Found a better way to pull cable through attic after a 3-hour nightmare

I was working a job last Tuesday on a house in Austin, had to run coax from the basement to the second floor. The attic was a mess, blown insulation everywhere, 110 degrees up there. I spent almost 3 hours fighting with the old fish tape, snagging on every joist and truss. Finally I grabbed a length of 1/2 inch PVC pipe and taped the cable to it. Pushed it through in 15 minutes flat, no snags. The smooth pipe just slides over everything compared to a tape that catches on nails. Has anyone else tried using EMT conduit or something similar for long attic runs?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason_flores2123d ago

Man that PVC trick is honestly one of those things where you look back and realize how much time you've wasted doing it the hard way. It's like how people still peel potatoes with a regular peeler when a serrated one does it ten times faster, we just get stuck in our old habits. I remember struggling with fish tape for years before my old mentor showed me the conduit method and I felt like an idiot for not noticing it sooner. It's the same with a lot of stuff in life, once you find a smoother way, you can't believe you ever did it the other way. The key is that PVC doesn't have those little edges that catch on nails and insulation, it's all about using the right tool for the job instead of just what's in your hand.

gonzalez.grant23d ago

That PVC trick is genius, I did the same thing last month with some old Schedule 40 and it made me mad I didn't think of it sooner.