A client's mom taught me a trick about hiding wires that I still use

I was installing a panel in a basement in Chicago about 2 years ago, and the client's mom came down to check on things. She pointed at a mess of cables I was about to fish through a joist and said, "You're gonna regret not using a pull string first." I laughed it off but she was right - I spent 20 minutes wrestling with that bundle after the fact. Now I always run a pull string even on short runs, and it saves me time every single time. Anyone else have a customer give you a tip that actually worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

jasonf354d ago

I mean, the real trick nobody talks about is using a vacuum cleaner bag to keep that pull string from getting tangled up in the first place. I had an old timer show me that one - you stuff the string into a bag and just pull it through as you go, keeps it from snagging on every little thing. Saved me a headache on a wiring job in an attic that was full of insulation and trash. Kinda wish more people would share those little hacks instead of just posting the finished product.

blair_nguyen4d ago

@west.casey that Pringles can idea is solid, I've used a similar trick shoving cables through tight attic spaces.

west.casey4d ago

Ha! That vacuum bag trick is genius, I love it. I learned something similar the hard way too - was running wires through a wall with blown-in insulation and the pull string kept catching on the paper backing. Client's dad came over, saw me cussing, and just handed me a half-empty Pringles can. Said to feed the string through the tube as I pushed it through the wall cavity. Worked like a charm. Now I keep a couple of those cans in my truck just for that purpose, plus they remind me to grab snacks too.