Electricians' Top Tip: Have you ever lost the draw wire in ducting or conduit? #shorts

Nothing worse than turning up job and finding the draw wire in ducting or conduit is missing. Or the frustration of the draw wire coming loose during a wire pull.

In this electricians' top tip we show you how to replace a missing draw wire using a vacuum cleaner and a plastic bag. Also known as running a mouse.

Send us your electricians' top tip - drop us a link on social media or in the video comments.

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🎦 Presented by

Gary Hayers - Editor
Gordon Routledge CEng MIET - Technology Editor eFIXX

#efixx #morepower #shorts

[WilliamWonka]

Pro-tip: Make sure you’re 2 steps ahead of Gary and tie the other end off.

[waynep]

Left string in conduit to pull additional wires later. Always pull a new string in at same time as wires to again leave a string for pulling another circuit later.

[grantsypants]

Every electrician worth his salt knows this.

[Dr.Westside]

I've been watching commercial electricians use this for decades .

[macduffa]

Think of the uses for that string...(tying bales of straw, shoelaces, hanging your giblets to dry) well done Gary 👍🏻

[FoodieSeo]

I use this method all the time. There was one site where no one knew where the pipes were going so i had to attach the vacuum and walk around til i heard the sucking sound. Took me a while to find it all.

[thegingerpowerranger]

would love to see Gary on his own reality TV show. The Adventures of Gary.

[chrischase]

In the US we call that a bird. Usually made of foam in different sizes.

[Elroysfac]

And yes this does work...I worked commercial electric for 3 yrs this tip works great

[TheKranick]

Electrician here in Virginia, 🇺🇸 we call it a mouse! Nice trick!

[neilanderson]

I seee! that’s what the hover is for lol

[kyote]

We’ve used the plastic bag a lot. Some companies actually make “mice” that’s pretty much the same concept. Usually a cylinder shape foam with a small I bolt type metal through the center to tie your pull string on. I think plastic bag is just as good if not better. The mouse you can buy has more weight and seems to get caught up a lot on connectors or couplings compared to the plastic. And some people will pull in another pull string when they pull in their wire if they haven’t hit capacity. So for future pulls will tie the string at both ends for future circuits the strings already there to tie your wire on to. But I’ve also seen people disconnect a ground wire or use an extra wire that’s already there. Tie on your new circuit wires plus the another one you’re using as a pull string. Good to use lube sometimes if there’s a lot of wires in the raceway or lots of bends so you don’t eat through the wires jacket from friction.

And a trick to help with the shop vac for suction. (I’m sure most electricians already know). But if you can’t get the hose end of the vac to create good enough suction at say a junction box or tight 4 square box where a 3/4” conduit comes in or 1/2”. You can cut off the bottom of an empty water bottle and take off the cap. Tape the bottom end to the end of the shop vac hose, and press the cap side of the bottle up to the connector of the conduit in the small box. And if that doesn’t work still just use a finger and thumb and squeeze around the cap side of the bottle against the connector and should be enough usually.

Also if you’re using EMT instead of rigid and it’s a long run and you can’t get enough suction. Tape off around your couplings/connectors especially if it’s the set screw type. Rigid doesn’t usually matter cause air doesn’t leak as much of the suction through the couplings.

[Jasondavisvids]

My whole career iv struggled feeding the string through by hand and you telling me I could just suck it through.. who’d have known

[andyshepherd]

Only thing I would add is make sure you use a wet and dry vacuum if the duct is already laid.

[kevincerny]

They sell little foam "mice" for different size pvc conduit or regular conduit for this. Use them all the time for feeding power through piping laid underground for the backyards we build.👍gotta love it

[sarcasmmuch]

Simply amazing to see an industry standard applied for over 40 years, Everywhere throughout the world, Everyday

[justintothetruth]

I just did that last night wiring my electric cart.
I’m a labourer.
You guys got step up your game

[phxgen]

I thought you were implying you'd make Gary fix it...

"All I need is some sucker on the other side!"
*_cuts to himself on the other side._*

[steelfalconx]

Lol this is how we used to pull jetline in conduit to prep for fiber optic runs. We also used the opposite (blowing) to clear conduit that had gotten clogged, just some good psi does the trick.

[brendenkiper]

Use this almost exclusively for all underground even big 4 inch pipes, it’s the fastest way.