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That advice about always pulling wire instead of pushing it cost me a day in Greenville
My old journeyman, Mike, swore you should never push wire through conduit, only pull it. He said pushing causes kinks and jams every time. Last month I was running 3/4 EMT in a tight attic space in Greenville, and pulling would have meant cutting holes in drywall. I decided to push the wire anyway to save time. It worked fine for about 30 feet, then it kinked bad and I had to pull it all back out. Took me over 2 hours to fix my mistake with a fish tape from the other end. On the flip side, I know guys who push wire all day in straight runs with no issues. So is the old rule about never pushing wire really solid advice, or does it depend on the situation? I'm curious how many of you push wire regularly and get away with it.
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paige_bell815mo ago
Oh man, that's a rough lesson to learn. But I gotta say, pushing wire isn't always a bad idea. Mike's rule is more about avoiding trouble than a hard truth. Running 3/4 EMT in an attic is a different beast than straight commercial conduit runs. I've pushed wire in short, straight sections with no bends and it worked fine. But anything with lots of 90s or tight turns, you're asking for kinks. Your situation in Greenville sounds like one where pulling was the safer call, especially if you had to fish from the other end anyway. Sometimes the old rules are just guidelines, not laws.
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dakota_miller935mo ago
Oh yeah, you nailed it. The key is knowing when you can bend the rules and when you can't. On a straight shot through an attic with no sharp bends, pushing is totally fine. But throw in a few factory 90s or a tight offset, and you're asking for a snake's nest of kinked wire. I learned that one the hard way on a resi job where I tried to push 12/3 through a 3/4 inch run with three bends. What a mess. Your call in Greenville sounds like the smart play, especially with the fishing involved.
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