Fiberglass wire pull rod - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 10:40:24 pm
content: Hi folks,Just a general question here... More hardware related but since it is for installing electronics cables, someone here can hopefully help.I've got some existing Cat5e cables in a wall and I need to add another few along the same path. The entire ceiling in the office is drop-ceiling so I can easily get the Cat5e stretched across from any one room to another. However, I need to fish the ends down the walls to the outlets. I've tried pushing them down but they are not stiff enough to make it all the way to the outlet holes... so I need a fiberglass wire fishing rod to grab them (I don't want to use a wire coat-hanger as that could scratch or damage them). The path from the drop-ceiling to the outlets is only a few feet.I'm in Vaughan (north of Toronto, Canada) and I can't seem to find anyone selling a cheap fiberglass wire pull rod for this purpose. I've seen some fishing rods at Canadian Tire, but neither Canadian Tire nor HomeDepot seem to have anything listed on their websites. WalMart has nothing, and I don't know what other store would have them or where I can check online.Amazon and eBay list some for around $15 with another $10 in for shipping but I didn't want to have to wait and spend $25 for a one-off project. I guess this tool can come in handy in the future but I was hoping there was a simpler way.I'm going to check my garage and basement at home for something, but as far as I know I do not have any thin flexible rods that I would trust in there to curve enough and be strong enough to do the job. I do not have a fishing rod either, although perhaps that could be a substitute, I'd rather buy a proper fiberglass wire pull rod set for the same money than buy a cheap fishing rod.Any ideas on a local store or source for this, or any suggestions on an alternative substitute?ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFO:By the way... this is for getting an ethernet cable to an Apple TV because I can't seem to get it to work for Home-Sharing through the Wi-Fi. Basically, my network is set up with a DSL Modem/WiFi router that is the entry/exit point for internet. You can connect Apple TV through WiFi and access the internet and stream external content... But that would eat up my internet usage. Instead I want to use my local network which is behind a router (that is also connected to the DSL modem) that all of my office computers are connected to. One of the computers in the office will have iTunes loaded on it and act as a "Home Sharing" library to allow video playback through the Apple TV of my own business-related videos. However, the Apple TV cannot seem to see the internal network because the WiFi DSL modem only lets it access the internet and not see the internal network. Now this is strange because I also have WiFi-only Printers which are connected and they seem to work. I've tried port-forwarding and opening up the Firewall but to no avail. That's why I finally gave up and plugged the Apple TV directly into the local LAN and everything worked fine with Home Sharing. So I decided if I can just fish a basic Cat5e cable from my router to the Apple TV the problem would be solved and I wouldn't have to rely on the WiFi at all.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 11:44:14 pm
content: I have wire fish tape such as this:http://www.zoro.com/i/G1116001/?utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google_Shopping_Feed&gclid=Cj0KEQiA4OqnBRDAj9aazvPji9ABEiQANq28oC87j3086QXY6sIseZ1_eQGpRJWWGfnUtv9RA5XwSAwaAngN8P8HAQThis is very suitable for in wall drops. the fiberglass poles are great for going across the ceiling. Just a suggestion, add a length of twine with the cat 5e in case, in the future, you want to run another drop at the same point. Really simple to pull an extra drop. If you do it, remember to add another piece of twine.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 12:48:37 am
content: I hate to ask but did you check Sayal? They sell extendable rod sets for pulling wires and gel to reduce friction,not sure what is the right name for it.

author: KM4FER
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 01:30:38 am
content: At our local home improvement stores they sell a plastic tubing for water supplies that is pretty stiff and might work for you. I think it's called PEX or something like that.

author: Paul Moir
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 04:07:12 am
content: I've fished a lot of wire in my time and I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to use steel fish, which can be formed to send it in the direction you want to go. Never mind that making some hooks out of an end to catch your fish is pretty trivial.Any electrical supply place will have it, as does princess auto, etc.

author: briselec
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 11:38:49 am
content: The plastic tongue out of tongue and groove chipboard and plywood would be the most popular thing used by electricians in Australia for getting cables down walls.Sometimes I've had to resort to another trick. Get a piece of plastic box strapping, fold it in two, push the folded end into the wall then push both sides in so it forms a large loop inside the wall. Drop a string line with a small weight on it down the wall in line with the hole. Pull the loop of strapping out with the string now thru it.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 11:59:57 am
content: OP, another vote for a steel fish tape.Quote from: GreyWoolfe on March 07, 2015, 11:44:14 pmI have that exact brand & model fish tape.And the string/twine idea is an excellent suggestion IMHO as well.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 03:43:47 pm
content: Hey everyone,Thanks for the awesome suggestions! I went to go look for fish tape or a fiberglass wire pull rod set at my local store and didn't like what I saw.Lucky enough, as I went back to my car I noticed someone had thrown away a fiberglass driveway marker rod! It was just sitting half way in the snow next to the garbage bins. It has a split at one end..... So I decided to tear it completely in half down the middle so I would get 2 more flexible halves! They bend really well now!One side has the metal end piece still attached (see photo), and the other is thin and very flexible. In fact, the rod in one piece would have been too stiff. The two halves give me more flexibility and they are flat so I can tape my cable to it (see photo). I can pick which half I use based on my desired stiffness/flexibility.The only problem is the middle of each side there is exposed fiberglass and I can feel I'm getting splinters. So I'll sand it a bit and just make sure I wear gloves.I'll let you know how this works!

author: Rory
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 04:07:04 pm
content: Personally, I would think twice about using a metal fish tape to pull wires inside a stud wall. Especially in older houses. You need to think about the possibility of exposed hot wires or open holes in junction boxes. It would ruin your day if you accidentally short out an exposed hot pair, shoot sparks inside the wall and start a fire. Pull rods are fiberglass for a reason.Metal fish tapes are intended for pulling wires inside conduits with de-energized circuits. The lubricant is called Elephant Snot, it's clear or yellow.

author: kolbep
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 04:17:32 pm
content: If there is already a cable running the same place,then disconnect it, and tie a string to it.Then pull the wire back into the ceiling.You will then have the string as a draw wire, use it to pull the old cable down, as well as your new cable (at the same time), from the ceiling space down to where you need it. While you do so, pull down another pice of string, so that later you can pull in another wire without repeating this procedure.Whenever you pull a wire in, ALWAYS pull a piece of string with it. You will at some point end up needing to use it, and you will thank yourself.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 04:38:08 pm
content: Thanks for the advice. Yes I was a bit worried about using the metal wire tape as well. It is quite thick and I don't want any shorts either. That's why I prefer fiberglass. You can see in the photos that the fiberglass driveway marking rod split in half is very flexible and strong. I only need about 4 or 5 feet to go up above the drop ceiling and down again, a short almost straight path up and down.Also there is a bunch of insulation stuffed into one wall (for noise dampening) and the other hole has maybe 10 cat5e cables through it with almost no more space left between the bunch. My concern is if I will have space to run a cable with the jacks already on the end so I don't have to crimp on my own. And yes, I will be sure to bring some pull strings to fish up along with them.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 04:46:08 pm
content: Sorry... last picture... The rest of my gear for the job. We'll see how it goes on Monday. Wish me luck! :-)

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 10:30:57 pm
content: Edy, not sure what wire tape you were looking at but mine is quite thin-almost half as thin as cat 5 cable. I also keep some short pieces, about 12" to bring cable from the outside to the inside of the house and a piece about 2.5 feet long for passing wires from the inside of the car through the firewall into the engine compartment. Nanofrog, not sure what brand I have as someone gave it to me as a gift, but the case color is red. Too lazy to go into the garage to check.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 10:41:23 pm
content: Quote from: GreyWoolfe on March 08, 2015, 10:30:57 pmMine's the Greenlee you linked, so it's green.Grabbed it out of a Lowes (?) years ago in order to finish a job.

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 10:45:04 pm
content: the Green Ferretis what you want. bit pricey tho.it hasn't failed me yet.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2015, 06:20:51 pm
content: Problem solved! Well kinda....Wirejob1 and Wirejob2 photos:Had no luck fishing, I just couldn't get through to the other hole. So as you can see there I tied the big fat HDMI cable to 2 strings and my ethernet cable and used it to pull it up, then left 1 string still tied to it and pulled the HDMI cable back to where it started.Wirejob3 and 4 photos:You can see the two ends of the other hole I need to thread down into the utility network room. Very packed openings.Anyways... turns out my ethernet cable was 5cm too short and so I couldn't run it down the wall... So for now....Wirejob5 and wirejob6 show it just hanging out from the ceiling to the router. Eventually I will get a longer cable or patch on another to this one and see if I can run it inside the wall. Problem solved for today and nobody sees the network room but me.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2015, 12:30:58 am
content: Sorry I came late to the party..... years ago an old sparky teased me when I was a kid about his pet mouse.Did I want to see it....of course I did.A short length of chain on the end of a string line.Hows that a mouse?Drop it down a wall and it will find a path, jiggle it a bit and it falls through any drilled holes until you get it to where you want.Hook it out of the wall, tie your cable on and pull....easy.The Sparky's pet mouse.