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Pro tip: A job in a 100-year-old house in Savannah taught me more about wire fishing than any training video
Last week I had a job in a historic district home, and it was a mix of pure frustration and a weird kind of fun. The walls were solid plaster over brick, and the owner wanted a sensor on every first-floor window, which meant about 15 runs. My normal drill bits and fish tapes were useless. I ended up using a 48-inch flexible drill bit extension and a borescope I borrowed from a plumbing buddy just to see inside the walls. We found old knob and tube wiring and a chimney flue we had to route around. What made it stand out was the puzzle-solving aspect versus the usual cookie-cutter install. It took two full days instead of half a one, but the customer was thrilled we didn't tear up his original trim. For those of you who do a lot of retrofit work, what's your go-to method for impossible plaster and lath walls? I'm always looking for new tricks.
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hayden_nelson859d ago
Oh man, I feel this. I had a similar nightmare in an old craftsman bungalow last fall. The plaster was like concrete and the lath just ate my fish sticks. I ended up using a super long, skinny flex bit and a magnet on a string to pull the wire through a few spots. The worst was hitting a solid wood fire block we didn't know about. Had to cut the tiniest access hole in a closet and patch it after. It's a totally different kind of work, but kinda satisfying when you finally get that wire to pop out where you need it.
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benclark9d ago
Ever try using a glow rod and just end up waving a sad, expensive noodle around? I feel you on the plaster and lath, it's like the house is fighting back. I've had some luck with a fiberglass rod and a steel fish tape leader, kind of a homemade super rod. You can sometimes punch the rod through and use the leader to hook a line, which might help with @the_stella's magnet idea. My worst was hitting a brick wall I thought was just plaster, snapped a rod clean in half. You find any old newspapers stuffed in those walls?
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