Electrical Wire pulling secret string move

[martianfromspace]

im a commercial electrician and i can confirm everytime its time to pull wire get ready to fight everybody

[michaelrosenberg]

As an electrician, I use this repeatedly and daily. The head you made is pretty good except that we don’t strip the line at the front we let the insulation take the beating at the front so the copper pulls strong the whole way, we also use THHN insulation so it slides easier instead of XHWN insulation (I did see the part you said you used thhn but just saying for people to have in mind). Another thing we do is use wire pulling lube liberally applied if it keeps getting caught but always use it if there are already wires in the conduit. And the plastic line you tie on the end, we call it p line or pull line not that that bit matters 🤷🏻‍♂️. The other thing is that when you did the Home Depot bag trick, that’s called a mouse (kind of because you find rodents in large conduits on jobs a lot) and the reason you had a hard time sucking it through the line is because of the way you tied the mouse. You want to make like a limp balloon in it with your finger, then tie a knott around the finger area, take your finger out, and tighten it up. It makes a parachute in the conduit that forces it through a lot better.👍🏻

[thetruth]

“Why are you watching the video?”
The answer to that question is simple, you’re always hoping that someone knows something that you don’t that’s going to make your job easier!😜

[nkans]

Appreciate the intelligence in solving the problem with what you have. Using the right tools = Saves your time.

[mahichlavrenteva]

*Perfect and I’ve used it for ballon arches as **enjoyable.fishing** recommend well as other decor with parties. It is strong and will hold up well. It works so good that another decorator stole my roll at an event!*

[kevinhogan]

If you tie the bag on one end instead of the center it flies thru the pipe. I have done many pulls over 700’ this way. I use 50 lb monofilament fishing line then pull a rope thru for the really long pulls. The monofilament is ridiculously fast thru the pipe.

[byoung]

I always separate the strands on the head and bend them over the loop of the pull string then reverse twist around the head. Will never come apart. No matter how far your pulling. Nothing more embarrassing than your head pulling apart and you need to start over.

[MrSleepProductionsInc]

Lay the wire out in long S patterns instead of straight so you aren’t pulling all the weight of all the wire.

[adv-fabiod]

I an a audio visual system integrater installer, use that trick all the time. Cant say I came up with it. It was an electrician who showed me that and I thank him everytime I use that method

[deanosworld]

Nice video, explained well.just one other tip is when you are taping the end where you are attaching the string, start taping from where you have all the cables and tape towards the loop where you attach the string, and the tape will lay without any edges that might catch on any of the joins in the conduit.

[scottlandb]

You nailed it. How we used to do it when I was a electrician. Homedepot bag and vacuum.

[bradc]

I always pull a string after running long lengths of pipe and when i tie on the conductore i usually cut off most of the strands on each conductor leaving about 4 or 5 and tie all conductors to the string/snake staggering. The "head" is smaller and there is little chance of a conductor coming off. Some underground installs DO get mud in them unfortunately for a multitude of reasons and this method increases your chances of pulling them all through the first time.

[toobad]

After 30 years on commercial projects I watch to see if someone knows a trick I don't know.

I'm retired as an electrical contractor and after ten years of watching YouTube videos I haven't seen anything new.

1. The code says no more than 120° of bends between access points. If you could get a string through 360° you wouldn't even be able to pull even the string much less a wire.

2. What makes the wire drag is friction. The flat string doesn't really matter. It could be round as long as you don't exceed it's breaking strength. The smoother it is the better. Those little string containers from Home Depot or Lowes are just a mess of kinks. Buy the large bucket of pull string. It's handy to have for lots of reasons even it you are just a homeowner and don't need that much.

3. You are correct about staggering the wire end for a smooth entry and taping the ends. However, (here comes the pulling argument) tape the loose ends of your string back past the farthest piece of wire in your pigtail. Hold that point with one hand (use your left if you are right handed). Use your right hand to make a simple loop in the middle of the string and flip the string loop over and slide the string loop up the wire end to the end of the farthest wire. When you pull the string tight it will form a small knot. If you did it correctly that small knot will clamp down on the wire like a Chinese Grip. The harder you pull, the tighter it gets. It will take several attempts to figure out the right way to flip the loop over. Tape the loop in place so it doesn't move. With practice you will learn to put the slip knot at the very end of each wire (or cable) you add to your pull. The knot helps smooth out the pigtail so there are fewer/smaller high spots to get hung up. Move your left hand to the knot you just made and repeat this process with making the loop with you right hand about every 6"/8" to a foot until you have worked your way back to the leading end of your pigtail. Put one last knot as close the the end of the pigtail as possible. Always hold the string tight while making the knots. This will never pull off. It eliminates that whole shepherds hook you made which sometimes gets caught at joints and entry points. The harder you pull the tighter it gets. Those multiple knots spread out the tension on the pull. Practice until you get this right and teach it to others. There will be no more arguments!

4. The string alone won't "cut" the conduit on the inside of a bend. Heat generated by friction does that. The heat softens the pvc and the string abrasion does the rest. If you are having that much trouble use wax based wire lube, sparingly. Try not to get it on your hands.

5. Start your pull at the end of your conduit run with the most bends or with the closest bend. It's easier to pull past the worst part at the beginning.

6. If possible (outside on long runs) pull down hill. Gravity matters!

7. Try not to pull more than 200'/250' between pull boxes. If you break a string/rope it's easier to fix your problem. Also, if a conductor comes up short it gives you options.

8. Lay out your conduit run so that you have room to pull the string. Trying to pull something hard when you are tight against a wall/floor/etc is no fun.

9. You are correct about laying out your wire. Be careful outside. If it gets dirty that will add a lot of friction to the pull. Use wire on spools whenever possible and wire in boxes only when necessary.

I have built thousands of miles of aerial and underground utilities and pulled hundreds of thousands of miles of THHN, fiber, data, comm cable.
The trick with the string loop never fails but it takes some practice. There have been only a few guys that have worked for me over the decades that just couldn't figure it out.

I'm probably forgetting something but if you got this far in life you can figure it out.

[crack]

You can walk the wire out walking forward not backwards, much safer that way.

[luxuryfurniture]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ! I just adapted it slightly for a project i am doing and IT WORKED ! 😊😊😊😊Mags, Ireland

[MrWaalkman]

Here's an old electrician's trick (and I qualify on both counts):

If you're going to be an idiot and step on your wires while you are rolling them out, at least roll out your HOT wire last. If you want to get yelled at on a jobsite, walk, or better yet, drive, across the electrician's wires.

And I rolled out everything including Romex (which I completely agree that you should do), but I managed to do it while walking forwards and even occasionally chewing gum.

[achillies]

Something I learned when I was an apprentice electrician, I live in Australia, was the use of a vacuum to suck a string through a conduit. You can then use it to pull the cables through. To help the cables, we used to use talcum powder. The J&J worked the best plus it smells good. It worked great and doesn't leave the cable sticky.

[billsmith]

I've used remote control cars back in the day for in between floors or above hard ceilings.

[CurtisDrew]

I use a similar method to pull new circuits though the frames of RV's. Then once it's through I push convoluted split conduit over the wire and follow the pvc conduit as I pull the conduit off the wire.

Being a retired Power Company LIneman I've pulled hundreds of miles of wire through conduits. All the way from 120 Volt to 345 KV Million gauge high voltage urd wire. Good Video for the DIY'er who are just learning.

[robertmerrill]

Use ping pong balls for the line vac. Drill holes through, string through, tie double knot, and vac away. They fly through the conduit with no chance of snag or bind. Clip the string. Put the balls back in truck. Always on hand if needed.