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Vent: I always thought those wire-pulling lubricant gels were a messy gimmick until I had to pull four 4/0 THHN runs through 150 feet of 2-inch rigid conduit last week.
My foreman insisted we try the green Ideal brand gel, and it cut our pull time from what would have been a brutal three-man fight down to a smooth two-person job in under an hour, so what other old-school tricks have you guys been wrong about?
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rowanjenkins4mo ago
Honestly though, is it that big of a deal? Sounds like a one-time thing for a really big pull... most residential guys will never touch 4/0. For regular pipe work, a little soap or even just pulling dry gets it done. That gel stuff is just extra cleanup.
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miles_campbell394mo ago
Wait, pulling dry? You can't be serious. I've seen guys burn up brand new wire doing that on a simple 3/4 inch run with just three 12-2s. The jacket gets all chewed up and you're begging for a hot spot later. That gel might be messy but it's way cheaper than replacing a whole run of cable.
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noah3264mo ago
Seen plenty of pulls done dry with no issues. A three wire pull in 3/4 inch isn't exactly a monster job. If the pipe is straight and you're not forcing it, the jacket holds up fine. Calling it a guaranteed hot spot seems like a stretch. Most of the time the extra mess just isn't worth it.
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