Getting wire's down the inside of the mast...

[MaranaF]

And

One more thing, leave plent of spare cable at both ends! At the top leave a spare loop of cabe clipped down so it won't be flapping about. This is great should you ever need to rewire the mast head you won't have to drag a new cable through.

At the foot of the mast again don't be mean with the wire. It's very frustrating having to choose weather to move the junction box, extend the wire of replace the whole run just 'cos it's six inches short!

 

[pappaecho]

If you go into a "pound shop", and they stock the "rolson" brand of products, you will find very cheaply a tube of micro drain rods, which screw together and are flexible. The brass ferrules, which screw into each other are 5mm diameter, and so will go through a 6mm hole. Prove to be lifesavers in getting electrical wires into strange places, masts being one

 

[Gordonmc]

My masts have internal conduits to carry cables with various exit points - so the vacuum wouldn't work.
Best for me was a B&Q drain cleaner which is spring-steel on a coil housed in a plastic housing.

 

[pagoda]

Tilt mast (? access through bedroom window); weighted line
or
Use length of rigging wire to push line down.

Re internal conduit - some masts (both my Benes have anyway) have a moulded T-section on the inside which will accept a section of conduit with a longitudinal slit along it that can be pushed up. (never tried it myself though).

The upstairs window to ground level should be workable - you can also shake the mast to assist the pilot line.
I've used this technique to run halyards in (racing) dinghy masts- much smaller ID's and something of a nightmare...
For cables, a good dose of pre-applied dry film (sail) lubricant heps them move past potential obstructions -ie existing cables / lines

Graeme

 

[chewi]

I read once (here I think) of a guy that tied fishing line to a tampon tail and vacuumed it up his mast conduit...

 

[kieronriley]

screwfix

you can buy a set of what looks like mini drain rods as used by electricians to feed wires under floors and such ,they are each about 1 metre long and screw together to about eleven metres just tape your wire or wires on and push up.best of luck.Kieron

 

[Myk]

Anyone Glued in a Mast Conduit

Need to re fit the conduit in my mast and I was thinking about using sikaflex. I figure if I pull it out and run plenty of mice through it I can run a good bead of Sikaflex along the top of the conduit as it is inserted back into the mast. When completely inside rotate through 180 degrees and leave to dry.
Any thoughts?
Note it is only a short mast 8.5m and the spreaders are off so additional weights could be added in the the centre of the mast to help the bonding.

Myk

 

[Seajet]

When needing a messenger I always use whipping twine and 3-4 smallish nuts in a column ( rather than 1 physically larger weight ); works well, as mentioned tip the top of the mast up, the upstairs window may be a tad ambitious unless you have a very secure line around the mast !

 

[greenalien]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned - once you've run your cables, cover the parts that exit from the base of the mast, either with self-amalgamating tape or a length of split hose - helps to reduce U/V degredation of the cable outer sheaths, which may otherwise become brittle over time, and crack up, allowing water to penetrate - this can be especially expensive if it's a radar cable!

 

[BarryLeat]

Wire form mast top to bottom

How do I get a wire from the top to the exit on my mast?

My Inerga Puma 23

Awaiting a dry day for paint...

I have done this on my 33ft mast whilst down. Need some long bamboo poles taped together that when together are slightly longer than the mast. Attach some string at one end with other end same lenght as poles. Insert poles into mast with string attached. When at masthead access hole for wire should be big enough to get a piece of fine stiff wire inserted with the end bent 'u' shaped. With a little patience fiddle around until hooked wire end catches the string. Carefully extract wire and pull string through hole. Once evidence of string out of hole. carefully pull the whole length through. Attach the new wire with tape ensuring once attached joint will go through hole! Carefully pull string back through hole by extracting the poles. Need a helper to carefully feed the wire into hole. After a short time wire is at the mast base. If wire has to come out above mast base, same procedure applies. Done this successfully on a num,ber of ocassions, when renewing mast wiring and radio aerial.

 

[maby]

Are there any existing wires in the channel that you can use as a mouse to pull a mousing cord through?

 

[prv]

Bit of confusion folks - the pulling-wires-through-the-mast question is from the summer. Someone called Myk has resurrected the thread to ask an entirely different question about glueing a conduit back into his mast with Sikaflex.

Of course, the people who read the thread before answering will already know this, and those who don't read won't see this message either...

Pete

 

[Towger]

How do I get a wire from the top to the exit on my mast?

Hi Skodster,

I hope you are looking after her well.

As someone else posted the mast is a ZSpar (the original was a gold coloured IYE) and there are (or were) spare guide strings installed from the head to the foot. From memory the head and I think the foot as well can be unbolted, so it should be east enough to runs wires through it.

BTW: Under that blue paint, red paint and blue paint again is a white gel coat with a red gel coat water line.