It is essential to use storage for cables to ensure that the wires in your home and workspace are properly stored...
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Do you struggle in pulling wires from one place to another? Well, you can take the stress away by using tools like a wire-pulling reel. While wiring a long cable, you may face a complex situation. Electricians use various tools to pull wire and cable without facing any complexity.
Whether using cable or wire to lift heavy loads or for construction, using the right tools can make your job handy. In this blog, we will discuss the best tools for pulling wire.
Pulling wire tools are devices used to carry long wires and cables. It not only makes handling wire convenient but also facilitates the hassle-free transportation of bulky cables from one place to another.
The working principle and advantages are the same regardless of the type of tool you use for pulling the wire. Some common pulling wire tools are fish tape, conduit pistons, nylon pull cords, metal stud punches, wire pulling grips, and others.
Here are the top tools to pull the wire and cables of long lengths efficiently.
A fish tape is a long thin band of fiberglass or steel coiled around the portable wire reel. It is also known as an “electricians snake,” drawing tape and drawing wire. This tool is perfect for pulling low-voltage cables and 12-gauge wires.
The presence of fiberglass provides durable protection in case of accidental conductivity. However, using steel for guidings is convenient but not reliable due to the production of high rigidity and tension—the quality of the wire-pulling reel matters for high-quality functioning.
Make sure to choose a fish tape that compliments best your construction project or other purposes. Another thing you should keep in mind is the selection of a bending-proof solid and stable reel for tape. It means the efficient working of fish tape depends upon its appropriate length and quality.
Wire-pulling rods are also available in the market as “fish sticks.” These rods are shorter than fish tape and are used without any reel. Using such rods is perfect for navigating short and tight spaces due to the suitability of running conduits for long distances.
This specification makes wire-pulling rods a reliable wiring tool for electricians handling wiggle spaces like ceilings or walls. Moreover, fish sticks are popular as glow rods because of their shining capacity in the dark. Such rods come in a diverse variety of heads depending upon your need. It’s up to you whether you use a rod with magnetic head hooks or loops; all can pull wire efficiently.
The average size of pulling rods is 3 to 6 feet. If you need a long fish stick, splice up two rods. And prefer to use glow rods to improve visibility in cavities. Moreover, we suggest you choose non-conductive pulling rods for light work. Use these easy-to-use fish stick rods to pull network lines, telephone, and tv cables.
Conduit Pistons are small cylinders of foam filled with their internal diameter. Such pistons are also called conduit mice which are attached with a wire for their insertion into a line. Once the attachment is done, you can create suction pressure by using a vacuum. This suction pressure brings force to pull heavy electric cables and wires through conduit.
The advantage of using a conduit piston for pulling wire is its large end which makes seizure, manipulation, and vision convenient. Conduit cleaning makes this piston a perfect fit for commercial and residential use where there is a need for long conduits for pulling wires. Use airbags to optimize conduit efficiency if there are bends or obstructions in conduits. Save installation time on heavy cables by using pistons for their configuration.
Light Nylon Pull cords are wire pulling lines having excellent tensile-strength-to-weight ratio. Wire pulling is enhanced by hooking or looping the road and tape with the cord reel dispenser. There are various nylon pulling lines depending upon the weight in pounds.
The average weight of a nylon pulling cord ranges from 22 to 500 pounds. With the help of these pulling lines, you can pull cables or wires easily if and only if you fasten them with other devices, such as loops and hooks. Use hooked pulling cords to deal with complex wire efficiently.
Metal stud punch is another reliable tool for pulling wires and cables. All metal stud punches are available in different varieties and gauging abilities. However, it’s easy to handle 20-gauge steel for this purpose for the majority of metal studs. Again, collaborating with a conduit bender improves pulling efficiency.
Besides the conduit bender, you can also pick a power bender or hand blender. While working on residential buildings, a right-angle drill is sufficient enough to make holes. But you must need a metal stud punch for creating holes or passing conduits in commercial areas. Feel free to conduit wires through the metal with this punch.
Wire-pulling lubricants are tools for the convenient pulling of cables and wires. Popular lubricants used for pulling wires are aluminum, copper, galvanized steel, and polyvinyl chloride. When you apply lubricant properly, it transforms into a non-toxic lubricating powder after getting dry.
However, you may encounter friction in managing high-stress communication cables and electric work. Using wire-pulling lubricants reduces this pulling friction to some extent. In addition, using water-soluble lubricants is non-toxic, environment-friendly, and skin-friendly.
Wire-pulling grips are useful in pulling cables and wires through long-distance conduits. These grips are like mesh tubes that you can secure with tape and clamps. Moreover, one end of the grip comes with rings and eyes.
You can increase the gripping ability of the cable by tightening the grips. Another function of these rings is an attachment with pulling winches to make conduit passing convenient and efficient through holes. Carry heavy cables and wires on these grips and portable wire reels easily.
Fish tape leader has great design and convenient conduit capacity to carry a weight of a hundred pounds. Make sure the conduit passes through the wire easily and quickly by tightening the fish tape at a 90-degree angle. Feel free to pull out bare and unstripped wires with this fish tape leader.
You can use a bundled cable if you want to run only some sides individually. This tool is efficient and reliable in picking heavy wires, configuring cables, and making custom lines. One of the greatest advantages of using bundled cable is it saves 30 percent on installation costs. Make your wire-pulling job efficient by pulling many cables altogether through bundled cable.
Purchase Reliable Portable Wire Reels From Here!
The following suggestions will help you get greater assurance for pulling cable selection.
Make sure there is adequate clearance between the cable and conduit. Clearance is the distance between the uppermost cable in the conduit & inner top of the conduit.
The clearance should be one-fourth inch at minimum & up to almost one inch for larger cables or installations involving numerous bends.
Jamming is the wedging of the three cables lying side by side in the conduit. This generally occurs when cables twist or the cabin is pulled around the bends.
After learning about Jamming, let me tell you about the jam ratio. The jam ratio is generally calculated by slightly modifying the D/d. For inner diameter, a value of 1.05D of the conduit is used; a bending cylinder can create an oval cross-section in bend.
If the 1.05D/d value is more than 3.0, then jamming is impossible. On the other hand, if this value is between 2.8 & 3.0, then serious jamming is probable. Again, if this value is less than 2.5, then jamming is impossible, but clearance should be checked in this case.
You can easily check jamming and clearance in your cable from the criteria mentioned above. However, because of manufacturing tolerances, the actual overall diameter is preferred to measure before computing the jam ratio of your cable.
The use of suitable lubrication of the proper type to lessen the friction in duct pulls and conduit is very important. Use of oil and grease type of lubricants should be avoided on the non-metallic sheathed cables. For the use of polymer jacketed cables, there are a large number of commercially available wire-pulling compounds.
These compounds usually consist of talc, mica, soap, or the like & are specially designed so that they don’t have any harmful effects on cable. Using many graphites and other electrically conductive lubricants should be avoided on non-shielded cables rated two kV and above. These materials can lead to the tracking of cable jackets.
Avoid the sharp bending of your cable at the first pulley in the overhead installations by locating the payoff reel far at some distance from the first pulley so that the lead-in angle of the cable is kept relatively flat.
After the installation, you must check whether the end seals are fully protected. Either these are intact and have not been damaged to a point where a drop of water could enter.
You can apply rubber tape or plastic to protect against invisible damage if the cable is subjected to rain or immersion. This is especially important if there is some time delay between splicing, termination, and pulling operations.
When installing the interlocked armor cables in the cable tray, you must use a sufficient number of rollers to protect the cable from dragging on the cable tray.
You can avoid sharp bends in the cable by using a conveyor sheave with many small rollers at all 45- & 90- degree bends.
Make sure an adequate tension on the messenger in the installation aerial cable to avoid the sharp bends at pulleys. Try to release the tension on the messenger only when it is safe to poles on both ends.
Here are the advantages of using a cord reel dispenser that makes wire pulling convenient.
In short, wire-pulling tools are necessary for making electricians’ lives convenient. Portable wire reels are perfect if you can use conduit wires through large distances and narrow spaces. Whether you want to pull conductive cables or non-conductive wires, these portable wire reels can do it efficiently.
Another advantage of using these tools is its budget-friendly and time-saving job. Moreover, you will avoid any problems like breaking and bending of cable while pulling through these tools. We hope this blog has helped you pick the appropriate wire-pulling tools.
To buy a cable reel with or without a stand, contact us at Electrical Innovative Products now!
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