Electrical Conduit issue (electrician/city water workers question)

[balloooza]

At my church (where I volunteer in the sound crew) we have an issue with our conduits here it is:

Our facility is relatively new, and the electricians laid some extra conduit to two floor boxes, to allow us to expand in the future.

Now it is the future, the problem: the conduits were a last minute addition (literally, they were ready to lay the concrete) so the location of the runs were not documented (there is no good reason they were not, the electricians were "not the most proactive") We Have since pulled multiple cables through other conduits, but have noticed that the markings like stage left, do not match up (like stage left labeled conduit might go up to the projector)

Let me attempt to make a diagram with text:


end of conduits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- << Wall
floor box _______________/ \______ floor box
?
|
the floor box in question ---------------------- the floor box in question
|
?
?? where do they go ??So the problem: lets just say that my best idea for finding where the conduit ends up is contracting someone with a boroscope :)

Do any of you Ubuntu community members with experience with those pesky conduits have some tips, We have tried one already a vacuum, just shoving the cable through the conduit.

Any tips are appreciated!

Mark

[skewty]

Are you using a fish tape to pull the cables through? Fish tapes are almost always used inside metal conduit. Cables are rarely strong enough on their own to make it all the way through.

Is it coreline? (The flexible plastic ribbed stuff.) That is the worst to have to pull cable through. Use electrical tape to create a small ball at the end of the fish tape (after bending the end over onto itself and force it through. The fish tape is strong enough to break the plastic and frequently does in tight corners. Sometimes you have to push very hard on the fish tape to make it through the entire length of conduit.

A vacuum is usually only used to pull very long distances.
Use a vacuum with a balloon to get a lightweight pull cord / string through then use the pullcord to pull the cables through.

Good Luck!

Scott

[clanky]

An air hose, used very carefully might work, shove the air hose down the conduit, turn on the air and see where it comes out.

You would have to be very careful as compressed air can be dangerous, but done properly and carefully it could work.

Alternately test your faith and pray for an answer :P

[balloooza]

Thanks for the responses, I will definitely try the fish tape, and I will try a small air can, but a larger air compressor might be better. (small air cans do not work well upside-down)

Mark

[clanky]

Yeah, it would definitely need a compressor and a hose, both of which can be hired quite cheaply if you don't know someone who already has one.

[sdowney717]

blow air thru it.
use a LEAF BLOWER

or smoke out the conduit, introduce smoke particles at one end and the smoke will show up at the other end.
a smoker like used in a beehive would work. just make sure you seal the introducing end.