How to Snake Wires With a Tape Measure
A modified tape measure makes a great tool for fishing wires through walls and ceilings with insulation in them when adding a new circuit.
Bob Kelland of St. John’s, Newfoundland, sent in this week’s Reader Tip.
Bob writes:
When upgrading the electrical outlets in my kitchen I needed to pull a wire from the bottom of the wall into the attic. I used an old measuring tape to pull the cables. I slipped the end of the tape (the one without the hook) into a hole cut into the drywall at the top of the wall. Even though this is an exterior wall, with fiberglass insulation and a vapor barrier, the flat tape slid easily between the drywall and the vapor barrier.
Once the end of the tape emerged in the hole in the bottom of the wall, I looped the cable through the slot in the tape, and pulled the cable to the top of the wall. From there it was an easy path to the attic.
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That's a great tip - how did we overlook this? Thanks.
This got contaminated by commercials what a shame ! this makes it usless like cable tv in the last years ,whats the point of being a paying member if we have to listen to commercial selling stuff we dont need or intersted in .
I must agree with Bad_Pete. As a paying member, it frustrates me to watch ads at the beginning of videos.
Chuck:
You correctly mentioned being careful not to drill/screw into electrical wiring of the vacuum, but did not do the same for the Sears actuated switch. That could be especially critical for such a small housing with several closely located electrical components.
JH
Hi jh03361: In the tool-actuated vacuum segment, Chuck actually did mention the need to be sure you're not going to drill into any electrical components before-hand. Have another look. The reminder appears at minute 1:10 in that video. Just wanted to chime in since I was one of the producers on that segment.
Cheers and thank you for watching!
Best,
Ed
At least some of you got to see the video. It doesn't run on my system - maybe because of my adblocker. Fortunately, I grew up at a time when reading was still common.
doesn't work