How to Run Cable Through A Conduit

Running wire through conduit can be a little tricky and in this article I will explain how to do it with little to no hassle. The biggest reason for running wire through conduit is to get electricity outside or somewhere that needs for the wires to be protected more than normal. Laying out the conduit and digging a trench in the ground (if necessary) is actually the easy part of this job. Check out my article "How To Install Conduit" and it will give you a step by step process to get to the point of running the cable. Once you have your conduit installed and you know where the fixture you are running the wire to, you are ready to start running the cable.

Always when dealing with electricity you must think safety first. You never know when someone might flip on the power that you have turned off, or maybe you just forgot to turn the power off all together, whatever the case is, turn the power off and put a note on the power source telling everyone that the power is off for a reason. In the case of running new wire there is already a safety measure you can use. If you simply start to run the cable from the outdoors toward the fixture, you know that there is no electricity running through the wire. When you are ready to get started running the wire and the conduit is laid out correctly, remove the cover of the LB fitting. The LB fitting is simply the connection from the house to the outside, it basically protects the wire from any rubbing between the walls. Now you are ready to start running the wire.

Fishing wire through a conduit by itself is nearly impossible. Instead of trying to fish it by itself use what is called fish tape. Fish tape is a flat springy length of metal in a roll. Simply start feeding the fish tape into the conduit at the LB fitting and continue pushing it through until it reaches the end. Once the fish tape has made it to the end of the conduit you need to hook the cable onto the fish tape by bending the cable to form a hook and interlocking both hooks. I like to use electrical tape to connect the wire to the fish tape as well, it just ensures that you wont get disconnected when you are half way done. Start pulling the tape and the cable through the conduit, go slowly and be gently making sure not to cause any damage to the wire. You can also use conduit lubricant to make pulling easier and to prevent any damage.

Once you have pulled the wire successfully through the conduit make sure and pull enough cable through the conduit to reach through the wall, plus about 8 inches. Once you have enough cable simply feed the line into the house through the nipple. Attach a junction box to the end of the nipple and inside the box connect the cable coming in from outside with NM cable that will run to the service panel. Staple the cable along the joists with cable staples placed about every 4 feet or so. Don't drive the staples too hard or they will crush and damage the cable. If you don't have a clear path to your target you may have to drill some holes or make some adjustments. The most common adjustment to make is to feed the cable through joists. If this is the case, simply drill holes in the middle of the joists to avoid weakening them and feed the wire through.

That's it, you now know how to run cable through conduit and into your house. It really is pretty easy as long as you go slow and don't damage the cable. I've done this a million times and have never damaged any, I don't think it is very easy but it would be a real pain if you damaged a cable right in the middle of passing it through conduit. Just be careful and patient and you should be well on your way to having electricity to your outdoor living space. Good luck.