ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Draw-Wires?

I have done a lot of domestic and Commercial work on Panels and have found that the original Electrician has left enough room and a couple of draw wires to pull future cables into the panel.
This is great, from my point of view, doing after-build repairs and the like.
Tell me guys, do you leave room up above a Panel in the wall and do you leave one or two draw-wires?.
Sure, it could help someone else in the near future, but it could help you in 5-10 years time too.
Another thing is also replacing the draw wire as it is used.
I had a Telecoms tech use all my draw wires to get his bundle of Cat5 wires down a wall next to the Panel, he never replaced a single one, there was 6 before he started!.
Some bosses call this sort of thing un-necessary waste of time and materials, but I have found that it pays off later on.
What do you guys think?

Always. I leave pull wires, spare wires in conduits and notes inside junction box lids. It's just polite.

I generally pull spare wires if I can. In the winter in Maine its easily for ice to part a wire. You be surprised how many times it just take 1 out, having a spare keeps equipment running and customers from whining . If I dd a retrofit where I've had to wring out wiring that others have done I too leave notes as to what went where. I like to write on conduits as to where they go also. Sometimes I can have 4 pipes with the same wires in them, someone coming back would have no idea where they went without tracing stuff out. Sure makes it easier to troubleshoot problems in the future.

I agree that some would consider it a waste of time and material. Those guys sit in a office

When I was an apprentice in California, i was always the one elected to do the attic crawl. I always said thank you to the electrician who preceded me when I got up there & found a piece of empty flex running down to the panel. Ever since, when put a panel in a wall that will be closed up, I try to return the favor by runnning a spare raceway up to the attic & down to the crawlspace.

Tom

Thanks for your comments guys,
I am sick and tired of being harangued by management to stop this practice.
I'm told it wastes Conduit wire.
Considering that the management are'nt doing the job, now or in the future, I think it is a situation of keep mouth closed.
I was talking to a Builder during Smoko today and I think this idea went right over his head, because he said "Well other guys from the previous job don't leave me wood to work with do they?".
I was lost for an answer.
Sure, I've used the draw-wires of a competitor Company and they've used mine and we all pull them back through after their use has finished.
Common courtesy really.
Another question, how many of you guys have found in a particular existing Installation, where the Original Sparky only bored the holes in partition walls to allow his cables only?.
These sorts of people really annoy me and I never use an Auger bit smaller than 25mm diameter, usually using a 32mm bit, it just makes it so easy to put wires in later, should the need arise, and it usually does after customers change thier minds.

Good answer! I think of it more like wiring a house and just taking two wires to the thermostat, because I'm not installing the air conditioner. That's just mean.

What?

Well most folks I meet consider me a polite and considerate.

Even still I do not give away wire and conduit unless I think it will save the company I work for money for changes that I see coming.

I am not wiring for the next contractor, I will (company policy) label junction boxes with voltage and circuit numbers.

As far as draw wires in conduits I will pull one out to pull in new ones.

Bob