Talk to me bout snaking wires

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marley1

Supreme [H]ardness
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Generally I don't touch running wires in wall but I have been wanting to learn how.

The most I do for wiring is if its something easy like dropping it in thh basement and drilling holes, or stapling it around a wall or drop ceiling, or else I bring in the wiring guy to do the drop for the client.

Anyway I want to be able to srart doing this.

I know you need a wire snake, any recomendations?

What do you do if their is crossbeams? What about exterior walls?

Mostly running wire for Cat5 or maybe some security camera wiring.
 
"Fishing poles".

Acrylic or some form of fiberglass/plastic. Kit made up of a bunch 5' long (at least the ones we use) of springy yet flexible rods. They screw together to make long ones.

Sorta like the last length of a fishing pole...as far as picturing how thin they are, and the flexibility/springiness.

You can get pretty maneuverable as you work through through walls/ceilings.

We fish those through with a length of pull line taped to them...then when you pull the poles out the other end...you untape it. The pull line is flat, on a reel. Not string...but flat line, about 1/2" wide, slippery like. Tape the CAT to the end of that..and begin pulling it through smoothly.

Crossbeams...well, there's often a notch/cut/conduit, or some space where you can get through. If not, gotta drill.

Often due to fire codes gotta plug any holes you add with firestop putty.

Exterior walls, should use outdoor grade cable. Thicker jacket, cover with PVC if you can. Be aware in cold climate, if the cable is in a low spot..don't want water in there..it will freeze and "squeeze" the cable...breaking the twists and causing attenuation.
 
what if the house has the cross beams? what about exerior walls? would they have cross beams?

what brand you recommend for the poles?
 
Re-edited some more answer above.

Brand...hmmm...dunno what ours are, they're sorta transparent yellow. Gotta be a buncha different brands out there.

Specifically what ya mean about crossbeams? I added above....look along the length of beams...you'll often find a spot to go through without having to drill. Talking about beams in drop down ceilings/crawl spaces? Or when going vertically through walls? When going vertically through walls, we try to find existing routes that plumbing or other electrical goes through. Remember when working near other electrical though, don't run the ethernet close to it in parallel. But try to locate other spots where existing infrastructure like plumbing/electrical has already been run through. Or HVAC.
 
Thanks brian, I'm driving now so oly posting a little on bberry.

By braces I mean the horizontal cross beans in between studs.

And exterior walls what I meant was if I had to mount an access point or similar on the outside and drop the wire down to basement is their going to be lot of braces in the way?

Do u do a lot of wiring or just outsource it?
 
You need fishing poles, fishing wire, and pull wire. Another good tool to have is a optical scope (they are cheap now at the local home depot) and a 5' snaking drill bit (this allows you to penetrate multiple studs without opening the wall or pass through sub floors without having to cut the baseboard).

The right tools can make your job so much easier.
 
got a link to the drill bit and optical scope? i imagine the drill bit will be pricy
 
You dont need the scope, but it can make things easier.

I would love to get one, but I dont have one and have been doing wiring for years without issue.
 
Yeah same here...scope = luxury item. It will take <that many> more wiring jobs to absorb the cost of that thing. Between my guy and me helping him, we've prided our selves in doing wiring jobs that have overcome some very difficult locations. Never used a scope.

You're in SMB....focus on $125/hour consulting work, don't get bogged down chasing wiring jobs for $45/hour.
 
On your wire snake, get a flexi tip. These are a spiraly spring metal thing that you attach to the front of your tape. It will let you get around tight bend conduits when your tape would normally just bind up. It sticks about 12" off the front of your tape.

If you want to attach it yourself, don't just bend it on there, you need to use a torch to undo the temper. Or else you'll just snap the metal. Those fish tapes have a temper to them.
 
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I've been running cable for a long time. I rarely use the long drill bits but they sure do come in handy when you need them. Glow rods are excellent, fish tape, etc...but above all PATIENCE is the best tool.
I will tell you that the worst commercial job is better than most residential work though.
 
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