Serious question, what's your go-to for pulling cable through a packed ceiling?

I was in this old house in Portland, attic was stuffed with blown-in insulation about a foot deep. My fish tape kept getting stuck. Grabbed a bag of those little foam practice golf balls from my trunk, taped one to the end of the line. It floated right over the top of the insulation like a charm, no snags. Has anyone else used a trick like that for messy attics?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantm6127d agoMost Upvoted

Remember reading about @piperh50's bottle cap trick... that always seemed like it would catch on every little thing. The foam ball is clever for sure, floats over the insulation. My issue is you need a really clear path or that ball just gets buried and stuck. I've had way better luck with a fiberglass push rod, the stiff kind. You can sort of feel your way through and it doesn't bend up on you like fish tape. The ball trick is a good backup though.

piperh5027d ago

My old foreman swore by a plastic bottle cap taped to the fish tape.

taylor.phoenix11d ago

Yeah, that bottle cap trick sounds like it would snag on everything. I feel your pain with stuff getting stuck.