This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b

On Mar 21, 9:07*pm, "jusme" wrote:
This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of *3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. *Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b

Liquid hand soap is fairly mild and probably safe. . In a pinch, I
have used water. Not great, but better than nothing.

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:37:22 -0700 (PDT), sailor
wrote:

On Mar 21, 9:07*pm, "jusme" wrote:
This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of *3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. *Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b

Liquid hand soap is fairly mild and probably safe. . In a pinch, I
have used water. Not great, but better than nothing.
K-Y
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

That shouldn't be too hard of a pull through 4". How many bends?. If only 2,
try having a helper push while you pull. May not even need any lube. YMMV
Paul

"jusme" wrote in message
...
This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I
do not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it.
Yes, they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't
have any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b

jusme wrote:
This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b




Aloe based hand lotion works and it's cheap. So is the generic "bubble
bath"

--
Steve W.

jusme wrote:
This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b




Try dish soap liquid or melt several bars of regular soap in water until
you get a gooey mess. that should work.

Jim

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:07:26 -0500, "jusme" wrote:

This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Don't think soap, the old standby pulling compounds like Ideal
"Yellow 77" are wax based. Crystalline wax in an aqueous suspension,
and when the work is completed and the water dries up (which is why
they tell you to wait 24 hours before energizing the wires...) it
turns into darned near candle wax.

That said, they sell the proper wire pulling lubricants in 1-gallon
and 5-gallon pails (slop it on with your hands or a chip brush) and
when bought in bulk it's very reasonable, darned near 'cheap' -
certainly will cost FAR less than the effort of mixing something on a
hunch, then finding out it reacted with the insulation and when the
insulation failed your new wires shorted and burned up in the conduit.

(They make fancier and much more expensive 'super lubricants' like
"Polywater", but they're for special uses like delicate fiber-optic
cables where any friction at all can snap and ruin the cable. Or for
high-rise building risers, where the flammability of the wax based
lube residues might be an issue. For plain power cable underground
[where fire isn't a concern] you don't need anything that fancy.)

And when the wires burn up in plastic underground conduit you often
have to dig up and totally replace the conduit, because the old wires
fuse to the wall and won't come out, and the old wire blocks getting
new wire through.

You're not only out the considerable cost of the wire, but add in
the cost of trenching and running the conduit again. Plus
hard-surface repairs to the trench where it cuts across the sidewalk
and driveway, and the ripped up landscaping that must be replaced.

And factor in a lengthy power service outage, and/or an even bigger
bill to rent and fuel a generator, or rig a temporary utility feed...

Doing it 'the cheap way' might work, but it can easily cost a hell
of a lot more than the right way.

-- Bruce --

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:07:26 -0500, "jusme" wrote:

This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b

Depends where in the country. Slime off a northern pike is very
slickery stuff indeed. So is lanolin from a sheep.

There was once a government-funded OSHA study that proved that pig****
is slick (I'm not kidding) but that may not be a first choice here.

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:07:26 -0500, "jusme" wrote:

This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b


Dawn dish soap, mixed 5050 with water to stretch a bottle farther.

Gunner

Bruce L. Bergman wrote:
On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:07:26 -0500, "jusme" wrote:

This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Don't think soap, the old standby pulling compounds like Ideal
"Yellow 77" are wax based. Crystalline wax in an aqueous suspension,
and when the work is completed and the water dries up (which is why
they tell you to wait 24 hours before energizing the wires...) it
turns into darned near candle wax.

That said, they sell the proper wire pulling lubricants in 1-gallon
and 5-gallon pails (slop it on with your hands or a chip brush) and
when bought in bulk it's very reasonable, darned near 'cheap' -
certainly will cost FAR less than the effort of mixing something on a
hunch, then finding out it reacted with the insulation and when the
insulation failed your new wires shorted and burned up in the conduit.

(They make fancier and much more expensive 'super lubricants' like
"Polywater", but they're for special uses like delicate fiber-optic
cables where any friction at all can snap and ruin the cable. Or for
high-rise building risers, where the flammability of the wax based
lube residues might be an issue. For plain power cable underground
[where fire isn't a concern] you don't need anything that fancy.)

And when the wires burn up in plastic underground conduit you often
have to dig up and totally replace the conduit, because the old wires
fuse to the wall and won't come out, and the old wire blocks getting
new wire through.

You're not only out the considerable cost of the wire, but add in
the cost of trenching and running the conduit again. Plus
hard-surface repairs to the trench where it cuts across the sidewalk
and driveway, and the ripped up landscaping that must be replaced.

And factor in a lengthy power service outage, and/or an even bigger
bill to rent and fuel a generator, or rig a temporary utility feed...

Doing it 'the cheap way' might work, but it can easily cost a hell
of a lot more than the right way.

-- Bruce --


Good advice. I wondered why I had to read so far to see where someone suggested regular wire-pulling compound! ;-) This can be bought at *any* electrical supply store. Yellow 77 is a very good one and reasonably cheap. I think they have it in 1 quart squeeze bottles. I suspect 1 quart will probably take care of your job quite well, but if you have to drive very far to get it get two quarts just in case. Probably under $10 each. Wire lube is *much* cheaper than labor so use it plentifully. It'll make your job much easier.

Polywater *may* also be available in 1 qt. containers. Either will work beautifully.

OH! Pick up a hand full (or bundle) of wipe rags while you're at it! You'll figure out why. ;-) Most any hardware store or auto parts place will have the wipe rags if the electrical supply does not.

Just look in the yellow pages for Electrical Supplies - Wholesale

Al

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:52:58 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm, Don
Foreman quickly quoth:

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:07:26 -0500, "jusme" wrote:

This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b

Depends where in the country. Slime off a northern pike is very
slickery stuff indeed. So is lanolin from a sheep.

There was once a government-funded OSHA study that proved that pig****
is slick (I'm not kidding) but that may not be a first choice here.

Can you imagine the price the Sparky (electrician, USAtians) would
charge to repair said circuit, reeking of fish slime and/or pig****?
Egad!

--
Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.
-- Albert Einstein

On Mar 22, 8:28*am, Larry Jaques
wrote:

Can you imagine the price the Sparky (electrician, USAtians) would
charge to repair said circuit, reeking of fish slime and/or pig****?
Egad!

That's why he became an electrician instead of a plumber.

jusme wrote:
This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I do
not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it. Yes,
they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't have
any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b





Crisco?
Randy

"Al Patrick" wrote in message
...


Doing it 'the cheap way' might work, but it can easily cost a hell
of a lot more than the right way.

-- Bruce --


Good advice. I wondered why I had to read so far to see where someone
suggested regular wire-pulling compound! ;-) This can be
bought at *any* electrical supply store.

You're violating one of the RCM rules, Al. The rule is, never buy the stuff
made for the job. Buy something else and cross your fingers. d8-)

You will find that bacon fat is regularly recommened as a metalcutting
lubricant here, even though the right stuff (lard oil), which has the
stearin taken out of it and works much better, is cheap and easy to come by
for the small quantities used by hobby machinists.

You'll also see automatic transmission fluid, WD-40, and brake fluid
recommended for all kinds of things for which they are completely unsuited.
And don't even ask about acids...

--
Ed Huntress

Bruce L. Bergman wrote:

Don't think soap, the old standby pulling compounds like Ideal
"Yellow 77" are wax based. Crystalline wax in an aqueous suspension,
and when the work is completed and the water dries up (which is why
they tell you to wait 24 hours before energizing the wires...) it
turns into darned near candle wax.

That said, they sell the proper wire pulling lubricants in 1-gallon
and 5-gallon pails (slop it on with your hands or a chip brush) and
when bought in bulk it's very reasonable, darned near 'cheap' -
certainly will cost FAR less than the effort of mixing something on a
hunch, then finding out it reacted with the insulation and when the
insulation failed your new wires shorted and burned up in the conduit.


We have quart bottles of the stuff so it does come in smaller sizes. Nothing
sucks more than pulling the wire back out so you can lube to get past that
last elbow.

Wes
--
"Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect
government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:05:21 -0400, Wes wrote:
Bruce L. Bergman wrote:

That said, they sell the proper wire pulling lubricants in 1-gallon
and 5-gallon pails (slop it on with your hands or a chip brush) and
when bought in bulk it's very reasonable, darned near 'cheap'. snip


We have quart bottles of the stuff so it does come in smaller sizes. Nothing
sucks more than pulling the wire back out so you can lube to get past that
last elbow.

Of course it's available that way - I carry quart bottles of the
aqueous stuff for small pulls, and refill them from bigger containers
bought for bigger jobs. Yellow 77 is almost impossible to pour
through a funnel into a quart bottle (I'd have to get a diaphragm pump
or an air piston grease pump to transfer it) so it stays in a pail.

Check the pricing - If all you need is a quart, great - but you can
usually get the gallon for the same cost as two quarts. The material
itself is cheap, they spend as much if not more on the package and
handling - not to forget the advertising & marketing.

Go price out empty 5-gallon buckets and lids with a printed label on
them. Even in bulk they're going to run you $3 to $6 each.

For the quarts they have to get shipping cartons printed and buy a
pallet, and then overwrap for shipping. And for gallons and 5-gallons
they have to buy the pallet, separator cardboard to get them to stack,
and a heavier layer of overwrap so they stay in place.

-- Bruce --

Thanks to all. I will just get the proper item for what I am doing and as
someone pointed out, it would be stupid to take a chance with something that
may cause problems down the line.

j/b


"jusme" wrote in message
...
This time, I need to pull 150 feet or more of 3 conductors of 4/0 wire
through 4 inch, pvc conduit.

Does anyone have suggestions for a cheap solution - pardon pun?

This wire is some sort of vinyl or rubber compound outer insulation and I
do not wish to chance petroleum distillates or some such to lubricate it.
Yes, they do make a wire soap for pulling through a conduit but, I don't
have any, live in the country and would like to find an alternative.

Thanks

j/b