Great explanation Tony. I'm a 20+ yr 2 state master and electrical contractor, with 3 states journeymen licenses as well. Excellent technique. If it were me I would wrap the string around the wires then tape them off, almost like a pulling finger, and stretch the tape tight. (
Thanks Tony, (For the Chuckles) AHAHAHAH Been doing this stuff for 37 Years, now retired. That run was so short I would have just pushed the bundle through. The biggest one I had to do was 450Ft of 4" PVC with 3 90's, and a 45 between two Buildings, An old School and a new building for Comm Cabling, Speaker Audio, Coax, Etc. When the Conduit was installed the ends were not capped off at the School end and Kids dropped trash in it. it took 3 Shop Vac's. 2 Sucking and one blowing to suck a Kitchen trash bag through. It's amazing how much trash kids can put in the Pipe in 3 days. Mike M.
also you are outside just unwrap that you need and pull the 3 wires in different directions on the ground in like a "hand fan shape." it helps when you are dealing with wire not on a spool. Like you did. You learned and in the future you save time and headaches
For the conduit run in the ditch, it's easier if you pull the wire through the (bell end) conduit at the same time you are assembling it. It saves a LOT of time.
Putting some dish washing liquid on the wire and in the conduit helps it slide easier. Also move the rolls of wire further away from the entrance point
It works better with the rolls if you stick paper plates between each roll. If you have a long run you're going to need something stronger than a paper plate but what it does is stopped the rolls from dragging on the other ones causing it to bind. It also stops each individual roll from spreading out too far which prevents it from getting tangled in the other rolls. When we've had a lot of wiring to do one of my favorite things to use is actually an extension cord winder. We put each wiring type we need on its own extension cord winder and then screw them down to a board. Then you can do it with just one person because it unwinds so nicely.
hello in France, we do not put rigid sheaths in the ground, only red flexible sheaths for electricity with a wire puller inside much easier to pass the wires and to signal its presence and better locate in the ground . Rigid conduits are intended only for interior buildings. Congratulations on your excellent work nonetheless.
Thank you. Different countries have different rules and ways of doing things. 👍 I appreciate your comment. It is nice to hear about different ways of doing things.
@@TonysTractorAdventure oui merci I hope the translation is good. I also bought a tracker on Amazon, for €300. Without solar panels I will assemble it these days. on it I'm going to install 2 400 watt Sunology solar panels. I hope it will work (Surface and weight) Excellente journée de France.
Great video and very informative. Out of curiosity why not just use a fish tape for such a short run. I understand for demonstration purposes. Just curious.
Question, if you had pulled enough through to reach the other box, you could’ve just used the one tape/tie job, no? Nice idea with vacuum, appreciate ya!
It looked like your solar building has spray foam insulation. Maybe you will cover that in a future video or maybe I missed it. So did you use one of the DIY spray foam kit or did you have it done? In your build you stated after it was put together it was sturdy. I bet the spay foam even helped stiffen it up too.
@@TonysTractorAdventure So sorry to hear that, but at least you got it done. I know it takes extra time to film while doing the work and then the editing. Your place is coming together and looks great.
A little bit of dish soap on the bag lubes it and gives a better seal and the bit of residue helps the wire you need twice as much string and leave it there for future
You know you might have wanted to leave a pull string in that conduit incase you need to pull more wire through it. Using those coils of wire it is easier if you measure out approximately how much wire you need and uncoiling one at a time tie them to a point and a mark where you want to end. Do that for each one then with them all laid out tape the ends together and then fish them thru the conduit. Have had to pull miles of wire for satellite runs from the dish to the receivers in schools. Having that pull line in the conduit will be a lifesaver when you need to replace a damaged cable. Just remember to tie another string to the end so you can pull it back for use again.
God bless you both love your video I really love how you and your wife work together all the best always Joe from England Great Britain. An I say The Woman is always right I have always said yes love but you know that they are not you just have to go with it Ha!Ha! It’s a better choice to do so.
And none of these 'master electricians' have said a word about the "high voltage" feeds (Tony's words) from the solar panels in the same conduit with the 12 volt motor control wiring????? Guess that is not a problem these days.
Instead of being sarcastic and self aggrandizing, you could offer your thoughts with a well thought out explanation. I personally think your hypothesis is rather weak and not valid for this application.
@@TonysTractorAdventure No sarcasm or self-aggrandizing, just 40-some years of putting the pieces together after someone, in the words of Brent Snyder, "did it wrong". The comment was directed to all the self-proclaimed "master electricians" who failed to ask such an obvious question. Further, any comment on my part is based strictly on the information you provided. You did not state either the voltages or systems being carried or the wiring type being used so no well thought out explanation can be provided, but I will hazard a guess. It appears that you are using THHN for what you called the 'high' voltage and lamp cord for the control wiring. This may be permissible per Section 300.3 if everything is less than 1000 volts AND all conductors have an insulation rating equal to at least the maximum circuit voltage applied to any conductor within the raceway/conduit. Traditionally THHN is rated at 600 volts and lamp cord 300 volts. Additionally, equipment grounding conductors (per Article 250) must be provided for each circuit, some folks call it bonding. Not talking about a 'grounded' conductor here which is always required in ac circuits and may or may not be required in dc circuits.. If your 'high' voltage is greater than 1000 volts then all bets are off and separate raceways are required. Have seen several solar systems over 1000 volts. Put it this way, it is most likely not a good idea, nor does it meet code, to put your 22/24 gauge doorbell wiring with is 30 volt rating in the same conduit with your 200 amp service entrance cable rated at 600 volts.
It is much easier to do it this way. The conduit must often be laid before the wire can be placed. A good example is a conduit going through a concrete pour.
Or you can do what I do, and eliminate all the fuss electricians are so proud of learning how to solve with all kinds of kinniptions. Just thread the pipe over the wire one piece at a time. I did it that way many times, including on a 100 foot run around corners, up and down through walls…one piece of conduit at a time. It was for a retired NASA mechanical engineer, and he was fine with it. I know all you “pros” will jeer, but inside you are thinking how I might teach a layman how to avoid $60 an hour in labor, for tricks a chimpanzee can learn, but the chimp doesn’t pretend it’s a critical skill that you HAVE to learn to do electrical work. Just like all the specialized, totally meaningless BS jargon you HAVE to learn so laymen can’t understand easily. Protect that paycheck, at any and all cost!
@@TonysTractorAdventure I meant people can do things for themselves. You did a great job on the project, and with videos like yours, more people can do things for themselves. Plus I like to give suggestions for solutions I’ve used.
MAN! I JUST LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT THE VAC. I ALWAYS BLEW WITH A COMPRESSURE. THANKS FOR PASSING THE KNOWLEDGE
Thank you
Always listen to your wife's instructions. Makes life a lot easier 😅.
You got that right!
Great explanation Tony. I'm a 20+ yr 2 state master and electrical contractor, with 3 states journeymen licenses as well. Excellent technique. If it were me I would wrap the string around the wires then tape them off, almost like a pulling finger, and stretch the tape tight. (
Thank you very much. That is high praise from someone with your experience. I always say that I know enough to be dangerous. 😁
Enjoyed this DIY video Tony and Tanja. I have never seen it done that way. Amazing.
Thank you. I saw an electrician do this. I was amazed.
@@TonysTractorAdventure what kind of knot did u tie, hard to see
Muchas gracias Tony´s revolvi mi problema sin necesidad de herramientas especiales para ese trabajo, saludos desde Honduras 🚜
God bless and you are welcome
I watched a contractor team pull a telemetry wire for a water tank over 2200' using the same method. I was amazed.
I thought it was such a neat thing the first time I seen it.
And make sure the conduit has no holes in it to make sure you get a good suction. 😅 Otherwise, it won't suck.....lol. Good work Tony and Tanja!!
I felt good about the overall outcome. Thank you for the support. 👍
Thanks Tony, (For the Chuckles) AHAHAHAH
Been doing this stuff for 37 Years, now retired. That run was so short I would have just pushed the bundle through.
The biggest one I had to do was 450Ft of 4" PVC with 3 90's, and a 45 between two Buildings, An old School and a new building for Comm Cabling, Speaker Audio, Coax, Etc.
When the Conduit was installed the ends were not capped off at the School end and Kids dropped trash in it. it took 3 Shop Vac's. 2 Sucking and one blowing to suck a Kitchen trash bag through. It's amazing how much trash kids can put in the Pipe in 3 days.
Mike M.
That sounds like one of "those days!" Lol!
@@TonysTractorAdventure I wonder if I still have some 35mm Photos some where Hmmm?
also you are outside just unwrap that you need and pull the 3 wires in different directions on the ground in like a "hand fan shape." it helps when you are dealing with wire not on a spool. Like you did. You learned and in the future you save time and headaches
For the conduit run in the ditch, it's easier if you pull the wire through the (bell end) conduit at the same time you are assembling it. It saves a LOT of time.
Thank you for your opinion. It had rather do it like I did it.
Putting some dish washing liquid on the wire and in the conduit helps it slide easier. Also move the rolls of wire further away from the entrance point
Good idea. I did talk about cable lubrication in the video description. The wires that I pulled had a coating on them. It felt like wax.
It works better with the rolls if you stick paper plates between each roll. If you have a long run you're going to need something stronger than a paper plate but what it does is stopped the rolls from dragging on the other ones causing it to bind. It also stops each individual roll from spreading out too far which prevents it from getting tangled in the other rolls. When we've had a lot of wiring to do one of my favorite things to use is actually an extension cord winder. We put each wiring type we need on its own extension cord winder and then screw them down to a board. Then you can do it with just one person because it unwinds so nicely.
that or a cardboard with a hole in it. I have done this many times pulling over 5000 miles of wire in my lifetime. also Love my 100' fishtape too.
Good one😊
Nice job ,and great video!👍🏻
Thank you! 👍
hello in France, we do not put rigid sheaths in the ground, only red flexible sheaths for electricity with a wire puller inside much easier to pass the wires and to signal its presence and better locate in the ground . Rigid conduits are intended only for interior buildings. Congratulations on your excellent work nonetheless.
Thank you. Different countries have different rules and ways of doing things. 👍 I appreciate your comment. It is nice to hear about different ways of doing things.
@@TonysTractorAdventure oui merci I hope the translation is good.
I also bought a tracker on Amazon, for €300. Without solar panels I will assemble it these days. on it I'm going to install 2 400 watt Sunology solar panels. I hope it will work (Surface and weight) Excellente journée de France.
Lesson one. If you want it done, give it to your missus. 😁🤣 . Top video .
She made it work for sure.
Great episode haven't seen such dry slap stick comedy in years
glad to help you out
Great video and very informative. Out of curiosity why not just use a fish tape for such a short run. I understand for demonstration purposes. Just curious.
I have always done it this way.I am not against a fish tape.
hey if you will spray the inside of conduit are you feed wire with silicone spray it goes a lot easier
I wonder if using compressed air instead or in addition to the vacuums would work faster?
Extra equipment, extra time. This on took seconds once we got our act together.
Question, if you had pulled enough through to reach the other box, you could’ve just used the one tape/tie job, no? Nice idea with vacuum, appreciate ya!
Hindsight is always 20/20. Well unless you're like me and I can't remember what happened. 😁
@@TonysTractorAdventure lol, nice work Bud!
Great job but I use a mighty mouse it's a sponge pull thru with a vacuum cleaner great video thanks Tony and Tanya
Thank you my friend. It was a good day and now that it's all together the work is worth it.
It looked like your solar building has spray foam insulation. Maybe you will cover that in a future video or maybe I missed it. So did you use one of the DIY spray foam kit or did you have it done? In your build you stated after it was put together it was sturdy. I bet the spay foam even helped stiffen it up too.
I lost the video of the foam. That broke my heart.
@@TonysTractorAdventure So sorry to hear that, but at least you got it done. I know it takes extra time to film while doing the work and then the editing. Your place is coming together and looks great.
A little bit of dish soap on the bag lubes it and gives a better seal and the bit of residue helps the wire you need twice as much string and leave it there for future
Very smart idea.
You know you might have wanted to leave a pull string in that conduit incase you need to pull more wire through it. Using those coils of wire it is easier if you measure out approximately how much wire you need and uncoiling one at a time tie them to a point and a mark where you want to end. Do that for each one then with them all laid out tape the ends together and then fish them thru the conduit. Have had to pull miles of wire for satellite runs from the dish to the receivers in schools. Having that pull line in the conduit will be a lifesaver when you need to replace a damaged cable. Just remember to tie another string to the end so you can pull it back for use again.
That is a great idea. Thank you. I will do that next time. This a great way to learn, because the distance is not that long.
One thing I always do is tie string to the wire when I pull it so I always have a string ready if I need to pull another wire.
Very smart idea.
Where did you get that bright pink twine? Where did you get your 8AWG copper wire?
Got it all at Lowes
What is the use of the black doubble cable?
It provides 12v to power the solar trackers from inside the building.
Thanks. Did it come in the package? Are there items to hold 6 solar panels in the package?
I am not sure - but shouldn’t the pv wire from second array - have been run all the way to the shed???
I don't see why. I ran the panels in parallel. They would have been parallel at the box outside or parallel on the inside of the shed.
Well pushing a fish tape through the conduit would work well for a short run like that.
Turns out a string and a vacuum did too
God bless you both love your video I really love how you and your wife work together all the best always Joe from England Great Britain. An I say The Woman is always right I have always said yes love but you know that they are not you just have to go with it Ha!Ha! It’s a better choice to do so.
Glad you enjoyed it. Tanja is great. I love working with her. God Bless
And none of these 'master electricians' have said a word about the "high voltage" feeds (Tony's words) from the solar panels in the same conduit with the 12 volt motor control wiring????? Guess that is not a problem these days.
Instead of being sarcastic and self aggrandizing, you could offer your thoughts with a well thought out explanation. I personally think your hypothesis is rather weak and not valid for this application.
@@TonysTractorAdventure No sarcasm or self-aggrandizing, just 40-some years of putting the pieces together after someone, in the words of Brent Snyder, "did it wrong". The comment was directed to all the self-proclaimed "master electricians" who failed to ask such an obvious question. Further, any comment on my part is based strictly on the information you provided.
You did not state either the voltages or systems being carried or the wiring type being used so no well thought out explanation can be provided, but I will hazard a guess. It appears that you are using THHN for what you called the 'high' voltage and lamp cord for the control wiring. This may be permissible per Section 300.3 if everything is less than 1000 volts AND all conductors have an insulation rating equal to at least the maximum circuit voltage applied to any conductor within the raceway/conduit. Traditionally THHN is rated at 600 volts and lamp cord 300 volts.
Additionally, equipment grounding conductors (per Article 250) must be provided for each circuit, some folks call it bonding. Not talking about a 'grounded' conductor here which is always required in ac circuits and may or may not be required in dc circuits.. If your 'high' voltage is greater than 1000 volts then all bets are off and separate raceways are required. Have seen several solar systems over 1000 volts.
Put it this way, it is most likely not a good idea, nor does it meet code, to put your 22/24 gauge doorbell wiring with is 30 volt rating in the same conduit with your 200 amp service entrance cable rated at 600 volts.
Ground wire?
No ground with solar. Positive and Negative.
What is the third wire for?
12volt to provide power to the solar tracker. Two Big DC wires for the solar tracker. Two smaller wires for 12volts.
What state are you in?
TN
@@TonysTractorAdventure red soil...thought Alabama
Next time put some plywood or cardboard round disk between the wire spools.
Dang, that's smart. Thank you. I learn from you guys every day.
❤
For the next time leave a fish wire through the pipe
Very good idea. I should have thought about that.
They lube it
Unrole the wire the way it was wound so it doesn’t tie in nots
Thank you for your comment
you could have inserted the string into the conduit before you lay and buried it.
It is much easier to do it this way. The conduit must often be laid before the wire can be placed. A good example is a conduit going through a concrete pour.
Use A 'fish tape'
Why
Not great with the vacuum cleaner. You had to pass the cord first before burying the sheath.
It worked great and only took a few seconds to pull the string through.
@@TonysTractorAdventure Without the signs how much did you pay for the tracker in the United States
Doesn’t look like very good tape my experience is 3M is the best and put something in between your wire so it doesn’t try to go over itself
It worked well.
I bet you'd be a pain to work with
I am thinking you are looking in a mirror writing this. Big hug.
just use a snake
Why, My system works and I don't own a snake. I do own everything I need to do it this way. A snake is no faster.
Or you can do what I do, and eliminate all the fuss electricians are so proud of learning how to solve with all kinds of kinniptions. Just thread the pipe over the wire one piece at a time. I did it that way many times, including on a 100 foot run around corners, up and down through walls…one piece of conduit at a time. It was for a retired NASA mechanical engineer, and he was fine with it. I know all you “pros” will jeer, but inside you are thinking how I might teach a layman how to avoid $60 an hour in labor, for tricks a chimpanzee can learn, but the chimp doesn’t pretend it’s a critical skill that you HAVE to learn to do electrical work. Just like all the specialized, totally meaningless BS jargon you HAVE to learn so laymen can’t understand easily. Protect that paycheck, at any and all cost!
I am not sure what to say to this. I am not sure who you are talking too or about.
@@TonysTractorAdventure I meant people can do things for themselves. You did a great job on the project, and with videos like yours, more people can do things for themselves. Plus I like to give suggestions for solutions I’ve used.
Thank you Robert. We are always learning new things and adding new skill. I love to learn. It is becoming harder as I get older.