# Mineral Insulated 500 kcmil



## telsa (May 22, 2015)

WronGun said:


> Recently ran (24) mineral insulated cables up 12 stories then about 120' across a penthouse floor. They are emergency back up feeds. If you havent ran this stuff before Terminating and banding can really take a toll on your body, and hopefully you don't have to make your way through tight places or make 90 degree turns like I did. In 9 years of working as a journeyman this has been my greatest challenge. Each M.I connector should come with an antidepressant and a pain killer especially for the 500's. I learned some tricks and tips but running this stuff can be brutal!! Just venting !


Photographs, please. Thanks in advance.

banding = bending ?


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

WronGun said:


> Recently ran (24) mineral insulated cables up 12 stories then about 120' across a penthouse floor. They are emergency back up feeds. If you havent ran this stuff before Terminating and banding can really take a toll on your body, and hopefully you don't have to make your way through tight places or make 90 degree turns like I did. In 9 years of working as a journeyman this has been my greatest challenge. Each M.I connector should come with an antidepressant and a pain killer especially for the 500's. I learned some tricks and tips but running this stuff can be brutal!! Just venting !


The biggest I ever worked with was 2/0, I have seen 500 kcmil and I just shook me head as I thought what they went through to install.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

Did you just pull them through penetrations or use a tray?
How did you manage the 90 degree turns without injuring the jacket?


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

this thread is useless without pics. 



just sayin . . .


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

jrannis said:


> Did you just pull them through penetrations or use a tray? How did you manage the 90 degree turns without injuring the jacket?


 Alot of the bending is done by hand !! I know crazy but there are leverage points you can create. There are areas where bending is near impossible by muscle alone. So I would mount strut for support on the ceiling and an eye bolt on the floor at different locations and use up to (3) come-alongs with pulleys just to maneuver this stuff around. It is mind-boggling at times. I will try to get some pictures next week but this thread isn't particular to my situation regardless


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

telsa said:


> Photographs, please. Thanks in advance. banding = bending ?


 Banding is neatly stacking 4 MI cables (1 circuit) together and then securing them together with a pipe clamp about every 12"-18"... Getting them to stack correctly together is a hand breaking mission on its own. A large screw driver to pry up or down and rubber mallets are used.


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## telsa (May 22, 2015)

You should've rented a T-1000 from Cyberdyne Systems. :laughing:


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## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

I feel for you. 

I have had some bad days in my career, but none as bad as running MI cable. 

We had a feeder to a new emergency electric room in a hospital. It was part of a four story expansion to the hospital. Luckily the feeder was on one floor. 

It was four parallel sets of 4/0. Each one of the 20 wires were pulled with a tugger, one at a time through pulleys above the ceiling. I think there was three 90's and an offset. 

Then the fun begun. Racking them in bundles with rubber mallets and a lot of hard labor. I would not wish that job on anyone.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

cabletie said:


> I feel for you. I have had some bad days in my career, but none as bad as running MI cable. We had a feeder to a new emergency electric room in a hospital. It was part of a four story expansion to the hospital. Luckily the feeder was on one floor. It was four parallel sets of 4/0. Each one of the 20 wires were pulled with a tugger, one at a time through pulleys above the ceiling. I think there was three 90's and an offset. Then the fun begun. Racking them in bundles with rubber mallets and a lot of hard labor. I would not wish that job on anyone.



For the first time I questioned my career and felt like quitting ! Absolute abuse and depression came on


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## pete87 (Oct 22, 2012)

WronGun said:


> For the first time I questioned my career and felt like quitting ! Absolute abuse and depression came on




Some Countries have " Organic Opium " , locals know the benefit !

We in the States have no relief . I could send you my recipe for ...

Peyote Tea ( no vomit after 20 minutes ) and Mushroom Omelet's , I have made 33 for people in the Jungles , after a communal forage .


The biggest MI Cable I have seen is in the streets of NYC .



Pete


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