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Tried the pull string trick on a 60 ft basement run and it fought me the whole way
Had a job in Springfield two weeks ago, old house, finished basement, needed to get RG6 from the box on the north wall over to the far corner. I figured I'd try the trick where you tape the string to the fish tape and yank it back through, since the joist bays were too tight to push through clean. It worked for maybe 25 feet and then the tape kinked hard at a turn near the furnace duct and the string snapped off inside the bay. Spent 45 minutes on a ladder trying to hook it back out before I gave up and went with glow rods in shorter pushes. Ended up losing an hour and a half on a job that should've been 30 minutes. Curious if anyone else has better luck with the yank method on long runs or if I just need a stiffer tape for those tight turns.
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parkerh384h ago
Used to swear by the yank method and would argue with anyone who said otherwise, but a run like yours is exactly what changed my mind. Once you get past 30 feet or hit a real turn, the string has no way to pull back evenly and the tape just folds on itself. Now I only use it for short pulls and keep a stiffer tape for the long stuff, plus pulling lube on the tight bays makes a huge difference. Losing an hour and a half on a 30 minute job is the worst, so you're not crazy for bailing and grabbing the rods. Sometimes the old way is just the way.
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