How do you clear out "small" electrical conduit?

Lil'John

Lil'John

Former #278
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I've got 1" gray PVC electrical conduit that is buried. I am trying to pull three 12 gauge wire for lights. Something is jammed in it preventing my fish tape from pulling the wire through. The something is a "smaller" 3/8" or 1/2" socket for a 3/8" ratchet. :shaking:

I have tried pulling the fish tape VERY hard... think vice grips on tape and prying against pcv pipe.:eek: It goes one way very easy but there is a certain spot it hangs every time. Even pulling overly hard, I can still pull reverse direction easily.

Here is paint to help visualize:
stuckSocket.jpg

From branch to branch is about twenty five feet. The socket fell in the left side vert tube. I can't pull fish that same direction. I can pull on the wires coming out the right hand side with minimal effort. I have sweeping 90 degree elbows at each end and I'm fairly positive that is not my issue.

Short of randomly digging up the conduit, any thoughts on how to get my wire through? Part of the reason I don't want to dig is because I won't be able to hit the right spot but I think I can hit close. The other part is I will be digging through St. John's Wart shrub... ie heavy tangled roots.
 
cj3a said:
Magnet on end of a snake?
Click to expand...
That has crossed my mind.

buzzbombxj said:
Put a string in it and pull the other direction?
Click to expand...
Put a string on what? The snake is coming out the left side of the tube and the wiring I'm pulling is out the right side. I haven't tried pulling fish tape out to the right using my wires. I can't pull the fish tape out the left.

Here is what the fish tape looks like:
fishTape.jpg


I have three wires stuck in that hook and folded over... then the whole thing wrapped in tape. Imagine one long length.
 
You're gonna have to decide between digging it up or using a camera and trying to snag it.
I wonder if you could put a magnet on some fishing line and use the fish tape to get it there then pull that ****er out?

Already covered, I'm dumbass.
 
I cut those ends off the fishsteel as soon as I get it. Im sure some engineer can tell me why they are great but they always seem to get caught. Anyways the fish tape is technically for introducing string, and you pull with the string. If you can't pull from the easy direction, put a string in the pipe and make a really pointy head. Also having a good feeder helps a ton
 
hooligan shmulligan said:
Maybe muraitic acid to desolve the socket enough to get out with a snake.
Click to expand...

Interesting approach, and given enough time probably would work. Downside is you'd have acidic vapor coming off both ends of the pipe for a while, and it would be difficult to get all of the acid out. Lots of flushing with a hose (make sure the other end is routed will away from anything you care about), and then dump a bunch of baking soda in, then blow out maybe.

Digging it up may be the easiest option all things considered. Should be able to get a pretty good idea where it's at by measuring length of tape when it jams.

Seems likely the socket is wedged and doubtful a magnet or similar will be able to move it. Maybe if you can get down in there with a borescope and see exactly what's going on then work it free.
 
cj3a said:
Story on how the socket got in the conduit please.
Click to expand...
Simple enough. I had string in the conduit and one end had a socket keeping the string "outside"... the socket and string were about 2 feet down the outside of the conduit. I stuffed fish-tape through and forgot about the socket when the fish-tape popped out the other end with a bit of string balled up. So I grabbed the string and yanked it through which pulled the socket into the conduit :shaking: :emb: It was then I knew that I ****ed up:clown:

sdmuleman I'm not sure to what degree the socket is wedged in or if it is just mildly catching a lip when the end of the tape and wire/tape bundle comes up on it. Since I can't fiddle **** with the socket, I can't adjust its orientation to help it along the way.

I've got some small Neodymium magnets that have holes one the way and pray I can get those to work. I just dread digging in the **** to get at the conduit. I can get a somewhat accurate location on where it is jammed up by marking my power wires before I pull them out and then use them to measure out.
 
Pull that whole **** show out the way it came, then use vacuum to suck a string through.
Use string to pull magnet through to retrieve socket and pull wire.
 
take the regulator off your co2 tank
3/4" heater hose stretched and clamped over the cga320 and the conduit

I'm actually not joking
be mindful as it can burst the PVC, but you're unlikely to have a compressor set up for a full-port 3/4 ball valve, so it is the next best thing
 
87manche said:
Pull that whole **** show out the way it came, then use vacuum to suck a string through.
Use string to pull magnet through to retrieve socket and pull wire.
Click to expand...
I think what I'm going to do is attach a pull tape to the fish tape that is trapped on the wrong end. Attach magnet to the pull tape and pray for mojo.

[486] said:
take the regulator off your co2 tank
3/4" heater hose stretched and clamped over the cga320 and the conduit

I'm actually not joking
be mindful as it can burst the PVC, but you're unlikely to have a compressor set up for a full-port 3/4 ball valve, so it is the next best thing
Click to expand...
I don't have a co2 tank nor a full-port 3/4 ball valve setup for my compressor... but I'm at least a step in the right direction with having a compressor and a piss pot of 3/8 npt male fittings for my line:emb: Could I do a rubber stop to the 1" conduit with a hole and then use an air compressor "gun"?

PAToyota said:
Well, the idea of a trained mouse has merit, but the thing you tie to the string to suck/blow through the conduit is called a mouse.

Greenlee - Piston Set 1/2-2", Fishing (S2613) - Conduit Fittings - Amazon.com

Greenlee - Piston Set 1/2-2", Fishing (S2613) - Conduit Fittings - Amazon.com
a.co
Click to expand...
I was thinking of just using a mouse corpse as a piston pack :eek: Going from slang to shelf name is sometimes a problem for me:emb:
 
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