# coated pvc



## 3197193 (Sep 28, 2008)

due to the booming economy i changed jobs recently,and now i work for a different electrical contractor. love the job its 90% industrial (wasted water,fresh water pump stations etc), my only thing is we use coated pvc (robroy). while using the power pony and a rigid pipe vice how do you keep the pipe from spinning in the jaws an scarring up the finish on the pipe. everything else is pretty good so far. any help is greatful. btw chit does flow up hill (if it is push with a 250 hp motor.)


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## BDB (Jul 9, 2008)

You really can not stop the pipe totally from spinning in the vise. Just need to have on hand a roll of wrapping tape, repair the spot that was messed up.


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## vanvincent218 (Jan 8, 2010)

*duct tape*

a little tape around it when you use the vice or threader works..but yer still gonna get some cuts.we had some rubber coated paint for such an occasion dont remember what it was called though.:thumbsup: good luck on the new gig!!:thumbup:


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## htneighbors (Jan 23, 2009)

I've run miles of RobRoy over the years. They make adapters for the RIDGID pipe stands - both the chain type and the clamp type. The clamp type works best. The chain type sucks! 

If you are stuck with the chain type: 

1) wrap a rag, like a T-shirt type cotton material, around the pipe. Make sure it is wrapped VERY TIGHT and you have about 6 layers around it. Tighten your chain around the rag. Most times this will not damage the pipe coating. 

or

2) Find a short piece (@8" long) of heavy-wall steel pipe that has the same ID as your conduit OD. Cut it in half LENGTHWISE, splitting it in 2. Sandwich this around your RobRoy and tighten up your chain. You may have to bevel the edges of your "Clamp Pipe" in order to prevent them from touching and/or cutting a ridge in your RobRoy. This is the method I used the most for years. Work great and no damage. 

Be sure to test out your chosen method on some scrap RobRoy!


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

You can get rubber jaws for the tri-stand and a can of touch-up for any marks you make. The wholesale house should be able to get both for you. Also, invest in some strap wrenches for screwing your conduit together.


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## TQuade (Jan 22, 2010)

we use the 4 inch stuff alot here and we chisle off bout a 3 inch wide piece all the way around and take and put that back over the pipe before we tighten down it works pretty well some people leave the jacket on and it will screw your dies up when using larger sizes and puts more strain on the threader and the man holdin it i know first hand having two guys holdin the pipe vice and me on the pony for about a month in the dead of winter didnt take long to get a plan on how to work with that stuff


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

*coated PVC*



htneighbors said:


> I've run miles of RobRoy over the years. They make adapters for the RIDGID pipe stands - both the chain type and the clamp type. The clamp type works best. The chain type sucks!
> 
> If you are stuck with the chain type:
> 
> ...


I like the #2 suggestion. First I've heard of doing it that way but it sounds as if it will work.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

You may try to take a few small "bites" at a time while cutting threads. Instead of closing the threading dies down the first time run them in a few steps gradually cutting deeper each time.


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## 3197193 (Sep 28, 2008)

thanks for the advice i like the splitting of the next size pipe trick. i will try it when we run the next run of robroy. next couple of weeks we will be running 4" rigid 15' overhead getting ready for the generator to be delivered to this site. thanks:thumbsup:


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## TQuade (Jan 22, 2010)

we use a table threader now on the pvc stuff and our problem with 4" is we can barely get a rag inside the jaws i dont think a heavywall piece could fit in between the jaws and the pipe do you think thinwall would be enough? sometimes when we thread pipes there not long enough to extend out past the second set of jaws so we have to rely on the first set over the oil catch pan and one of us usualy has to help the threader spin the pipe with a strap wrench


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## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

TQuade said:


> we use a table threader now on the pvc stuff and our problem with 4" is we can barely get a rag inside the jaws i dont think a heavywall piece could fit in between the jaws and the pipe do you think thinwall would be enough? sometimes when we thread pipes there not long enough to extend out past the second set of jaws so we have to rely on the first set over the oil catch pan and one of us usualy has to help the threader spin the pipe with a strap wrench


 just clamp your threadind head ( hoghead ) in a chain vise for your short nipples. you can get a 12" nipple. nuthin to it. :thumbsup:


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

I have worked for contractors that made special dies for 1/2 to 2 inch. 
They bought standard dies then took them to a machine shop and had them bored out to clear the coating. It worked well.
The only bad thing is that did not seperate the dies and you cannot use a plastabond die on standard conduit. The excess play will cause the threads to be cut crooked. 
LC
Listen Think Solve


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## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

Lone Crapshooter said:


> I have worked for contractors that made special dies for 1/2 to 2 inch.
> They bought standard dies then took them to a machine shop and had them bored out to clear the coating. It worked well.
> The only bad thing is that did not seperate the dies and you cannot use a plastabond die on standard conduit. The excess play will cause the threads to be cut crooked.
> LC
> Listen Think Solve


 exactly the way to do it. clean the new dies with some mineral spirits and then paint them so everybody knows which is robroy dies. but it dont do no good if you dont tell everybody!!!!


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## SparkYZ (Jan 20, 2010)

Personally never working with this stuff, but seeing it at some of the water pumping stations we've done work at, when is this stuff required?
We are talking about PVC coated rigid conduit, right?


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## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

SparkYZ said:


> Personally never working with this stuff, but seeing it at some of the water pumping stations we've done work at, when is this stuff required?
> We are talking about PVC coated rigid conduit, right?


 yep. waste/water plants require it anywhere conduit is exposed to any rain/water/chemicals. some places allow aluminum conduit. this is my expierence anyway. trade names include " robroy,ocal, plastabond "


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## Charlie K (Aug 14, 2008)

I have installed tons of PVC coated conduit. Some tricks I learned is use a wire brush to clean the clamping jaws on youe pipe machine. If you are using a pipe vice the wire brush works good on that also. You need the grooves clean so it will bite into the coating. I have used a cylinder hone to enlarge the throat of 12R dies. It is time consuming to do it but if a machine shop isnt available it works.

Charlie


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## Bob Badger (Apr 19, 2009)

Charlie K said:


> You need the grooves clean *so it will bite into the coating.*



Why would I try to damage the coating? :001_huh:


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## NolaTigaBait (Oct 19, 2008)

What situations would you use rob-roy?


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

NolaTigaBait said:


> What situations would you use rob-roy?


Food processing, chemical plants, corrosive areas, not in MCC's.


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## BDB (Jul 9, 2008)

NolaTigaBait said:


> What situations would you use rob-roy?


All Govt. jobs we do call for any conduit underground to be PVC coated, unless encased in concrete then it can be PVC.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

*coated PVC*

I have used PVC coated conduit extensively in chem. plants. It really does last. Once, I ran a single 3/4 inch alongside some original on an outside pipe rack. The older conduit looked as though it was rope on a clothes line. (sagging). But the PVC coating was still intact with the pipe rusted inside it.


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## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

and once you get into pvc conduit, you find out about stainless . strut, hardware, and j-boxes. then comes " carflex ". i luv industrial work. :thumbsup:


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## Charlie K (Aug 14, 2008)

paul d. said:


> and once you get into pvc conduit, you find out about stainless . strut, hardware, and j-boxes. then comes " carflex ". i luv industrial work. :thumbsup:


I carry Fiber strut. Aluminum strut, Stainless steel and pvc coated strut on my truck. I would go into a plant and never had the right stuff. Also have a few straps of each handy. Have you seen the new Stainless steel sealtite connectors?

Charlie


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## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

Charlie K said:


> I carry Fiber strut. Aluminum strut, Stainless steel and pvc coated strut on my truck. I would go into a plant and never had the right stuff. Also have a few straps of each handy. Have you seen the new Stainless steel sealtite connectors?
> 
> Charlie


 have'nt used the SS sealtite conn yet. but i have used some 4" PVC coated ST conn. dont know the cost but the boss treated em like they was made of gold. kept them locked in his office til needed.


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## Charlie K (Aug 14, 2008)

paul d. said:


> have'nt used the SS sealtite conn yet. but i have used some 4" PVC coated ST conn. dont know the cost but the boss treated em like they was made of gold. kept them locked in his office til needed.


Pricing up a job and got a quote of 29.00 each for 3/4" stainless steel sealtite 90. We did not get that job. What I dont understand is the sealtite will corrode away anyhow. All it takes is a nick or condensation inside of it.

Charlie


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## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

Charlie K said:


> Pricing up a job and got a quote of 29.00 each for 3/4" stainless steel sealtite 90. We did not get that job. What I dont understand is the sealtite will corrode away anyhow. All it takes is a nick or condensation inside of it.
> 
> Charlie


 charlie, for 6-7 years we been using all plastic " carflex " type flex and fittings for 1" and smaller.


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## Old Spark (Nov 18, 2008)

I have run miles of pvc coated conduit at gas stations here in Ca. but we use O'cal instead of Rob Roy. Saved a lot of money with the O'cal. We always use their premium because it is coated with something like teflon inside and not only protects the interior of the conduit, the wire slide thru like butter. Now, on threading, we purchased Rigid's special cutting heads for pvc coated. They are colored gray instead of red so you don't mix them up. Its worth the extra cost. We found that if we clamped the chain vice really tight the conduit does not slip while threading, but we do have to repair the damage caused my the vice. For that we purchase a can of O'cal pvc pipe repair coating. It comes with a brush in the can and we paint it on the damaged area.
The nice thing about using the proper heads is you don't have to peal off the coating in order to get the head to slip onto the conduit. 
P.S. we get the repair coating from the same place we purchase the conduit.


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## cal1947 (Nov 14, 2009)

*cal*

i worked in a bottling plant we used to wrap a small towel around the pipe where i set in the jaws, that way you could get the vise tight e nough and


3197193 said:


> due to the booming economy i changed jobs recently,and now i work for a different electrical contractor. love the job its 90% industrial (wasted water,fresh water pump stations etc), my only thing is we use coated pvc (robroy). while using the power pony and a rigid pipe vice how do you keep the pipe from spinning in the jaws an scarring up the finish on the pipe. everything else is pretty good so far. any help is greatful. btw chit does flow up hill (if it is push with a 250 hp motor.)


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## WIREDOG (May 27, 2007)

If it is not too much trouble try threading by hand


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

Don't wear the rubber coated gloves when using a Rigid 300. If your gloved hand makes contact with the spinning conduit, the gloves will stick like glue, and could cause you to have several dislocated fingers.


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## 3197193 (Sep 28, 2008)

WIREDOG said:


> If it is not too much trouble try threading by hand


threading 4" rigid pvc coated by hand is a bit much to hand thread. i have been issued a set of regular pony dies and a set of coated dies. so far the best way for the 1" and 3/4 is to split the next size bigger pipe and make a clam shell out of it. thanks for all the replies


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## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

any co. that installs PVC coated conduit can afford the jaws designed to hold the stuff. Rigid sells em. and they DO work.


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## qckrun (May 18, 2009)

Running PVC coated 5" is awesome and fun . 

We have the special dies for it so its quiet easy for everything 4" and below, however the 5" is on an older threader that the clamps are essentially rugged jaws with teeth... need the ocal paint as we call it.

The job I'm on specs Rob Roy and the Green one(forget the name) cant use Ocal which sucks cause our trailer is full of ocal ****(from previous jobs) and we have to wait for everything to come in Rob Roy or the Green stuff.

Oh and waiting on 5" Rigid or PVC coated is always a minimum of 1-2weeks turn around.

1 stick of 5" PVC coated is close to $400, mulitple that 500 feet... nice cool $20k in just ****ing pipe.

Erickson's= $100, Strut Straps= $20, everything is insanely expensive since its all customed made.


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## qckrun (May 18, 2009)

paul d. said:


> any co. that installs PVC coated conduit can afford the jaws designed to hold the stuff. Rigid sells em. and they DO work.


 Have you seen the adapter for channellock's that are PVC coated jaws. Basically a huge rubber clamp.


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## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

qckrun said:


> Have you seen the adapter for channellock's that are PVC coated jaws. Basically a huge rubber clamp.


 no. i can see where they would be necessary in hot weather. rob roy/ocal is easy to booger up in summer.


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