New Garage CU

[Onoff]

3D print some couplers to connect the new conduit to the old one?

A bit of hose inside the new and old lengths is the plan...and some string...

It was quite easy to push this through. I really don't know what I'm going to do if I can't clear the jam or pull them out.

 

[addjunkie]

Conduit looks a tad small to me for the 3 things.

I use parachute cord when I do it, for a reet good pull, but put it through before burial

 

[Onoff]

Conduit looks a tad small to me for the 3 things.

It was a case of what I had / could get cheap on FB marketplace etc. It's cost me a fortune doing this.

Should have run the Cat-6 in the 20mm's when I pushed them through.

Hindsight

 

[addjunkie]

It was a case of what I had / could get cheap on FB marketplace etc. It's cost me a fortune doing this.

Should have run the Cat-6 in the 20mm's when I pushed them through.

Hindsight

Get digging again!

 

[Onoff]

Maybe if I can drag one 20mm out and just use the other?

 

[Onoff]

Get digging again!

You jest but it might come to it.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Printed little spheres with a hole to put kite string in and tried sucking with a vac and blowing with a compressor. Done it many times before without issue.
Now BOTH 20mm conduits have the spheres stuck! Pulling back on the kite string and they won't budge.

I hate to be that guy, but in hindsight, maybe when it didn't work on the first one, that was the time to rethink the second one.

Flexible conduit like that can be a nightmare to get cable though, it always gets caught up IME.
Sometimes stretching it can free stuff off, but you have to be quite careful, and I've only done it over a short run.
I would advise to avoid trying to pull the conduit through. I think that will end in tears.

Perhaps try a more "airtight" seal with the compressor and put a bit of pressure behind it to try and blow it back, obviously go easy as you can split it.
If you have an offcut you could experiment to see how much it will take - but I wonder if that might free it up, and might have the effect of expanding the conduit and "straightening" it out, which might just be enough to free up whatever the ball is caught up on.

Do you happen to know how far along the run it is stuck?

 

[Onoff]

First one that got stuck was like a hollow bullet. Curved at the front but flat at the back.

Second one was a sphere. As in radiused both sides in case it got stuck, it still did.

The conduit had a good squirt of silicone spray each time before inserting.

No ideas how far along it got stuck on either run.

Half a thought to try and push some 1.5mm² SWA through and push the blocks back.

 

[Misterg]

Half a thought to try and push some 1.5mm² SWA through and push the blocks back.

Your best bet, I think.

If you do manage to get them out, throw the plastic bits away and just tie a scrap of rag to the end of the line (about 2" square, tied around the middle) and it'll zip through with the hoover no problem.

 

[Onoff]

Your best bet, I think.

If you do manage to get them out, throw the plastic bits away and just tie a scrap of rag to the end of the line (about 2" square, tied around the middle) and it'll zip through with the hoover no problem.

First go was a square of plastic bag with a small hole through the centre. Done that many times.

Didn't work.

 

[Dapph2]

Lad has suggested I try and pull the jammed conduits through, dragging new ones behind at the same time. Making a secure joint will be fun.

Worst case I'm going to have to disconnect & pull the SWA out again.

Did you pour conduit lube in on the cables and draw string as you pulled things in or was it all done dry ?

 

[Onoff]

Did you pour conduit lube in on the cables and draw string as you pulled things in or was it all done dry ?

I just gave the end of the tube a good squirt of Parkside silicone spray.

I am half wondering if the kite string has become bunched. The inside dia of the 20mm conduit is nom 14.5mm. The printed spheres and hollow bullet "carriers" we printed were I think 12mm dia. The idea of the hollow carrier was like Musk's Hyperloop, the compressor pushed it from behind.

The spheres had a little recess in the top to knot the string. Before kite string we did try proper, duct draw line shown on the top one. That seemed too heavy.

Conceivable maybe then that the carrier has hit a tight spot and the kite string been blown behind it into a mass or even beyond it.

There are no sharp right angles on the run per se. The 63/50mm duct doesn't allow it so the 20mm conduits inside will follow the radius of the bigger duct.

If I had some liquid silicone lube I thought about shooting that up from each end now with the cavity wax gun. I've just got spray so maybe unload half a can each end then try and fire it along with the compressor.

I'll have another go this morning at dislodging things.

I could really do with a win on this but not hopeful.

On the upside the man flu is abating I think. The aches have pretty much gone. Just guts a bit squiffy.

In the cold light of day I reckon the duct grade Cat-6 here was stiff enough to have pushed through on it's own, maybe with a printed carrier pinned on the end. As in I likely didn't need to mess around with draw strings and getting them stuck.

 

[RichardM]

Have you got a roll of nylon air line you could push through while pulling the cord to clear things?

 

[Onoff]

One duct is clear!

Went out this morning, gave a couple of tugs and put some tension on it and the 3D printed sphere freed up.

Spent the last couple of hours unsuccessfully trying to get a single, duct grade Cat-6e through.

Tried it square cut, cut on a slant, taped to form a tape taper, with a printed sphere on the end, with a double tapered printed "shuttle". All to no avail.

 

[Onoff]

Have you got a roll of nylon air line you could push through while pulling the cord to clear things?

Not sure what that is.

 

[Onoff]

I've tried pushing from either end.

I think it gets to either end of the 11.8m run and there's not enough "stiffness" or whatever to get through / round the last bit.

 

[Onoff]

Your best bet, I think.

If you do manage to get them out, throw the plastic bits away and just tie a scrap of rag to the end of the line (about 2" square, tied around the middle) and it'll zip through with the hoover no problem.

Going to try this now.

 

[RichardM]

Not sure what that is.

https://www.airsupplies.co.uk/compressed-air-nylon-tubing

 

[8ob]

First one that got stuck was like a hollow bullet. Curved at the front but flat at the back.

Second one was a sphere. As in radiused both sides in case it got stuck, it still did.

The conduit had a good squirt of silicone spray each time before inserting.

No ideas how far along it got stuck on either run.

Half a thought to try and push some 1.5mm² SWA through and push the blocks back.

Can you dig down and expose the main ducting at the halfway point ? If you can carefully cut the outer duct and form an access pit, for pulling purposes treat the duct as two parts. Way too many bends for that to be a single pull with all those small ducts inside it.

Bob

 

[reb78]

Can you dig down and expose the main ducting at the halfway point ? If you can carefully cut the outer duct and form an access pit, for pulling purposes treat the duct as two parts. Way too many bends for that to be a single pull with all those small ducts inside it.

Bob

That was my thought too.