned that one the hard way.

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