Conduit

BradleyD

SatelliteGuys Guru
Original poster
Sep 10, 2013
135
53
Knoxville, TN
I am relocating a dish to get HD channels for my area and get away from trees/shrubs that are beginning to block it in its current location. I will be making a run for satellite cable underground which will go under a sidewalk. It is a little over 100 feet. I will be getting 2 HwS and understand that I will have double RG6 plus single cable or possibly 3 single RG6 cables. I understand a ground wire will be run with the cables.

I want to run conduit and will use flexible tube. Can anyone tell me what size inner diameter tube I should get. I've made some measurements of RG cable I have and read some old threads here, but would like to make sure.

Also, will DISH give me underground RG6 even with a conduit or should I request it if they do not?
 
I am quite aware that I will be given the cable.


What I want to know in particular is what size inner diameter conduit that I need to bury.
 
I am quite aware that I will be given the cable.


What I want to know in particular is what size inner diameter conduit that I need to bury.
Your guess is 3 cables plus ground so I would guess 1 1/2 to 2" conduit especially with the corrugated surface of the flexible conduit.
 
My test showed circumference right at 1.5" with 3 individual cables. I don't have a dual cable to test with a single to see if there is any difference. I was thinking 2" since 1.75" doesn't seem to be readily available. I am looking at smooth pipe. It seems to be less expensive than corrugated from what I have seen so far. I will need to get it locally if possible. Shipping costs on pipe are evidently quite expensive.
 
Gimmi a break....a 1 inch conduit is more than enough!... Use some soap watered down a little when you pull in in...If you want some more room go 1 1/4....A 2 inch conduit holds 4/0 wire which is 3 times the size of a coax and much stiffer! You wont be able to run anything else in that conduit voltage would screw it all up and induce a current....Even an old phone rings at approximately 100 volts....
 
Thanks. 1 1/4 is better, cheaper. That was what I was thinking before I measured. I must have measured wrong. In fact, being a dummy, I measured circumference.
I wasn't planning to run anything else. I just want it to be big enough to get the cable pulled easily and if necessary, easily removable at a later date.
 
I'd have people always do small water pipes or something to pull cable thru...the issue is it was almost always too small. I recommend 2inch pipe so you can pull two double lines or 4 RG6 3Gh lines thru and maybe even a 5th just in case along with an extra pull string. Have the ditch dug and the pipe ready and you won't have any problems with the installer showing up and being grateful to give you as much line as you need and do a really good install job on both the ends....don't dig that ditch and don't prep the pipe and your not gonna have a happy installer.
 
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If you have any corners/curves in the pipe, I'd do 2''. I recently just laid down 150' of pipe underground here and 2'' is what I used because it had two 90 degree bends in the run and to have room for adding more wires in the future.

A easy way to get your pull string through the pipe is to tie or tape the string to a plastic bag [like the ones you get at the grocery store] and stuff it into one end, then put a vacuum on the other end and suck it through.
 
The pipe will be buried before the install is done. Why someone would expect an installer to be happy about digging a 100 foot trench and then doing a good job on the entire install for them is beyond me. I'm not a stupid customer. In fact, I really do not like people like that (a huge understatement). 1-1/4 inch inner diameter is fine now that I measured it correctly. RG6 is right at .272". 3 laid side by side fit inside 1-1/4 inner diameter. I only need three. I can leave a pull string inside in the case there is ever a need for a fourth cable. I don't see that there ever will be because there will always only be 2 TV sets connected. Also (and irrelevant), since eastern arc uses only 2 sats, I don't even understand why 3 cables are needed except for maybe something to do with the node.
 
If you have any corners/curves in the pipe, I'd do 2''. I recently just laid down 150' of pipe underground here and 2'' is what I used because it had two 90 degree bends in the run and to have room for adding more wires in the future.
A easy way to get your pull string through the pipe is to tie or tape the string to a plastic bag [like the ones you get at the grocery store] and stuff it into one end, then put a vacuum on the other end and suck it through.


There will be no 90 degree bends. At the dish pole and the wall, the tubing will go into pvc with sweep connectors (no 90 degree bend, but basically L shaped). PVC is used so weed eater won't cut into the tubing above ground.

I like the idea for getting the string through. Very creative.

Where did you get your 2" inch pipe....online or local?
 
Each port on the LnB is not for individual satellites, they are for tuners. Each port can control 2 tuners, so with two hoppers, you have six tuners, need three cables.
 
Each port on the LnB is not for individual satellites, they are for tuners. Each port can control 2 tuners, so with two hoppers, you have six tuners, need three cables.

Ahh yes. I forgot about that. I knew I would end up sounding dumb with the comment about need for 3 cables, but hey, it's worth it to learn what I forgot. Thanks for the correction.
 
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Ahh yes. I forgot about that. I knew I would end up sounding dumb with the comment about need for 3 cables, but hey, it's worth it to learn what I forgot. Thanks for the correction.
If any of us didn't ask a question we may have because we thought it would sound bad... This site wouldn't run. As frustrated as some may sound when answering, most of us pay to be on it, just showing a little more dedication to how much we like this forum platform. I for one, don't know everything so I love hearing new things. Iceberg is the OTA guy, so I always try and just read those threads to learn new things, but I purposefully try and stay out of the broadband threads usually as i suck at broadband.
 
I use this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Advanced...-Poly-Pipe-2-150100100/202282499?N=5yc1vZbuym

I used to use a smaller diameter, and then had to replace it when I needed more wiring. I presently have 8 quad-shield coax's, and motor/servo control wiring run ~100ft. Works perfectly. My soil is sandy/loam, so it also makes it easy to dig it back up if ever needed. However, what I do if I add more wire, is I have a small diameter pull rope in there. I hook that to the new piece of coax, along with a new pull rope (I soap the length of coax with dripped-on plain dishwashing soap). Pull the extra coa:mad:s) through, and it also pulls another pull rope in at the same time (for yet more future adds)
 
I use this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Advanced...-Poly-Pipe-2-150100100/202282499?N=5yc1vZbuym

I used to use a smaller diameter, and then had to replace it when I needed more wiring. I presently have 8 quad-shield coax's, and motor/servo control wiring run ~100ft. Works perfectly. My soil is sandy/loam, so it also makes it easy to dig it back up if ever needed. However, what I do if I add more wire, is I have a small diameter pull rope in there. I hook that to the new piece of coax, along with a new pull rope (I soap the length of coax with dripped-on plain dishwashing soap). Pull the extra coa:mad:s) through, and it also pulls another pull rope in at the same time (for yet more future adds)


That's a good link. I'll keep that. I have this linked http://www.homedepot.com/p/Advanced...Pipe-125100100/202282492?N=5yc1vZbuymZ1z0yjll, but I'll keep the one you listed too. You have much more of a system than I will with all that cable. If you can get all that in 1.5", I know I can get 3 cables into 1.25"

I'll probably add the extra pull rope too. As for soaping, I read that earlier in this thread. Never thought of it. I had been thinking about vaseline...just putting it on your hand and let the cables slid through your hand while they go into the conduit. Being oil based, that shouldn't hurt the conduit or the cable should it?
 
There will be no 90 degree bends. At the dish pole and the wall, the tubing will go into pvc with sweep connectors (no 90 degree bend, but basically L shaped). PVC is used so weed eater won't cut into the tubing above ground.

I like the idea for getting the string through. Very creative.

Where did you get your 2" inch pipe....online or local?

I got it at Lowes, I think this is the one I'd used. I could check tomorrow for numbers on it because there's a few feet above ground where it runs into a box on the side of the garage.

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1
 

I repeatedly have to go to HDTV under screen adjustments

Lawsuit?