I love pulling the thread ...

I need to reconfigure the electrical to my cabin and this will involve shortening the conduit to the building. If the conduit were much shorter, I would just back the wire out and repull it, but the conduit runs about 75 yards, so backing the wire out is not going to work. What is the best way to protect the wire and glue the new coupling and riser?

Should I just wrap it with vinyl tape and push enough back into the conduit so the exposed area is entirely taped? I would think that would work, but I'm sure some of y'all know better than I do.

Just glue it. Glue is not going to hurt the wire and you can just wipe off any that gets on the wire.

I don't think the glue is a big deal either. Cutting conduit with wire inside makes me more nervous than the glue. I'm sure you've thought about that, but I'd go with a tubing cutter and make gentle passes. Since it's PVC, you could probably cut 90% through and work it until it separates.

Alternatively, can you not just tie a pulling line to it, and go back to the source and pull it back the distance you need? When you're done, bring it back with the pulling line you attached?

The other end is an entirely different set of challenges. We have an electrical engineer coming in to un-fubar a bunch of things, including the electrical supply for the hill I'm on. At the supply, everything leaves through a single conduit, but splits somewhere downstream into four separate conduits. Some of it may even be direct burial with no conduit. It's a mess.

I am confused on what you are asking and the task at hand, but I agree that 're pulling' wire in a conduit is going to be a hard pass. I have wire in a 2" conduit that is no more than 50' and with a few wires in it and all that extra space, it doesn't pull easy. Plus, conduit bends and is never perfectly straight and that makes it impossible. I installed as I assembled conduit.

Are you talking about working on the end where you can cut the conduit and pull it off the wire and then put a coupler on with a shorter piece of conduit and slide it back on? If so, then just use a pipe cutter like suggested. One that ratchets will work well. Work your way around the conduit until it can be snapped off, like suggested. Use the rain or shine glue and you'll be good. It won't hurt the wire.

I feel your pain on direct bury. I have that at my place, some of it is decades old and perfectly serviceable until you use a locating device and find it. In my case, my locating devices have been shovels, pick axes, and tillers. Those all find shallow buried wire really quickly and efficiently. It's a great way to turn a 20 minute project into a 7 day project.

I wish I had taken some pics when I was out there last. The line from the supply panel to the hill is a short piece of conduit coupled to some flex conduit with duct tape, and the flex goes into the ground. It's a marvel anyone on the hill has power.

You can always just patch it up with a waterproof connector.

Omg - that belongs on the Shoddy Workmanship thread...