Cable-Pulling Lubricant Quantity
Estimates the pulling lubricant a conduit run takes, so the crew does not run short mid-pull.
Example
You enter
- Conduit run length (ft) 400
- Conduit inside diameter (in) 3
- Film-coating K factor 0.0015
- Bend / fill multiplier 1
You get
- Lubricant to bring 5.4 gal
Details, formula, and sources
gallons = K x length x conduit ID^2 x bend factor. A 400 ft run in 3 in conduit wants about 5.4 gallons (round to a full pail), and a bend-heavy, high-fill pull at a 1.3 bend factor pushes that past 7. K is a film-coating rule (~0.0015, the common Polywater rule); under-lubing risks a stuck cable, so round up and keep a spare pail.
gallons = k_factor x length_ft x conduit_id_in^2 x bend_factor.
Film-coating lubricant estimate by name (gallons proportional to length x conduit ID^2, scaled by a bend/fill factor); rule-of-thumb.
The film-coating rule of thumb (~0.0015 gal per foot per square inch of conduit) is public; the lubricant manufacturer's rate governs.
Estimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
Field names used by the API: length_ft, conduit_id_in, k_factor, bend_factor, gallons
- K factor ~0.0015 gal per foot per square inch of conduit (the common Polywater film-coating rule)lubricant manufacturer
- Bend factor 1.0 for a straight run; raise it for multiple sweeps and high conduit fillfield judgment