Warning: That 'easy' attic run in a 1920s house turned into a full day nightmare

Everyone says to just push the cable through the old plaster walls, but last week in a Portland bungalow, the lathe and plaster crumbled and I spent 6 hours fishing through three separate fire blocks. What's your go-to method for these old houses when the walls just eat your fish tape?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_ward2mo agoMost Upvoted

Shop vac trick works every time. Saves so much hassle.

the_alice2mo ago

Yeah, the old glow rod is a solid move. My real trick is to use a shop vac on the other end to pull a pull string through first. Attach a little bundle of plastic from a bag to the string, it gets sucked right through the dust and past the fire blocks. Saves your fish tape for the actual wire pull.

kelly_craig2mo agoTop Commenter

I used to just force it but after a day like that I switched to using a glow rod.