Duct Rodders 101

A good quality duct rodder is one of the staple tools in the telecommunication industry. Each year, we sell duct rodders to customers all over the world. And while most customers come knowing what they want, we often get questions regarding the proper duct rodder for the application.

Some key points that you want to consider when purchasing a duct rodder are the following:

What size duct will you be working in?

The Condux duct rodders we stock and sell have recommended duct ranges for each size rodder:

• 3/6” Duct rodders are recommended for ½” through 1 ¼” conduit.
• ¼” Duct rodders are recommended for 1” through 2 ½” conduit.
• 5/16” Duct rodders are recommended for 1 ½” through 4” conduit.
• 7/16” Duct rodders are recommended for 3” through 6” conduit.
• 9/16” Duct rodders are recommended for 3” through 8” conduit.

What type of pulling strength and bending radius do you need from your rodder?

The Condux duct rodders we stock and sell have specific full strength ratings and bending radius that help you pick the correct tool of the job:

Duct Rod Diameter	Duct Rod Pull Strength - lb	Core O.D - in	Coating O.D. - in	Minimum Bending Radius - in.
3/6”	200	.125	.187	3
¼”	350	.187	.250	5
5/16”	950	.237	.312	7
7/16”	950	.300	.437	11
9/16”	1400	.375	.500	11

What type of rod do I need?
Condux features three distinct types of rodders:

Cobra: These rodders are the highest quality that Condux manufacturers. They are designed for heavy duty applications. They are constructed in such a way to ensure rigidity and strength. They work best in long runs with multiple sweeps ad bends. One of the key design features to the Cobra rods is the braided wrap of reinforcing fibers. These rodders are white and all come with one male and one female end fitting and a tapered head fitting.

Python: These rodders are the most popular design that we sell. They are similar strength characteristics to the Cobra rod, however they are much more flexible. Python rods are blue also come with one male and female end fitting as well as a tapered head.

Mini Cobra: Mini Cobra rods are available only in the 3/16” and ¼” size. They are designed for smaller ducts and shorter runs. They have the same flexibility as the Python rods. The Mini Cobras include two male end fittings and two tapered heads.

We stock a variety of sizes of duct rodders here at our Collegeville warehouse. However, if we do not have the size and length combination that you need, rest assured that we can get you the rodder of your choice quickly. All Condux duct rodders have a one day lead time. Duct rodders are also available with footage or meter markers printed on them from the manufacturer!

One recommendation that we always offer to our customers is buy a rodder slightly longer than your job requires. While rodders are heavy duty and designed to hold up in tough conditions, they sometimes break. Having the extra footage will enable you to splice the rodder back together and extend the life of your investment.

Comstar Supply also stocks a range of accessories for duct rodders. Attachments and accessories range for a mini pulling harness to a flexible leader guide and roller guide. All of these attachments come specific to your rodder size. Condux also offers a complete accessory kit that includes a roller guide, splice kit, epoxy, swivel coupling, tapered head and threaded end fitting in a convenient canvas bag that attaches to your duct rodder cage.

Other accessories available for the duct rodders include a sonde adapter, replacement end fittings, splice repair kits, replacement tapered heads as well as replacement cages and rods.

Regardless of what size rod you need, please remember that every job is different and the recommendations stated here are based upon standard radius bends. If you need more assistant picking out the proper duct rodder, give us a call and we’ll be happy to help!

Comstar Takes on Texas - OSP Expo Success!

Six members of the Comstar Supply staff, including the entire outside sales force, hit the road for a four day trip to San Antonio, Texas for the annual OSP Expo in mid-October.

This year, for the first time, Comstar Supply was a featured exhibitor! The booth highlighted our diverse product line offering including the Reel Strong Pinless Reel Trailers. The booth featured a multimedia presentation highlighting the efficiency and safety of the Reel Strong Trailers. Staff members were also on hand for the entire expo to answer questions as well as promote the company to potential customers and vendors.

San Antonio was not all work and no play for the Comstar staff! The group enjoyed touring the Alamo and other historic sites around the city. Check out more pictures of Comstar's trip to the OSP Expo on the Comstar Supply Facebook Fan Page!

And remember, the Comstar Supply staff is knowledgeable and ready to answer your questions about our product line. If you visited the Comstar Supply booth at the OSP Expo, let us know! We'd love your feedback and comments!

Ready to Race - Comstar Supply Staff Unites to Support Hemophilia Research

On Saturday, October 2, 2010, almost the entire Comstar Supply staff along with family and friends, met early geared up to participate in the 3^rd Annual “I Can Run and Family Walk” to support the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation.

The team, the Comstar Dukes, participated in honor and memory of the late Earl Punchard, founder of Comstar Supply, Inc. Together the group raised nearly four thousand dollars for the cause.

Spirits were high was everyone took to the starting line. The Comstar Dukes, all decked in dark blue team shirts, were off. Some members ran, others walked. As team members finished one by one, everyone gathered for refreshment and award and enjoyed the brisk fall morning when they completed the 5k course for the cause.

The Life of an Order

Orders are taken very seriously here at Comstar Supply. From the moment you talk to your outside sales, call into the office, or place an order via our website, we give strive for nothing less than perfection.

If you live in the north eastern part of the United States, there’s a good chance that you have an outside sales rep covering your area. We have an outside sales rep covering the Maryland and Virginia area as well Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Recently we expanded our outside sales rep coverage to New York and New England. Our outside sales force is very hands on and knowledgeable about our product line and the equipment we sell. They are available for demonstrations and instruction if needed. They are a tremendous resource for our local customer base and are able to handle your orders personally.

Back at the office, Comstar has a strong and personable inside sales team. These are the people answering your questions over the phone, the faces you’ll meet if you stop in the office. The inside sales team is knowledgeable and proactive in handling every order that crosses their desk. Website orders are handled by the inside sale teams as well. The inside sales team works with the outside sales reps as well as the warehouse and manufacturers to make sure that your order is completed properly.

Once your order is established and if the item is in stock, it’s passed off to the warehouse. Comstar’s warehouse is staffed by a group of hardworking and dedicated workers who strive for one hundred percent accuracy. Most orders are filled and shipped same day. The warehouse personnel handles all custom cuts and parallels for innerduct and fiber orders. They also arrange for all deliveries ranging from orders sent on the fleet of Comstar trucks to those shipped LTL and via UPS. Comstar delivers locally to customers in the greater Philadelphia area.

Sometimes the item you order is not available at our facility. Fortunately, we work with a great group of manufacturers, many who happily drop ship product directly from their facilities to your location. These orders are always processed quickly so that there is no hold up in your order.

The billing end of your order is handled by our accounting department. They strive to have a seamless paperwork process that insures that your order is billed in a timely and effective manner.

Ultimately, everyone here at Comstar is dedicated to making sure we offer the highest level of customer service. We strive for perfection and when there is a problem, we work tirelessly to make things right for you. We value the relationships that we have established with our customers over the year and love developing new relationships with our new customers.

So give us a call – let us help you out with your next outside plant project!

Comstar Supply trained in Triple D Products!

Last week the Comstar crew packed our bags and headed to New Jersey for a road a trip that involved a two day intensive training session on everything Triple D Enterprises has to offer!

Triple D Enterprises, Inc. is a manufacturer of HDD, Vibratory Plowing and Trenching products. Comstar Supply has had a great relationship with Triple D for years so our entire staff was eager to get some formal training and become industry experts!

The training session consisted of two parts – a classroom session and field session. In the classroom, we went in-depth over all the aspects of directional drilling as well as plowing and trenching. The day started with a video demonstration on directional drilling. The Comstar Supply team the learned about the different types of bits offered by Triple D and how to choose the right bit for the right machine as well as for the appropriate soil conditions. The training then covered backreamers , crossovers, starter rods and drive chucks for directional drilling.

During the vibratory plowing and trenching portion of the training, we had the opportunity to learn about key selling points for the different types of plow blades. The Comstar staff also reviewed the importance of using a Lost Motion Assembly in the plowing process. Throughout the second half of training we reviewed compaction bits as well compaction reamers and how the compaction boring process differs from the directional drilling process.

After touring Triple D’s manufacturing facility, we were opportunity to see these products in action! This was especially exciting for the Comstar Supply staff that spends most days in the office helping customers! The Triple D staff arranged for a demonstration of both the vibratory plowing/compaction boring process as well as directional drilling.

So consider Comstar Supply, partnered with Triple D, to be your one stop shop for all of your plowing, trenching, and drilling needs! We have everything from plow blades to back reamers to rock bits to get your job done!

Hot Product Sno Shoes

Here in Philadelphia we have had some crazy winter weather lately and while I am sure plenty of people on the east coast wish they had snow shoes to help them get around, the only thing we stock here at Comstar Supply is fiber optic Sno Shoes!

Fiber Optic Sno Shoes are used as a fiber optic storage system. They provide an convenient method for storing extra length of fiber optic cable. We are proud to be a distributor for Opti-Loop brand sno shoes!

Our most popular sno shoe is a 17 inch plastic model. These sno shoes retail for $58.00 per pair and can accommodate up to .90 inch outside diameter in a single wrap. The Opti-Loop sno shoes enable you to maintain the proper minimum bend radius to protect your cable from damage.

These sno shoes also feature:

• Unconditional lifetime warranty
• Radius end to ensure no sharp corners
• .950 Channel Width
• 25.25 Overall Length
• 17.50 Diameter
• OD up to .90 single wrap
• Each pair individually boxed
• Stainless steel mounting bolts, nuts and washers included

Other sizes and specification of sno shoes are also available for direct shipment from the manufacturer so if there is a specific part number or size that you need, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to help you out!

Hot Products Cable Reel Trailers

omstar Supply Inc. is proud to be a distributor of Roose Reel Trailers. Roose Manufacturing, located in Pella, Iowa, is a in its 36^th year of business. Roose manufactures quality utility trailers designed to handle cable and innerduct reels.

All of Roose reel trailers come standard with a one year warranty. Trailers are typically painted either yellow or white although other colors are available for an additional cost. Trailers come equipped with your choice of hitch and electrical connectors.

Roose manufactures a variety of trailers to meet your needs. Their smallest trailer, the RR-33, is a single reel carrier with a 2000lb capacity. This trailer is non hydraulic and requires you to use a forklift or other means to load the reel but the price makes it affordable for contractors. The RR-33 can accommodate reels up to 96 inches in diameter.

The two most popular trailers that we sell are the RR-135 and the RR-160 single reel carriers. These models both offer hydraulic controls for easy reel loading. The RR-135 has a 3500lb capacity and can accommodate up to a 125 inch reel. The RR-160 can also accommodate up to a 125 inch reel but has the added ability of handling up to 6000lb capacity. Most contractors working with HDPE and fiber optic cable find that these two model s meet their needs. We generally stock several of each of these trailers at our Collegeville, Pennsylvania facility and easily drop ship the trailers to non-local customers directly from Roose Manufacturing.

If you are looking for a more rugged model trailer, Roose also offers their RR-185, RR-200 and RR-114 models. The RR-185 has a payload capacity of 8500lbs and the RR-200 can handle 10000lb capacity. The RR-114 can accommodate up to 14000lbs. All three of these trailers are equipped to handle up to 125 inch reel.

Roose also manufactures a line of multiple reel trailers including their RR-250 Self Loading Hydraulic Cable Trailer that can handle two reels up to 125 inches in diameter with a payload weight of 5000 lbs per reel. Other options include both the SL-35 and UL 335 trailers which can accommodate up to 3 reels at a time and the RR-330 Roate-a-Reel trailer. The RR-330 is specially designed to rotate the reels into various positions which can be locked with a spring loaded latch. If you’re interested in any of the multiple reel trailers, please contact us directly for pricing, availability and shipping.

Accessories are available for all trailer models including a hydraulic power reel drive. Replacement parts are also available for all models, insuring years of usage!

Anyone interested in purchasing a trailer should contact us directly! We are happy to answer any of your questions and look forward to equipping you with a quality Roose reel trailer!