3 ms·

Something I'd like to see: internal conduit with pull lines that you can use to thread any "wire-like" material through the walls. Need to run a long HDMI cabl

Something I'd like to see: internal conduit with pull lines that you can use to thread any "wire-like" material through the walls. Need to run a long HDMI cable? Open access panel, pull out existing bundle, clip your cable to it, use pull line to bring it back through the house. Same for Ethernet. In-home fiber becomes cost-competitive? Replace your Ethernet lines with it. Same for any new technologies. We should also do this for city infrastructure, eg. have conduit runs under the street that are a public right-of-way, and then any new company that invents a new telecommunications/energy/etc technology can pay the city to run its lines through existing infrastructure instead of having to dig up streets or beg the electric company for space on poles.

saalweachter 3y ago
Smurf tubes! https://www.lowes.com/pl/Electrical-non-metallic-tubing-ent--Conduit-conduit-fittings-Electrical/4294653950?refinement=3797699817 https://www.lowes.com/pl/Electrical-non-metallic-tubing-ent-... You don't even need wire pulls, you can just push cat5 through 3/4 ENT tubes and expect it to pop out the other side.
- hermitdev 3y ago
  Smurf tubes are great, but plugs like on Cat5 or HDMI cables get easily hung up while pulling cables. The ones you link above look smoother than the ones I've had the (dis)pleasure of working with, which were ribbed, making snags frequent & annoying, especially at any sort of 90 degree bend. It's still significantly easier (and safer) than blind runs through walls.
  - soylentcola 3y ago
    At least for cat5/6, wouldn't you be cutting and terminating once they're pulled? Never thought about pulling one of those with the connector on - for the reason you mentioned, but also just because you might not know how much cable you'll need until it's all finished. I'd imagine HDMI would be mostly shorter runs (or using cat5/6 extenders) due to the limits/requirements of the cable.
- madamelic 3y ago
  Sounds like you have done this before... quick question: is it normal to run multiple conduits carrying the same type of cable parallel to each other? For instance, multiple conduits running up from the first floor to the attic where all the final runs are done. It seems like 2" smurf tubes are relatively rare (I can find them but seems like they aren't interested in selling them in 100 foot rolls) so 1" are more common. According to conduit guidelines, 1" conduit for 40% Cat6 is a measly 6 cables while 2" is 22. So even at 2", I would still need 2 - 3 two-inch conduit runs. Is this off-base or do people generally hunt down 2"+ conduit?
  - saalweachter 3y ago
    I didn't have that situation (I was putting in Smurf tubes while insulating an old balloon-framed house, so I was mostly doing straight runs down the walls, with the occasional bend around a window, before filling up the airspaces), but if I did, I'd try to just build a void in to go all the way up to the attic. If you don't want to leave it bare wood, you could put in 4" PVC, with the T's at each floor, instead.
    - madamelic 3y ago
      Hmm! Thanks for the input. I was considering PVC as well. My house is old and had multiple additions so its layout is all topsy turvy and there are no straight cavities so I might just run lots of flexible conduit at least up from the server closet into the attic. At least then it will be a little easier to run new drops.

saalweachter 3y ago

Smurf tubes! https://www.lowes.com/pl/Electrical-non-metallic-tubing-ent--Conduit-conduit-fittings-Electrical/4294653950?refinement=3797699817 https://www.lowes.com/pl/Electrical-non-metallic-tubing-ent-... You don't even need wire pulls, you can just push cat5 through 3/4 ENT tubes and expect it to pop out the other side.

hermitdev 3y ago
Smurf tubes are great, but plugs like on Cat5 or HDMI cables get easily hung up while pulling cables. The ones you link above look smoother than the ones I've had the (dis)pleasure of working with, which were ribbed, making snags frequent & annoying, especially at any sort of 90 degree bend. It's still significantly easier (and safer) than blind runs through walls.
- soylentcola 3y ago
  At least for cat5/6, wouldn't you be cutting and terminating once they're pulled? Never thought about pulling one of those with the connector on - for the reason you mentioned, but also just because you might not know how much cable you'll need until it's all finished. I'd imagine HDMI would be mostly shorter runs (or using cat5/6 extenders) due to the limits/requirements of the cable.
madamelic 3y ago
Sounds like you have done this before... quick question: is it normal to run multiple conduits carrying the same type of cable parallel to each other? For instance, multiple conduits running up from the first floor to the attic where all the final runs are done. It seems like 2" smurf tubes are relatively rare (I can find them but seems like they aren't interested in selling them in 100 foot rolls) so 1" are more common. According to conduit guidelines, 1" conduit for 40% Cat6 is a measly 6 cables while 2" is 22. So even at 2", I would still need 2 - 3 two-inch conduit runs. Is this off-base or do people generally hunt down 2"+ conduit?
- saalweachter 3y ago
  I didn't have that situation (I was putting in Smurf tubes while insulating an old balloon-framed house, so I was mostly doing straight runs down the walls, with the occasional bend around a window, before filling up the airspaces), but if I did, I'd try to just build a void in to go all the way up to the attic. If you don't want to leave it bare wood, you could put in 4" PVC, with the T's at each floor, instead.
  - madamelic 3y ago
    Hmm! Thanks for the input. I was considering PVC as well. My house is old and had multiple additions so its layout is all topsy turvy and there are no straight cavities so I might just run lots of flexible conduit at least up from the server closet into the attic. At least then it will be a little easier to run new drops.