Pro tip: An old timer in Phoenix taught me a trick with a zip tie and a drop ceiling.

I was struggling to fish a line through a tight space above a tile grid, and he just grabbed a zip tie, looped it through the cable's eye, and used it like a flexible hook. He said, 'Kid, sometimes the best tool is the one you already have in your pocket.' What's your favorite simple trick for getting cable through a tough spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_tara23d ago

That zip tie trick is solid, I've used it a bunch. Another one I go for is a piece of pull string and a shop vac. Tie a little bit of plastic bag to the end of your string, stick it in one end of the conduit, and suck it through with the vacuum from the other side. It pulls the line right through in seconds on a clean pipe. Saves so much time over trying to fish a tape.

fiona_anderson23d ago

My buddy who does low voltage work swears by a cheap fiberglass rod set from the hardware store. He says for longer runs in walls, you can connect the sections and they have just enough flex to get around corners without getting stuck like a metal fish tape.

rowan_butler931d ago

Oh man, @fiona_anderson, your buddy is totally right about those fiberglass rods. I grabbed a set on a whim and they're way better for tricky walls than a stiff metal tape. That flex makes all the difference when you're not going in a straight line.