Fishing in viods in walls

[mdshunk]

Many have their own style and tools that they like to use to fish in voids in walls, but I have a couple to offer that I have found to be most effective.

1) FISH TAPES- I have found fish tapes to be of very little value when fishing in viods in walls. They tend to have a "memory" for staying coiled up. Despite your best efforts to direct them in a certain direction, they go every which way inside the wall. Fish tapes, in my opinion, are best for fishing in conduit and little else.

2) STRING AND WEIGHT- I regularly use a piece of mason's string with some coiled lead solder or a fishing sinker to fish in a downward direction in uninsulated walls. A typical application would be running a new wire into the bottom of an existing switch or outlet box. Drill a hole in the bottom of the wall from the basement (directly below the box). Drop the string and weight through a knockout in the bottom of the box. When the weight hits the bottom plate inside the wall, bob it around a little. Sometimes you can get the weight to fall right through the hole you just drilled. If not, shove several feet more of string through the knockout and secure the string at the top. From the basement, you can put a hook on a piece of #10AWG wire and fiddle around in the drilled hole and usually fish the end of the string right out in less than a minute.

3) SOLID GROUND WIRE- I use about a 10 foot piece of #6AWG ground wire very regularly for fishing in walls, ceilings, and floors. Solid ground wire will stay straight, curved, or whatever configuration you want it. This is helpful in "aiming" your fish where you want it to go. Ground wire is flexible enough that you can bend it through the new opening your fishing to or from without damaging the wall. Ground wire is sturdy enough to normally poke right through most types if insulated walls. This is why I like using a piece of #6 solid for fishing in viods so much. If the blunt end of the ground wire snags on things inside the wall, floor, etc, you can bend a loop on the end of the wire with pliers to "round" the end of the wire a little. Normally you'd have to hammer the loop to get it a bit more compact than you can with pliers alone. This keeps the fish from snagging on lath and such.

[Wgoodrich]

I have used all you suggested. Main trick I have learned over the years is to know the type construction design of the structure I am fishing wires in. Then plan ahead planning the easiest path to fish. Many times there are chases such as soffitts along the bottom or the roof of single story houses to move horizonally.

One off the wall trick I used once in a while such as in suspended ceilings or large unsafe ceiling to walk was to use my hunting bow and a fishing arrow and spool of nylon thread. I shot the arrow to the other side. Then the guy at the other side of the ceiling area tied the wire to the string and we pulled it the hundred feet or so across the ceiling. Now that is thinking ahead !! Sounds dumb but works

Wg

[mdshunk]

I was thinking mainly residential fishing when I was typing, but since you brought up suspended ceilings, I have a neat trick.

I do a good bit of work at a local mall. I sometimes use a remote control monster truck (from Radio Shack) to "drive" my pull string where I need it. Saves lifting so many tile. The little truck not only drives over the t-bars, but over most styles of troffers as well. I've been promising myself to outfit the little truck with a headlight to make it even easier, but I don't use it often enough to persuade myself to add the headlight yet.

[Frank]

I sometimes use a remote control monster truck (from Radio Shack) to "drive" my pull string where I need it. Saves lifting so many tile. The little truck not only drives over the t-bars, but over most styles of troffers as well. I've been promising myself to outfit the little truck with a headlight to make it even easier, but I don't use it often enough to persuade myself to add the headlight yet.


That is hilarious! What a great idea! :D

[KJBeck]

That's a great idea! Now, how about a very strange idea. I didn't witness it myself, but I'm sure it could happen. A couple guys were pulling miles and miles of cat 5 in the suspended ceilings of a large, multi-story office building. One of them had a pet ferrett that had been trained to run to where a bell was ringing. So, one guy would tie a piece of jet line around the ferrett's waist while the other guy would position himself at the other end of the cable pull and ring a little bell. The ferrett would run through the ceiling towards the bell where he would come out, jet line in tow, and a treat awaiting him for a job well done!
I thought that was hilarious!
Kevin

[The Accidental Welder]

Regarding the tricks used for fishing above suspended ceilings:

Since this is a site mainly for DIY'ers, let's not forget to emphasize the fact that cables must be secured at their appropriate intervals. Every few ceiling tiles will still need to be removed to make the proper securing and supporting of the cable. Also keep in mind that it isn't very often that the ceiling support wires may be used to support the cables, see 300.11.

[Unregistered]

Regarding the tricks used for fishing above suspended ceilings:

Since this is a site mainly for DIY'ers, let's not forget to emphasize the fact that cables must be secured at their appropriate intervals. Every few ceiling tiles will still need to be removed to make the proper securing and supporting of the cable. Also keep in mind that it isn't very often that the ceiling support wires may be used to support the cables, see 300.11.


Sure, we all do that each and every time.

[Unregistered]

Regarding the tricks used for fishing above suspended ceilings:

Since this is a site mainly for DIY'ers, let's not forget to emphasize the fact that cables must be secured at their appropriate intervals. Every few ceiling tiles will still need to be removed to make the proper securing and supporting of the cable. Also keep in mind that it isn't very often that the ceiling support wires may be used to support the cables, see 300.11.


Sure, we all do that each and every time. It's really nice to see Accidental Welder appear out of the darkness to swing his axe. What a jerk.

[The Accidental Welder]

It's really nice to see Accidental Welder appear out of the darkness to swing his axe.
What exactly is your problem with me, and why is the frequency of my posts any business of yours?


What a jerk.
I'm the jerk, while you make such statements under a masked identity?

Grow Up.

[Unregistered]

Is "unregistered" so much less identifiable than "The Accidental Welder"? Can't look up either one in the phone book.

[dremmel]

I've heard no mention of using fiberglass rods for fishing cable. It's the same as using bare ground, but I guess it's a better choice because it's cheaper. Any thoughts? :)

[mdshunk]

I have a few pieces of those fiberglass rods left from a Greenlee kit I bought one time. It runs in my mind that it was quite a pricy kit (like 50 bucks). You always have scraps of heavy #4 or #6 copper for free. The copper has the advantage or being able to be bent to "aim" the fish. I had trouble using the fiberglass rods inside of plastered walls, since the blunt ends kept getting caught on the plaster keys that squeeze out between the lath inside the walls. With the copper wire, you can bend a loop on the end to keep the cut end from getting caught on stuff. I have used a big, fat telescoping fiberglass fishing tool called a "gopher pole" inside of dropped ceilings. It's really nice, since you can extend it 20 feet or so. BUT... it was around 120 bucks. I suppose it's whatever you get used to. AND... like AW mentioned, some jurisdictions may actually force you to tie off your phone wires and MC cables above the ceilings, making tile removal necessary anyhow. This isn't really the norm around me. Inside of walls in dwellings, I still grab a piece of #6 or #4 before anything else. Keep in mind that stuff in the tips section are just more ideas to add to your "toolbox". Not all ideas will work for everyone, and not all ideas will work in every situation.

[Unregistered]

I learned something new recently. While most of my electrical work is high voltage or industrial in nature, I occasionally do some residential wiring, so this trick may not be so new to some here. I had drilled through the outside brick and into the wall cavity at the level just above the floor plate. I then went inside and cut a hole in the wall for a switch box to feed the outside light which I was wiring in. This was an old house with no insulation in the outside walls, so I stuck a #12/2 cable through from the outside and commenced trying to fish it up from the switchbox hole inside with only bad luck. I finally asked the lady of the house if she had a small mirror I could use. She let me use a small make-up compact. This worked fabulously well since I could shine a light into the wall cavity, look through the mirror and snag the #12/2 with a fish tape. The only draw back to the operation was having to explain the flesh tone make-up all over my clothes when I got home. Needless to say, the next day I went to O'Reilly's Auto Parts and paid $8.00 for a 2" X 3" mirror on an extendable shaft to use in the future.

[mdshunk]

If you like the mirror and flashlight concept, you"ll love the "Wall Eye Periscope". I've had one in my bag of tricks for a few years now. About 25 bucks on the net. Pics below:

[Mr Fixit eh]

For short runs, I've used a coat hanger. Like the #6AWG, it's pretty stiff, but still bendable, and you can usually find a coat hanger...