Wiring a retrofit in a 1920s Boston brownstone taught me a new trick

I was running wire for a panel upgrade in an old house last month. The plaster walls were a nightmare, and I couldn't find a clean path from the basement to the second floor. I ended up using a flexible drill bit to follow the path of an old, abandoned gas line chase. It was tight, but it saved me from cutting multiple holes. Has anyone else used old utility chases like that for a clean retrofit?

2 comments

2 Comments

robin_wright9d ago

Found a dead phone line chase last year that saved me from tearing out crown molding.

the_tessa9d ago

Did you check if the chase is clear all the way down? I had one that looked good until a foot down, where an old splice blocked it. A cheap borescope camera saved me a huge headache.