fish tape
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: southern Illinois
fish tape
I'm trying to "push" my fishtape through the buried conduit between my house and detached garage and can't get it through. Conduit is 1inch PVC and about 45 feet and fishtape is 1/8inch steel. I can get the tape most of the way and then it stops. I've tried going from both directions(I'm going to pull a phone line and a coax cable so direction isn't that critical). I ran all of the conduit except the run through the garage footing and the slab(that was done by the concrete contractor). I used sweeping el's and cleaned up my cuts. Suggestions??
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 290
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From: South TX
Is your fishtape rusty? A rusty tape will have trouble with even two ells. How many bends in the run, total?
Does the fishtape stop at about the same spot from either end? Could be there is something in the pipe, or it came appart.
Try to suck a light string thru with a vaccum cleaner, then use the string to pull thru a small rope (1/4"). Use the rope to pull the wires.
Does the fishtape stop at about the same spot from either end? Could be there is something in the pipe, or it came appart.
Try to suck a light string thru with a vaccum cleaner, then use the string to pull thru a small rope (1/4"). Use the rope to pull the wires.
The Pacifier
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,245
Likes: 7
From: Cloverdale, BC
Our phone and cable guys had the same problem hooking up our new house. They tried everything. Vacuum and string, smoke machine, they even had me stick my head in the access hole only to get distracted by one of my hot neighbours. What they ended up doing was getting out the big sucker, a 3/8" fiberglass fish.
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: southern Illinois
Originally Posted by Ultraute
Is your fishtape rusty? A rusty tape will have trouble with even two ells. How many bends in the run, total?
Does the fishtape stop at about the same spot from either end? Could be there is something in the pipe, or it came appart.
Try to suck a light string thru with a vaccum cleaner, then use the string to pull thru a small rope (1/4"). Use the rope to pull the wires.
Does the fishtape stop at about the same spot from either end? Could be there is something in the pipe, or it came appart.
Try to suck a light string thru with a vaccum cleaner, then use the string to pull thru a small rope (1/4"). Use the rope to pull the wires.
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: southern Illinois
Originally Posted by bigrigfixer
What they ended up doing was getting out the big sucker, a 3/8" fiberglass fish.
Thanks, Karl
The Pacifier
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,245
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From: Cloverdale, BC
I think what it was, was the original cable guy came with an 1/8" fish and it went out 100' but he couldn't find it out the other end which was only 80' away. He tried a few times, sometimes only able to go 50', then he came and got me to help him. Then I saw something move as I got distracted, and couldn't see it again. There wasn't really any kinks or signs of snagging on it, maybe just operator error. So the next day, the supervisor comes out with the big one, and gets it done in less than a minute. I guess he was able to get more force on it with the bigger one.
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,515
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From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
i ty a piece of string to a piece of foam the size of the pipe and use compressed air to blow it through.
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Postmaster
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,848
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From: Kentucky
This takes two people. Run your fish tape in until it stops. Borrow another fishtape and go to the opposite end of the conduit and push it thru until you feel it hit the other tape. Push this 2nd tape in past the first tape about 3-4 feet then roll the 2nd tape reel over and over 4 times or so....
This will wrap the 2nd tape around the one already in the conduit. Pull back on the 2nd tape slowly while your helper pushes slightly on the first that was put in. The 2nd tape will pull the first tape passed the fitting and come on out. I have done this many times on 60-80 foot runs where the FT stopped.
PS Hopefully when the concrete ws poured they sealed your stub up conduit good. Nothing will pass thru a hunk of concrete very well. good luck
This will wrap the 2nd tape around the one already in the conduit. Pull back on the 2nd tape slowly while your helper pushes slightly on the first that was put in. The 2nd tape will pull the first tape passed the fitting and come on out. I have done this many times on 60-80 foot runs where the FT stopped.
PS Hopefully when the concrete ws poured they sealed your stub up conduit good. Nothing will pass thru a hunk of concrete very well. good luck
Last edited by Greg 79 f150; Oct 31, 2006 at 05:54 PM.
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Senior User
Joined: May 2004
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From: Rock Hill, SC
You said it pushes easily and them stops. Does it seem to go about the same distance from either side? You said you used 3 bends in your run, were they less than or equal to 90 degrees each? Does the number of bends in your conduit include the one that the contractor put through the slab? The general rule of thumb is to not put more than 360 degrees of bend between pull points, this makes pulling cable much easier. The double tape trick described above will work, just be sure not to get your tapes stuck. Good Luck
Junior User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 57
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From: Pennsylvania
And once you do get the tape all the way through, pull a few extra pieces of heavy string (rope?) through with the phone and coax.
that'll make it easier if you need to run something else in the future.
that'll make it easier if you need to run something else in the future.
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 30,255
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Braided nylon cord works well, tie it to something at each end. If you use it remember to pull a new piece thru. I have one run at the house that has 2X the length of the run in it tied at both ends with a small loop tied at the center of the cord with the excess coiled at one end. I can tie a wire to that loop and pull it to the other end then pull the loop back.
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: southern Illinois
Just wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions. Looks like I had one too many bends to push my tape through. I tried the string trick first. Didn't want to get two tapes stuck in the conduit. My shopvac sucked the string through without a problem. I have my phone line and coax into the garage now. Thanks again. Karl
