Found a trick for fishing wire through insulated walls that saved me 2 hours yesterday

I was out in Glendale yesterday on a new build and hit a wall full of that spray foam insulation. Usually I end up drilling a dozen holes and fighting the damn fish tape for an hour. But I tried something different this time. I taped a piece of polypropylene rope to the end of my glow rod and fed it through while the foam was still a little soft. The rope slid right through without snagging on the insulation. I got two runs done in 20 minutes each when it normally takes me over an hour. Has anyone else tried this or found a better way to deal with spray foam in residential work?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayden72014d ago

...and I've seen a YouTube video where a guy used a shop vac to pull string through soffits but that wouldn't work with spray foam. The poly rope trick is actually pretty smart because it's slippery and won't grab onto the foam like the fiberglass fish tape does. I heard from an old timer once that you can also use masons line for the same reason, it's got that waxy coating that slides through anything. I wouldn't try it with electric type wire though because the foam could harden around it and you'd be screwed. Have you thought about getting a set of those fiberglass glow rods with the different tips? I saw a review where a guy put a cone shaped tip on his and it pushed through insulation like butter but I haven't tested it myself. Might be worth trying if you do a lot of these new builds.

jamieburns14d ago

Masons line isn't really waxy coated, that's more for tarred or braided nylon line. Masons line is just chalky, so it'll leave a mess everywhere if you're pulling through a tight space. The poly rope trick works way better because it's got a slick finish that doesn't grab or leave residue.