Fibre install conduit

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KellyP

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#320128 9-Jul-2025 11:55

Hi team,

This is part of a complex UFB request saga that starterd in October 2019 through Enable with no end in sight. This week I had a non-standard UFB install scoped (I have lost count be this could be scope #4 or #5).

The distance between the building and the road (where boundary is with the connection) is around 130m.

There is an exising conduit that covers most of this distance (84m~), however it's 16mm OD and empty (with drawstring in place). It was originally laid for CAT6 but has yet to be used.

The tech informed me that it cannot be used due to the microducting being 8mm and it will not be suitable at the bends. However in the 2 previous scope visits it was deemed to be suitable. This conduit runs straight with a 40degree bend about 60m in.

They also want to run 6 cores in the microduct where there are only 2 dwellings here and no room for future expansion as we are on a reserve boundary.

They suggested microtrenching all the way, essentially following the conduit path to the building. Being a non-standard install, this is a cost we will need so absorb.

Do I have grounds to ask them to reconsider? I haven't signed off on anything (and they didn't ask me to strangely enough)

raytaylor

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#3393040 10-Jul-2025 21:22

I am used to dealing with chorus installs and their scoping/installers happily will give you a length of conduit to install for them.
I would talk to the scoping guys again or go to their linemans yard to pick up some microduct and install it yourself between the roadside boundary and the destination via your existing conduit.
As long as the bend isnt tighter than something like a 30cm radius, a 6F stingray microfibre will blow through fine.

I am not sure what microduct they use, but a
5/3.5 microduct is about 9mmOD or
7/3.5 microduct is about 11mmOD
by the time they put on the outer sheath and locate wire.

So if your pulling it into a 16mm OD conduit, its probably only going to be about 13mmID and tighter around the bend. Hopefully its the 5/3.5 microduct they use like chorus.

I'd give it a go, and if you know where the bend is, then it might need to be dug up, the bend cut off, pull the microduct around the bend and leave it direct buried in the soil (the 16mm conduit becomes redundant) with no stones or rock near the exposed part, placing sandy soil back down first.

To aid in pulling, you might need to strip off a good 30cm of the outer sheath and cut away the trace wire, then use stretchy electrical tape to attach the pull wire to the inner microduct itself. Make sure you seal off the end of the microduct too so no water gets into it.

Chorus mandates a minimum of 20mmID conduit and even that can be a pain in the ass to deal with on a 50 metre+ pull. Always best to go 25mmOD or 32mmOD if you can.

6F is the correct microfibre to blow.
It goes into the same size microduct as a 2F microfibre cable.

The reason is by law, the UFB provider must run 2 fibers to each dwelling for future unbundling purposes or if a dwelling wants to get a second ONT installed for a sleepout or other purpose. Individual situation not dependent, its just the law.

Microfibre cables typically come in 2F/6F/12F.
4F is avaliable but the cost difference is negligible so they just use 6F because for a couple of extra cents per metre when bought in bulk it allows future growth and means they dont need to store a small supply of 4F cable.

Edit: I have re-read your post - if their microduct is 8mm OD then thats definitely doable though likely to be a pain. So I would be okay saying to the customer "here is a bunch of microduct - you install it between A & B, I'll come back and blow it once your done. "

Ray Taylor

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cyril7

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#3393119 11-Jul-2025 08:01

Hi, I would agree totally with Ray's comments, especially the point of where the bend is, if you know where that is, dig it up and cut it apart and leave the micro duct direct buried for that section/transition.

Cyril

KellyP

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#3394930 17-Jul-2025 15:39

Thanks for the replies - I will do go back to them. I just received the price as per scope run and it's $3,257.98 + GST so it's worth it I think.

I have just located a photo of the bend, visually it's no where near 40 degrees as I was basing this on the ground above, so we might be in luck.

The bend is near the end point but is on the other side of the building.

cyril7

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#3395092 17-Jul-2025 21:55

Hi, that's not a bend in these terms, is there a draw wire in there currently, if not get one in to demonstrate its easy flowing.

Cyril

acsylaa

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#3395102 17-Jul-2025 23:21

KellyP:

Thanks for the replies - I will do go back to them. I just received the price as per scope run and it's $3,257.98 + GST so it's worth it I think.

I have just located a photo of the bend, visually it's no where near 40 degrees as I was basing this on the ground above, so we might be in luck.

The bend is near the end point but is on the other side of the building.

From that picture that conduit look way bigger than 16mm, have you measure the ends of the Conduit with a tape measure?

At a guess that looks to be 25mm OD or even a 32mm, How wide was that Cut in the Concrete?

Bung

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#3395103 17-Jul-2025 23:59

I doubt there is a 16mm OD conduit. 16mm ties in with the ID of 20mm electrical conduit. Telco conduit is named for its ID so 20mm telco is about the same as 25mm electrical.

At our place the Chorus guys had no problem reusing old NZPO conduit that was about 17mm ID.

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MichaelNZ

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#3396879 24-Jul-2025 20:02

I have measured some Marley comms conduit and although its labelled 20mm, its actually 24mm ID.

Also the bends for this product are sweeping and start at 30cm.

This is the stuff Chorus uses so probably the easiest option for a hassle free install.

See pages 25 and 28 for the product codes - Marley catalogue PDF

You can use white in your boundary but any section in the street will need to be green.

In the circumstances I suggest the person starts again and doesn't spend time and effort on trying to make the wrong size conduit work.

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MichaelNZ

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#3403962 15-Aug-2025 22:25

raytaylor:

Chorus mandates a minimum of 20mmID conduit and even that can be a pain in the ass to deal with on a 50 metre+ pull. Always best to go 25mmOD or 32mmOD if you can.

@raytaylor

Does the 20mm requirement also apply to the secondary (internal) side of the ETP?

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raytaylor

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#3403966 16-Aug-2025 02:14

MichaelNZ:

@raytaylor

Does the 20mm requirement also apply to the secondary (internal) side of the ETP?

Between the ETP and ITP, chorus is happy with either
- a conduit with pre-installed pull string with at least 100mm diameter bends, adding up to no more than 270 degrees of bends total between pull points
- 5/3.5 LSZH microduct (I cant remember if its part number MPB901036/0 or MPB901036/1 but both would work)
- an opticat cable (you can get this from ideal electrical)

Edit: In new house builds I run a ~20mm tube up the wall to the attic and then position the home hub as close to the manhole or under the apex of the roof as possible on an internal wall. Then i pre-install an opticat cable. This is so if the opticat cable ever breaks (rodents) its easy just to use a cable snake to pull up a new opticat from the ETP into the attic without having to crawl to the corner of the attic where access is super tight.
A single length of 20mm tube and a couple of bends is super cheap from bunnings.

Ray Taylor

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MichaelNZ

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#3404016 16-Aug-2025 11:16

Thanks so much @raytaylor for the useful response.

Chorus are good at following up on customer services matters but tech enquiries seem to go nowhere.

By doing this work in advance I am literally the saving the installer from a bunch of crawling and avoiding stuff I know is coming up like replacing the rotten section of laundry floor. I have time to work through these things and get them right which I assume the installer doesn't.

And given the distances they travel around here I have heard they are a bit short of time.

After my last UFB install experience in Manakau I am not leaving anything to chance.

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MichaelNZ

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#3420620 2-Oct-2025 11:41

Further to a previous post from @raytaylor if someone finds this useful.

This is the microduct they are installing:

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