Building PVC Conduits in the walls (1 Viewer)

[James Reyes]

How would I go about building a network of PVC pipe conduits in the walls of my house. There would be a media outlet in each room with telephone, ethernet, VHF/UHF and satellite. The pipes would lead up the walls to a larger pipe in the attic that will lead to a hub in one of the rooms. Have any of you attempted this yourselves?

 

[Leo Kerr]

Simply installing such a network of pipe is not going to solve all the world's ills - or even yours, for that - without some pre-planning.
A couple of pointers on cable ducts....
1- make sure that as you build, you install the pull strings into the cable ducts.
2- as you pull a cable in, make sure you're also pulling
another pull-string!
3- I believe it exists in some codes, but it is recommended not to fill a pipe by more than about half.
4- in any given pull length, you can not exceed 360° of angles. In my experience, I wouldn't go over 270°.
5- make sure that any given pull length is a single "run." If you want to split off and head to a second outlet, make sure that there is an intersection there that you can open up and access (effectively) three different runs (for a simple "T")
6- Be aware that certain cables may have limited lengths; Cat5 æthernet used to want to be under, what, 30 meters? Yesh, it's been so long I can't remember. (Besides; I didn't want to be doing network junk, anyway!)
7- also be aware of the potential for cross-contamination. The obvious one, of course, is if for some reason you're pulling AC power lines (but why would you be doing that? Unless your duct is going right next to an AC feeder line....)
Good luck, and I'm sure I've forgotten numerous things...
Leo Kerr
[email protected]

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

James,

Leo is right-on on all fronts here, especially about pull strings and accessible junction points for 90s and tees.

He is also right that your best bet for “future-proofing” is careful planning. For instance, even with a pull-string in place, it can be difficult to add a new cable to a bundle that already has half a dozen or so, especially if it is a horizontal pull. The reason is that during the initial pull the wires end up twisting all around each other. Adding another cable after the fact often means pulling everything back out and making a fresh pull, after tying in the new addition.

I can see the wisdom in using conduit in a two-story house, or in a house with tall ceilings. However, there is really no good reason to continue with conduit once the cable has reached the attic. It will only make things more complicated and difficult.

Good Luck,

Wayne A. Pflughaupt