I am trying to pull four #8 stranded wires through a flexible PVC conduit that is 25 feet long. I can get the wires just a few feet into the conduit before they bind. I know there is a commercially available wire lube, but I do not have any. Can I safely substitute another product like dish soap or something? Or would that just be a bad idea and I should just get the real deal?
Electrical – Options for lubricating wires for conduit
electricallubricationwire
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Best Answer
I'd agree with the comment that you may have another problem.
What size is the conduit?
Are you pulling or pushing (pulling is what works, pushing won't.) If you need something to pull with, use a shop-vac to get a rope through the conduit first. Braided hollow rope can be nice as you can expand the end and use it like a Chinese finger cuff to grab the ends of the wires (use tape as well.)
If the conduit is exterior and the wires are correctly rated for exterior conduit, you could use water as a lubricant. It's not a good idea to come up with a random soapy product, since the commercial products are tested for long-term compatibility with wire jacket material, some lube will remain in the conduit, and the wires are generally expected to be there for decades - over which time it's possible that the seemingly innocuous dish soap might have a deteriorating effect on the wire insulation, due to some component inconsequential in washing dishes (say, for example, the scent...)
The real deal is quite affordable if you can find it in quarts, which you generally can at most electric supply houses or the internet if you have difficult electric supply houses and your home improvement stores don't stock it.