Cable pulling

[MatthewM]

I’ve a new build house where the garage is not connected to the house.
The builders ran a cable from the front of the house to the garage underneath the driveway. It is not a straight run though. Length about 15m.
The cable is a 16a and I would ideally like to replace it with a 30a (or similar) cable.
It is in conduit which is of decent size so would take a larger cable without problem.
There’s part of me that thinks with a cable puller it should be possible to do this as a diy job but at the same time if I lose the end/something goes wrong I’ve lost power to the garage entirely - or at least made it much harder. Does anyone have any tips please? I am tempted just to pay to have it done but cannot find anyone than specialists who do commercial work which I envisage would be expensive - I’m in the Midlands.
Thank you for support

 

[aveatry]

Are you proposing that you pull out the old and attempt to put in a new.
I would attach a smaller strong cable to the end of the old 16a and pull out then use that to pull through the new 30a cable.
For a pulling cable I like to use washing line with the steel thread, its strong and bendable.
And as a back up I would pull 2 washing lines through, so if one detaches itself half way you can pull out and use the second one.
So attach two washing lines to your 16a pull out the 16a and you will have 2 washing lines - use one to pull through the new 30a. tape up the join of the washing line and 30a so its forms a cone as you dont want any square ends to catch what I assume is a corrugated flexible conduit.

Or if the conduit is empty then I have seen utube where they and used a thin thread and something soft fluffy and lightweight and a vacuum at the other end and suck the thread through and then ever increase the thread size until something stronger is down there

 

[pete01]

If the conduit/pipe is big enough pull 2 draw wires in with the old cable (you might thank me later)

Don't attempt it by yourself, the pusher is as important as the puller.

 

[MatthewM]

Thank you. I think it probably is actually.
Your point is well made. I have a limit on DIY and it just feels like this one is best left alone but finding someone appears a challenge.

 

[endecotp]

What are you going to do in the garage that needs more than 16A?

What size is the conduit? What size is the cable?

 

[aveatry]

If the conduit/pipe is big enough pull 2 draw wires in with the old cable (you might thank me later)

Don't attempt it by yourself, the pusher is as important as the puller.

That's the word I was looking for "draw wire"
And yes have someone on both ends sometimes the will also need to pull back a little then you pull to get past a stuck bit

 

[MatthewM]

Are you proposing that you pull out the old and attempt to put in a new.
I would attach a smaller strong cable to the end of the old 16a and pull out then use that to pull through the new 30a cable.
For a pulling cable I like to use washing line with the steel thread, its strong and bendable.
And as a back up I would pull 2 washing lines through, so if one detaches itself half way you can pull out and use the second one.
So attach two washing lines to your 16a pull out the 16a and you will have 2 washing lines - use one to pull through the new 30a. tape up the join of the washing line and 30a so its forms a cone as you dont want any square ends to catch what I assume is a corrugated flexible conduit.

Or if the conduit is empty then I have seen utube where they and used a thin thread and something soft fluffy and lightweight and a vacuum at the other end and suck the thread through and then ever increase the thread size until something stronger is down there

Yes I want to pull the old one out which precludes the YouTube idea. I’m worried because it isn’t a straight run and reasonably long so what if the 16a gets stuck and then it becomes one of those situations where you can’t go forward and can’t back out of it. The worst of it is the only way is knowing is by doing it

 

[aveatry]

Do you have a picture of the conduit for us and the 16a coming out of it.

 

[Murdochcat]

Disconnect both ends of the existing cable and see if it moves at all first

 

[opps]

I did something similar once. I used a draw wire to pull through a number of draw wires so that I could run 2 CAT5 and two telephone cables into my garage. I greased them with tallow (can't remember why I opted for tallow though). It was a 12 meter run with two 90 degree turns.

 

[chivers67]

You could try to see if a fish tape could push through and attach some strong blue rope if it does to use as a draw rope. Definitely do what ^ Murdochat ^ above suggests in the first instance

 

[ericmark]

I put the cable in for my shed, no conduit, OK, not been in long, but still pulled it through the soil. It is pure luck, sometimes it works, other times it doesn't.

 

[pete01]

I put the cable in for my shed, no conduit, OK, not been in long, but still pulled it through the soil. It is pure luck, sometimes it works, other times it doesn't.

Couldn't have been very deep?

 

[morqthana]

Couldn't have been clay, either.

 

[ericmark]

My point is much is down to luck.