How to blow a string through conduit the easy way.

Blowing a string through conduit. We do this before we pull electric through when the conduit is longer than our fish tape allows us to reach. Thanks for watching 👍

[@billc2054]

I’ve been an electrician for many years and have used a lot of different methods and just about any will work. However an older telephone guy showed me that instead of using a thin plastic bag, a used ice bag is a bit stiff and doesn’t stick to the sides of a 3” or larger conduit when the conduit is wet. It works great 👍

[@bsmith8564]

Old retired sparky here. I have used air, suction, radio controlled car and a compound bow to get a string from A to B. What i love is when the pipe is full of water and you have the new guy at the receiving end.

[@andybrice2711]

When there’s water in the pipe, my preferred tool is a well-trained eel.

[@ebear2775]

@@andybrice2711 LMAO

[@crazyguy32100]

​@@andybrice2711 Every electrician has a fish, the great ones have an eel. A chipmunk works pretty good in dry pipes too, avoid snakes unless you plan on going into plumbing.

[@ntal5859]

You evil man...lol

[@bsmith8564]

@@ntal5859 Whats evil is to tell the new guy to put his ear down there to listen for the gurgle

[@phillippettes6321]

If you don't have a compressor handy, but you have a shop vac then you can do the same thing using a bag as they show on here. Instead of blowing the string through just go to the other end and suck the bag and string through from the other end. Either way is how utility companies do it to get their wire in. I know because I did it for many years for an electric company.

[@matthewhixson3735]

Thanks for the alternative for getn string through a few hundred feet of 3" conduit out in a farm field. I immediately recognized the Fernco boot having to do occasional plumbing jobs. Without an inverter on your UTV, you wont be using a vacuum to pull the string through. Good job!

[@Struthio_Camelus]

Thanks for showing us how _you_ do it. Always good to see another way.

[@ghost307]

That's exactly how some factory made systems work, except they use a shopvac set up as a blower. Good job.

[@dustyroads834]

Just put a good shop vac on the other end

[@MooneysExcavating]

This video was specifically made for someone with an air compressor. Hence the title…

[@consciousobjector2507]

Why don't you make a video for us?

[@kurtclark8560]

The title says “the easy way”. This was way too complicated. There is a reason why everyone who does this for a living uses a vacuum. I also don’t buy that you don’t have a shop vac, you are just trying to hide your ignorance.

[@MicahThomason]

Or, "just" use an air compressor. I have a feeling you are the kind of person people walk away from when you start talking.

[@MooneysExcavating]

@@MicahThomason 😂😂😂😂

[@haroldgreen1425]

For long pipe runs or runs with mud and water in them blowing is only partially successful. I told an apprentice forty or so years ago that if you use suction and start the bird going it will almost always go the distance. With blowing you may turn the bird and lose the pressure.

[@briceperdue7587]

The crocs really sets it off here. But we always use a vacuum as it is removing the water too.

[@d.w.sherrod5631]

Did a 1500' er with only a bag pig and shop vac, 2" pvc conduit

[@MooneysExcavating]

Correct. There is more than one way to do it. I don’t own a shop vac.

[@professorg8383]

Compressed air works very well with small conduits, where a the shop vac interface might be tougher. A small length of tubing on the end of a blow gun can fit about anywhere and will shoot the string through almost instantly.

[@mikep490]

Yeah, I was taught the compressed air tank bit in the 70's. Use a rag instead of a sack, a rag to cover the opening, and "zip" it was 50' away. Just make sure the string was clear of fingers/wrists. The civilians said it'd take them 60 to 90 days to pull phone cables thru conduits in the new barracks. Our team chief showed us the trick and we had it all done in 4 days, excepting one where the contractors filled a pipe with cement.

[@professorg8383]

@@mikep490 Absolutely, that's how the pros did it. We used to call the rag, a "mouse" because it was about that size and when it shot out the other end, it kinda reminded you of a mouse darting for cover. For big stuff, you'd blow in the string and the use it to pull in a pulling rope. Shop Vacs do work, but sometimes a bit cumbersome. If you had a work truck or van, you probably have a small compressor or an air tank. A few of the guys I trained in a HS program scored well and went into the military divisions who did this sort of base infrastructure work. O know some of those guy who were reservists also worked industrial jobs where they learned these kinds of tricks. I worked in industry in the 70's and learned the trick from the old timers. Back in those days before cable tray replaced a lot of conduits, you would see big banks of conduits that had 40 or 50 individual conduits. All of it was hand bent to fit and the big runs were a thing of beauty!! These guys were good at their jobs and were literally artists. When building these big runs, one of that last steps was blowing in the strings and I can remember big junction boxes you could sit in with what looked like strands of spaghetti coming out the conduits!! Big contractors today have essentially dumbed down the workforce skill levels.

[@dummyfatso5537]

I cut the top off of a pop bottle and tie the string to the bottle cap and use a shop vac. I poke a hole in the bottle cap and stick string through the hole and knot the end and screw the top on the bottle top. The whole thing looks like a funnel with a string. I can also piss with one hand while smoking a cigarette with the other. My Boss was in the union and he showed me that trick...

[@MooneysExcavating]

not a bad idea at all!

[@groblerful]

I have also done this with a roll of cotton attached to a bit of fluf and sucked it through with a vacum cleaner. You can then pull string through then heaver cord and so on.

[@josephleister9198]

This is super slick....thank you.

[@armageddonready4071]

I would be the negative Nelly and say that sucks, but in truth, it BLOWS.!!!

[@MooneysExcavating]

Got me there Armageddon!

[@jkxss]

Tough crowd in the comments lol

[@MooneysExcavating]

Idk how this video has made so many people mad. This is what happens when you can afford a $50 shop vac but can’t afford a big compressor I reckon. 😂

[@MontanaWelldigger]

The keyboard jockeys that saw it on another channel are the real experts, and they're 7ft tall and tougher than nails.

[@whoisjohngalt4880]

jkxss It’s really odd. It’s like 10 to 1 negative, hostile comments. It’s as though watching this simple how-to video hurt them personally somehow. 🤷🏻

[@ebear2775]

Slick as hell, very clever. I just subscribed

[@daleley7645]

That works good, I use a shop vac and suck the bag through, seems to go raster and the shop vac is lighter to carry.

[@dougb8207]

Brilliant! Thank you.

[@jackmortimer329]

Similar to the way communications techs use air blown fiber for fiber optic communications, or at least they used to back in the day.

[@mrgoggles1963]

We still do, numb nuts!

[@denningmp37]

Pretty cool setup, crocks on the job site though….

[@MooneysExcavating]

Perks of owning your own company. Also the athletes feet is no joke!

[@ebear2775]

@@MooneysExcavating It's good to be the king eh?

[@MooneysExcavating]

@@ebear2775 not the king by any means but for sure nice to not have someone telling you what to do

[@markm8188]

Clever! But you know, you could have placed your electrical cable in the pipe before you buried it.

[@MooneysExcavating]

We could have. This takes less time than it would to do that though. Time adds up fast when you’re pulling several thousand feet of string or wire.

[@tassie7325]

Amazing!

[@cabletie69]

Very nice.

[@billb6121]

What is in the DG plastic bag? Couldn't understand what you said.

[@MooneysExcavating]

Nothing. It’s just an empty bag

[@mxslick50]

@@MooneysExcavating BS, you said "take a 3 inch (mumble something, CC reads it as "Fern Cove", whatever the fuck that is) " So what did you actually put in the bag? Was it another bag, or was it a "Fern Cove"

[@MooneysExcavating]

@@mxslick50 there is nothing in the bag… and a 3” fernco is the black rubber coupler.

[@voiceofraisin241]

When you dropped that bag at the end it did not look empty. It fell way too fast for being empty.

[@MooneysExcavating]

@@voiceofraisin241 ok 😂

[@TJF8]

That's very cool

[@pubcollize]

what would you do if you had a shop vac at one end of the conduit and an air compressor at the other end of the conduit? which one would you go for? cool trick btw, comments gave me a laugh

[@kirkwilson5905]

Use the shop vac discharge to blow the string through.

[@hphillips7425]

Nice 👍🏻

[@carlthornton3076]

Very Good!... #46 ✝ {10-7-2023}

[@nicholasmarino1733]

Hi very good IF one has a compressor, fittings, a lot of string, rubber hose.

[@MooneysExcavating]

Yessir. More than likely if someone does this for a living they will have those things. You can also use a vacuum if you don’t have an air compressor.

[@billwinkler6972]

Are those steel toed crocks your wearing?

[@TheGoatMumbler]

Genius

[@GDISinc]

Did you make that cap? I’m trying to use a shop vac 6.5 amp on 1/2” conduit with paper napkin and poly sting. Runs around 150 feet but the other end doesn’t have enough suction. Conduit is brand new and buried already.

[@am74343]

Route 209? That's in NY and PA!

[@michaelwpaulin4876]

Some of these comments are so ridiculous and here I thought you were talking to adults

[@clintgray1623]

A shop vacuum is better, sucks the dirt and water out also , not everyone has a air compressor on job site

[@MooneysExcavating]

This video was specifically made for someone with an air compressor. Hence the title…

[@hebdomatical6013]

I’m confused, you said 200’ one direction and another 1,000’. Is that a 1,200’ blow you just did?

[@MooneysExcavating]

That’s was a 2-250’ line. The line to the road was just over 1,100’.

[@Strykenine]

Good ol' boys come through again.

[@Hapfletcher]

leaf blower works a lot better..

[@villehietala9677]

And for the needed flow, costs about 3% of the compressors price.

[@assassinlexx1993]

This only if there is little water and no air leaks . Vacuum cleaner for the win.

[@MooneysExcavating]

In correct. Blew about 5 gallons of water out as well

[@mindseyeproductions8798]

Are used to hire the neighbor kids to crawl through the pipe.

[@briankgarland]

I don't recommend using your fingers to guide the line.

[@techguy9023]

Mule tape next. You can pull a Volkswagen through a 3/4” conduit (almost!)

[@abeham3103]

What’s in the bag?

[@MooneysExcavating]

Nothing was put in the bag. May have gotten some water in it from the pipe.

[@hoilst265]

Or you can get a ferret!

[@wackyweyland8857]

Very odd, never seen it down with a compressor

[@ericturk]

0:18 ferncuv"?? wtf is a "3 inch ferncuv"? LOL(?)

[@fluxcapacitor1621]

I can't understand what marble mouth said, either.

[@MooneysExcavating]

2 guys with zero videos, zero subscribers. Makes since you have no idea what’s going on. Just hire the job out guys. 👍

[@Struthio_Camelus]

Clean your ears: "Fernco" is a brand of rubber coupler for joining pipe or conduit.

[@craigcorson3036]

Okay...that's the "easy" way. Is there any OTHER way??

[@robe3812]

Yes a shop vac from the other end will work just as well

[@MooneysExcavating]

As many have stated. A shop vac works just as well from the other end. We have also used a simple leaf blower to get it done. There’s not a right and wrong way to do this. Depends on what tools you available that day on the job.

[@billsmith305]

Oh yes , the hard way !

[@dougaltolan3017]

Trained ferret.

[@------country-boy-------]

Only works if you wear crocks tho

[@tomchandler-gb3qj]

I vacuum it threw

[@MooneysExcavating]

that's fantastic tom

[@technoman9000]

Nice tattoos 😅

[@MooneysExcavating]

Mom doesn't like them but thanks lol

[@robertlyle6277]

Electricians have been using this method, usually with a shop vac, for decades - without all of your fancy fittings. But you go on thinking you discovered something! 🤣😂

[@MooneysExcavating]

My dad is an electrician and showed me this. I discovered nothing. Just trying to help someone out if they’ve never seen it

[@whoisjohngalt4880]

He never claimed that he invented this trick. He was decent enough to make a quick video on how he, and a lot of other electricians, do it. Do you go on every how-to video on KZbin and cry about how those people didn’t invent the methods that they use? You’d have a lot of crying to do.

[@ebear2775]

He shared it with me and I've never seen it before. I'm a homeowner with a few buildings on the plot. I'll definitely be putting it to use. Thanks for sharing it MooneysExcavation. 👍

[@ebear2775]

@tradde11 I was thinking that same damn exact thing.

[@DemPilafian]

I see you used these two emojis: 🤣😂 Do you really expect us to believe you invented those emojis. You discovered nothing! Stop acting like you're some kind of hotshot emoji entrepreneur.

[@sakinaproductions]

Yeh cause everyone has an air compressor at home

[@MooneysExcavating]

@@sakinaproductions I don’t believe that’s true. Pretty stupid comment.

[@sakinaproductions]

@MooneysExcavating doesn't matter if you think it's a stupid comment, it's true. Most people don't have an air compressor at home

[@MooneysExcavating]

@@sakinaproductions you just said they did. Now you’re saying they don’t. Makes no sense.

[@sakinaproductions]

@@MooneysExcavating my first comment was sarcasm

[@MooneysExcavating]

@@sakinaproductions you’re a clown. The video is to show people that have an air compressor how to blow a string through a pipe. Don’t have one? Don’t watch the video. Move on

[@billwatcher9321]

This is how you do it if you don't know what your doing and you have all day to get the job done. The correct (and much faster) way to string a conduit is to use a good vacuum on one end. The vacuum will pull the string through the conduit in 15 seconds.

[@MooneysExcavating]

What do you do when you don’t have a shop vac and have a compressor on the job site? Specifically made this video to show how to do it with a compressor, specifically did not use a shop vac on purpose.

[@consciousobjector2507]

"you don't know what *you're* doing" Please try to know what *you're* doing before criticizing someone else. Thanks!

[@andybrice2711]

This method seemed comparably quick and effective, so I’m not sure why you’re so disparaging.

[@sourdoughbornsourdoughbred4712]

This took 30 seconds. I highly doubt a shopvac would be much faster. And who cares?

[@raffyzoo2130]

y'all are working too hard. just use a vacuum cleaner at the other end. much faster & less to do.

[@TheUnvarnishedTruth-]

*Brilliant!*

[@treashurehunter800]

If it gets stuck:you can simply put a bunch of string on the feed end pour a 2 liter of soda and drop 2 packs of mentoes In it and seal the cap.🤔🥸😳😁🧐🥲

[@elmerfudd7674]

I can see doing something like this on an old pipe, but I guess I'll never be an electrician cause I would have put the string in the pipe as I buried it.

[@MooneysExcavating]

I thought the same thing until I saw my dad do this. Gave me anxiety not already having it in the pipe the first few times because I didn’t trust it. Sure enough there’s nothing to worry about. We’ve done this through several thousand feet of conduit.

[@elmerfudd7674]

Does it still work if you have 90's ? Or do you have to have sweep 90's ?

[@MooneysExcavating]

With electrical conduit we always use seeeping 90s. Makes it easier for us and the electricians to pull the electric line. This had 2 3” sweeping 90s. I wouldn’t suggest anything that’s not sweeping

[@elmerfudd7674]

Thanks for your time and help.@@MooneysExcavating

[@u171098atgmail]

nice, something actually of value on youtube! 'cause it's mostly just a user data collection shit show.. thumbs up to you, thumbs down to google as always