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Wing Conduit

J

jeffwhip

Well Known Member
I want to put conduit in the wings and called Vans to place an order, however when I asked the parts department what size tube to order, I was told that I need to talk to a tech guy between 0700-0900 or 1530-1630 to get my answer. So I was hoping that someone here can tell me what size of tubing I need to order and how many feet? Would it be better to order it locally some where?
 
Conduit

How much depends on how many conduits you intend to run. Lots of guys get the 3/4" conduit from lowes or home depot and it is pvc. I opted for nylon corrugated without the split. I ran one conduit from root to tip and another from half span to root. I think I used less than 50' total for the wings.

I ordered off of cableorganizer.com I think. I think Vans conduit is 5/8"...
 
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Cheap and lite----put it in.

Better to have conduit that you do not need, than to need conduit that you do not have.
 
I guess I assumed that guys were running aluminum pipe and not pvc. What kind of pipe I select will be determined by this question: Have you guys attached this to the wing spar or do you leave it unattached?
 
This is what I did

Jeff,

Here is a picture of what I did. That doesn?t make it right, just what I did. I think the PVC is ?? or maybe 1? (make sure it is the thinnest wall available). It is attached to the rib on both ends using an Adel clamp. The wire is very easy to run or rerun after the fact, even with the wings on the plane. However there is limited room between the fuselage and the end of the PVC once the wings are installed.

I also drilled holes in the tube at the point where the pitot, auto pilot servo wire and other things exited the tube (use a grommet to eliminate chaffing).


IMG_2619_zps77f25d4b.jpg
 
Dean, I did something very similar on y RV-7. Instead of PVC, I used polycarbonate fluorescent tube shields. Very light weight, easy to work with and transparent so you can see what you're doing when stuffing wire through. I just made some little sheet AL brackets to secure the tubing with RTV and zip ties.

The tube comes in 4' and 8' lengths, so I used one from the root to the aileron bellcrank inspection cover and one from that point out to the wingtip. I figured that was a good point to break the run for wiring to the A/P servo and whatever else might end up getting wired there, like pitot heat.
 
vans tubing?

silly question I guess, but is the corrugated tubing that vans sells also corrugated in the inside, or is the inside smooth walled?
 
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DaleB said:
Dean, I did something very similar on y RV-7. Instead of PVC, I used polycarbonate fluorescent tube shields. Very light weight, easy to work with and transparent so you can see what you're doing when stuffing wire through. I just made some little sheet AL brackets to secure the tubing with RTV and zip ties.

The tube comes in 4' and 8' lengths, so I used one from the root to the aileron bellcrank inspection cover and one from that point out to the wingtip. I figured that was a good point to break the run for wiring to the A/P servo and whatever else might end up getting wired there, like pitot heat.
Click to expand...

I used something similar. I found a thin walled polycarbonate tube that was essentially 9/16" OD that fits nicely in the bushing that fits in the 3/4" hole Van's says you can put in the wing. Fluorescent tube light guards is what made me go looking.
 
Sam, are you saying that you removed the plastic bushings that Van's has in place to run wires through and then ran your tubing through that, or are you saying you drilled a brand new hole that Van's says you can drill and then ran your tubing through that?

Also, if Van's is willing to let you drill a new hole would it be better to just remove the plastic bushings in their holes and make the hole slightly bigger?
 
If you are using the corrugated conduit, just remove the bushings already installed and upsize all those holes to 3/4 inch. The conduit will snap through as you pull it through each rib. I thought it was too time consuming and exhausting getting it through all the inboard ribs that are only a few inches from each other.
I'm not saying it's okay to upsize larger than 3/4" diameter, but if I were to do it over again and were to use corrugated, then I think I would find a diameter somewhere between .75" and .81" so that it pulls through a little easier.
 
Try using the search function on the blue bar. This topic comes up rather frequently.

Here is a picture of the conduit run in my wing. Note that it is secured with proseal to keep it from vibrating in place and being cut.


(click to enlarge)
The green and blue pitot and AoA line loops are just temporary until I knew how long they need to be.

When you drill the holes, the conduit doesn't want to go through them very easily and it takes some force to pull it through (and it sound horrible while you do it but it doesn't harm anything).
 
jeffwhip said:
Sam, are you saying that you removed the plastic bushings that Van's has in place to run wires through and then ran your tubing through that, or are you saying you drilled a brand new hole that Van's says you can drill and then ran your tubing through that?

Also, if Van's is willing to let you drill a new hole would it be better to just remove the plastic bushings in their holes and make the hole slightly bigger?
Click to expand...

I drilled the new holes that Van's authorizes and ran the tube through that.
You could go without the bushing. The reason I put the bushings in is it was a simple solution to hold the tube in place and it stops the tube/rib interface rubbing issue. There are other ways to do that but as I said, it was a quick and easy solution.
The pre drilled holes towards the spar I will use for pitot or AOA lines or antenna runs.
 
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