Wooden spools in King of Prussia

A crossroads that never stops building

King of Prussia, in Upper Merion Township, grew up where the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76), the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276), US 202 and US 422 meet. That knot of highways turned farmland beside Valley Forge into one of the largest suburban business districts in the region: the King of Prussia Mall, a long list of office parks along First Avenue and Allendale Road, hotels, hospitals, laboratories, apartment blocks and a steady churn of tenant fit-outs. Each of those projects pulls cable off reels, and the empties pile up in loading docks, garage levels and contractors' trailers all over 19406.

A distributor on the doorstep

Colonial Electric Supply, one of the larger electrical distributors in the Delaware Valley, lists its headquarters at 201 West Church Road in King of Prussia. Distributors sell wire and cable on reels to contractors and often take empties back, so the yards of a distributor and its customers are where mid-size reels gather. Contractors who buy here and work across Montgomery and Chester counties tend to keep reels in their own shops until the pile gets in the way. That is usually when they ask us for a pickup.

What King of Prussia projects leave behind

• Office and lab fit-outs. New tenants mean new lighting, power and data. Expect plywood spools of building wire and Cat 6, and 24- to 36-inch reels of feeder cable.
• Retail turnover. When a store at the mall or a plaza changes hands, the electrical work is quick and the reels leave with it, often in a single evening.
• Apartment and hotel construction. Multi-storey residential and hotel buildings use a lot of branch-circuit wire and some heavy service cable, so a single site can leave several dozen reels over its life.
• Utility and road work. Highway widening and interchange projects, plus utility upgrades along the corridors, produce larger reels, occasionally steel or stencilled returnables.

Getting in and out

This is one of the easiest places in the region to reach with a truck, provided you avoid the rush hours on I-76. US 202 and US 422 bring traffic in from Chester County and the Perkiomen Valley; the Turnpike's Valley Forge interchange connects to the east and west; and I-76 runs downriver toward Conshohocken and the city. For loads heading to New Jersey, the quickest bridge depends on where in Philadelphia the next stop is: the Walt Whitman for the south of the city, the Ben Franklin for Centre City and Camden.

Garage levels, docks and security desks

Many King of Prussia buildings are managed properties with loading-dock schedules, security check-in and height limits in parking structures. Before we arrive, tell us:

1. whether the reels are at a dock, in a garage or on the street side;
2. the clearance if they sit in a parking structure;
3. who signs us in, and what hours the dock is open.

Reels in an open yard behind a contractor's shop are the simplest pickup. Reels three levels down in a garage are possible, but the truck may need to stay at the entrance and the reels come up on a pallet jack.

Sizes we see most here

The common pickup in King of Prussia is a mix: a few 30- to 42-inch nailed reels from feeders and services, a stack of plywood spools from branch circuits and data cable, and perhaps one or two big reels from a utility or highway job nearby. If you are not sure of the sizes, measure the flange diameter across the face and the traverse between the flanges, or send a photo with a tape measure in frame. The measuring guide shows how.

Buying reels in 19406

Businesses here sometimes want reels rather than wanting rid of them: event companies and offices asking for reel tables, landscapers wanting spools for hose, and contractors needing a few sound empties to re-spool cut lengths. Deliveries to King of Prussia ride along with collections in the area. See buying reels for what we usually have.

Valley Forge National Historical Park

The park borders King of Prussia and draws visitors from around the world. Its own maintenance and visitor-centre projects occasionally leave reels, collected with the park's agreement.

Bridgeport, Swedesburg and Gulph Mills

Small neighbouring communities such as Bridgeport, Swedesburg and Gulph Mills have older homes, workshops and light industry. Rewiring and service upgrades there leave occasional spools and small drums, collected on the same King of Prussia runs.

Questions

Can you collect from the mall or a shopping centre?

Yes, through the property's loading dock and with management's agreement. Night and early-morning windows are common.

Do you take reels from Valley Forge or Wayne addresses too?

Yes. Neighbouring areas in Upper Merion, Tredyffrin and Radnor are covered; give the full address.