# Conduit sealant



## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

What is the best way to prevent water from flowing inside a conduit? This is for underground feeders going into the basement. It’s a commercial building.


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## The_Modifier (Oct 24, 2009)

Spray foam topped off with hydraulic cement. :biggrin:


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

Polywater sealant is what you're looking for.

https://www.polywater.com/product/polywater-fst-foam-duct-sealant/

Most standard duct seal products are labeled "not for outdoor use".

Truth is though whatever you use , it's mostly for looks, water always finds a way.


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## JoeSparky (Mar 25, 2010)

Tell the plumbers to run their own pipe and stop trying to hijack yours:biggrin:


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

The_Modifier said:


> Spray foam topped off with hydraulic cement. :biggrin:


Hard to type while I'm still laughing :vs_laugh:


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

Coincidentally, I'm dealing with a similar issue, three 4" conduits coming into a swbd in a basement below the ground water level.

I just bought a 4 pack case of that Polywater spray foam linked to above to meet minimum order quantity. Never used it before.

I need to make up the wiring we pulled in those 4 inchers on Monday, so I'll try that Polywater out after I finish. I'll bet I'll have 3 cans left over....

I paid about $325 for a case of 4 cans. Not cheap. But it's better than having water issues in a basement.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

99cents said:


> What is the best way to prevent water from flowing inside a conduit? This is for underground feeders going into the basement. It’s a commercial building.


The feed from a transformer pad? Transformer sits on a 3 foot pit. Our conduits can act as a drain (we can bring them up only 6 inches thus as much as 2 feet of water on top of them).

I asked the utility to foam the conduits in the pit. They tell me do my end. I tell them it's a hundred foot run and I can't stop it at the end. They did foam one transformer pad for me. Helped a bit.

I put a really nice garden hose drain in another building. stopped water from entering a 1200 switch in one building and a 400 amp switch where I installed the drain hose. Both buildings fed by the same transformer. 

I'll show you one day if you want.


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## flyboy (Jun 13, 2011)

Ductolox 431. This product will work for a conduit that is already leaking, or as a preventative method should water ever enter a conduit sometime in the future.


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## flyboy (Jun 13, 2011)




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## flyboy (Jun 13, 2011)




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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

American Polywater's various goops and icks have never let me down. That Ductlox product looks good, like a modernized oakum.


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## Navyguy (Mar 15, 2010)

In August of 2018 I was exchanging email with the rep from Polywater regarding CSA approvals, etc.

Seemed like a very good product and if I was in the situation where I needed something like that I would consider their product. They have been selling the FST in Canada for over 20 years according to the rep.

Cheers
John


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## samgregger (Jan 23, 2013)

flyboy said:


> Ductolox 431. This product will work for a conduit that is already leaking, or as a preventative method should water ever enter a conduit sometime in the future.
> 
> https://youtu.be/ZxvQR1YQhYQ


"Due to the adhesive properties of Ductolox 431, your hands have now become affixed to the conduit. After approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, have an assistant sever you hands at the wrist with the included bone saw. The repair is now complete."


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## flyboy (Jun 13, 2011)

samgregger said:


> "Due to the adhesive properties of Ductolox 431, your hands have now become affixed to the conduit. After approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, have an assistant sever you hands at the wrist with the included bone saw. The repair is now complete."


I was going to recommend this but then I saw a bad review for it.


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## stuiec (Sep 25, 2010)

Have used the polywater on a 1500A service and have not heard back of any issues. Then again, it was for a restaurant in Chinatown, so they might not want to draw any attention to the sweat-shop in the basement...


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

stuiec said:


> Have used the polywater on a 1500A service and have not heard back of any issues. Then again, it was for a restaurant in Chinatown, so they might not want to draw any attention to the sweat-shop in the basement...


You get all the glory jobs. 

How long did it take you?


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

Just squirted the purple Polywater foam into our three 4" conduits. 

It's as easy as using regular expanding foam.

We cut a 12" chunk off the plumbers 4" pipe laying on the ground and squirted foam into it, after about 4-5 minutes it was pretty well set up. We poured some water in one end and got no drips coming out the other. Works for me. After that test, we did our conduits. One can did four 4" pipes and still had some leftover. It sets up in about 2-3 minutes, any longer than that if you dink around when foaming conduits and you are going to be replacing the straw on the can due to it plugging.

Tomorrow we will hide the evidence from the plumber...

I tell ya, if you have a plumber you don't like, one little 1/4" hole in the side of one of their DWV pipes will make an adequate filler hole for some purple polywater foam....


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## stuiec (Sep 25, 2010)

99cents said:


> You get all the glory jobs.
> 
> How long did it take you?


Minutes I think, didn't really stick in my memory, so it must've gone smooth. What took a long time was finding the right product.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

Cow said:


> Just squirted the purple Polywater foam into our three 4" conduits.
> 
> It's as easy as using regular expanding foam.


How much water are you holding back? 10, 20, 50, 100 feet?


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

daveEM said:


> How much water are you holding back? 10, 20, 50, 100 feet?



3-4 feet of groundwater we figure.


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