c/cable-installers

Spent 4 hours on a crawl space that should have taken 45 minutes

Got a call for a new drop in a house built in the 80s. The crawl space looked normal from the hatch, but once I got in there, it was a solid wall of old, blown-in insulation. I mean, it was like a gray snowdrift, three feet deep in places. Had to dig a trench with my hands and a piece of scrap wood just to find the sill plate to run the line. Every time I moved, more of the stuff would collapse into the path I just made. My fish tape kept getting buried. The homeowner thought I was crazy when I came up for air covered head to toe in dust. What should have been a simple pull turned into a full afternoon of fighting that mess. What's the best way you guys deal with a packed insulation crawl space without wrecking the stuff?

Update: Bought a $90 cable toner and it just saved a full day of work

Was tracing a line in a 1970s apartment building and the toner found the break behind a wall in under ten minutes. Without it, I would have been fishing new cable for hours. What's the best money you've spent on a tool that paid for itself right away?

Spent a whole afternoon on a single coax run in an old Seattle apartment

The wall cavity was packed with old plaster and lathe, and I hit a fire block I didn't expect. What should have been a 30 minute job turned into a 3 hour fight with a flex bit and a lot of patience. Anyone have a better trick for dealing with those solid old fire blocks in pre-war buildings?

Old timer told me to always carry a spare coax barrel connector, and it saved my job yesterday

I was finishing a triple-play install in a tight attic crawlspace, and I dropped my last F-81 connector down a wall void. I remembered what a retired installer named Frank told me during my first month: 'Keep a spare barrel in your pocket, kid. It's cheaper than a trip back to the truck.' I had one in my pouch, used it to join the two cable ends right there, and got the signal check to pass. Without it, I would have been climbing down, walking back to the van, and climbing up again, adding at least 25 minutes to a job that was already running late. What other small, cheap parts do you guys always make sure to have on you?

I used to fish coax through walls with a coat hanger, now I use a glow rod kit. When did you make the switch?

Saw a guy in Tampa almost fry his meter by not checking for power first

He was about to test a line in a crawl space with his Fluke and didn't see the old, live transformer box two feet away. I yelled just in time, but it was a real wake-up call about double-checking the whole area, not just the cable you're working on. How do you guys handle checking for hidden power sources in tight spots?

Got chewed out for using a zip tie on a coax run at a Denver apartment complex

The building super said it looked sloppy and made them think we cut corners. I always thought it was fine if the signal was good, but now I carry a roll of velcro strips for any visible lines. Anyone else get pushback on small stuff like that?

PSA: Had to choose between a new drill or a better ladder for a tricky attic job in Phoenix.

The client's crawl space was a real mess, and I could only get one new piece of gear for the job. I went with the ladder, thinking access was the bigger issue, but then my old drill died halfway through and I lost a full hour. What would you guys have picked first in that spot?

Changed my mind about using a fish tape for every drop

Last Tuesday in a tight attic in Springfield, I had a coax run that kept snagging. My usual fish tape was just making it worse, binding up on every joist. The homeowner, an older guy who used to do phone lines, handed me a roll of old mule tape and said 'try this, it's softer.' I was ready to cut a new hole, but that mule tape slid right through a gap I couldn't even see. Finished three more drops that afternoon without a single hang-up. Anyone else find a specific spot where mule tape or a glow rod just works better than steel?

Update: I swapped from a basic fish tape to a Klein push-pull rod for a tricky drop

Had to run a line down a finished wall in a 100-year-old house in Tacoma. My old steel fish tape kept kinking and getting stuck on the insulation. Borrowed a buddy's fiberglass push-pull rod, the kind with the spinning handle. Got it through on the first try because it stayed rigid and didn't snag. Is the extra cost for a good rod actually worth it over a standard tape for you guys?

I thought those cheap thermal cameras for phones were a total joke... until I found a short on a board in under 2 minutes.

For a while, I figured the $200 phone attachment thermal cams were just toys. Then a job in Austin had me tracing a weird voltage drop in a complex media panel. I borrowed one from another tech on site, and it lit up a hot spot on a power supply board almost right away. It was a tiny short I would have spent hours hunting with a meter. Has anyone else found a good use for these on regular install calls?

I was running a line in an attic in Phoenix last Tuesday and a family of raccoons decided to help.

PSA: I started using a cheap $8 laser level from Harbor Freight for marking drops and it cut my attic crawl time in half.

Talking to a retired lineman at the hardware store made me see my fish tape in a new light

Got called out for my cable ties on a job in Tempe last year

A senior tech saw my work and said, "You're crushing the jacket, you'll get a callback in six months." He showed me how to leave a quarter inch of slack before cinching. I started using that trick and my service call rate dropped. Anyone else get a piece of advice that flipped a basic habit for you?

Vent: I used to fish cable through every wall by hand, now I just use a magnet puller and it saves me like 20 minutes a drop.

I chose a Klein crimper over the cheaper brand everyone recommends

I mean, I know the other one is like half the price and gets good reviews, but the Klein just feels better in my hand when I'm doing 50 terminations a day. Has anyone else stuck with a pricier tool and been happy they did?

Shoutout to the customer in Springfield who called me out on my coax terminations

Last month, a retired telecom engineer watched me work and said, 'Son, you're leaving a quarter inch of braid exposed, that's asking for noise.' I'd been doing it that way for years. Now I strip it to exactly 3/16 inch and my signal meter readings are way cleaner. Anyone else get a piece of advice that fixed a bad habit you didn't even know you had?

Can we talk about using a fish tape versus a glow rod for tricky wall runs?

I used to swear by my old steel fish tape for everything, but after a job in a 1920s house with plaster and lath, I switched to a fiberglass glow rod. The glow rod bends around old pipes without getting stuck, but some guys say the fish tape is stronger for long pulls. Which do you grab first for an old building?

Just realized I've been ignoring a major safety step after talking to a retired installer in Cleveland.

He said he never used a voltage tester on old apartment lines until he got a 120v shock in '92, and that story hit different. What's one safety habit you learned the hard way?

Vent: I used to just push coax through any old hole in the siding

For years, I'd drill a hole, shove the cable through, and call it good. That changed after a job in Springfield last fall where a customer had major water damage from a leak I caused. The problem was I wasn't sealing the entry point right. Now, I always use a proper silicone sealant around the hole and a drip loop on the cable outside. It adds maybe 2 minutes to the job but saves a huge headache. Anyone else have a go-to sealant brand they trust for outdoor wall penetrations?

Spent 4 hours on a simple coax run because of a hidden nail plate

Had a job in a 1920s house yesterday, just a basic line to a new TV spot. Drilled up from the basement, hit what felt like solid wood and couldn't push the bit through. Turned out there was a steel nail plate protecting an old gas line, completely hidden behind the plaster. Had to cut a small access hole, notch the plate with my rotary tool, and patch it after. What's the weirdest hidden thing you've ever drilled into?

My buddy in Tampa argued that drilling a new hole is always faster than trying to fish through existing walls, which really made me question my whole approach.

He said 'You spend 45 minutes fighting a wall that might be packed with insulation when a clean 3/8-inch hole and a grommet takes 2 minutes and looks pro,' and now I'm rethinking my entire process for retrofit jobs.

I used to think taping coax to the fish tape was a dumb idea

For years I just pushed the tape through and hoped for the best, especially in old houses with bad insulation. Then I had a job in a 1920s place in Tacoma where the run was maybe 30 feet through three stud bays, and the tape kept getting stuck on a nail plate. After the fifth try, the homeowner, an old electrician, said, 'Kid, just tape your cable to the leader and give it a pull.' I did it, and it went through smooth on the first pull. The tape kept the cable from snagging on every little thing. Now I do it for any run over 15 feet. What other simple tricks have you guys picked up that actually work?

I had a job last week where the customer's dog stole my coax crimper

I was doing a rewire in this old house in Springfield, and I set my tool bag down for maybe two seconds. This little terrier mix comes out of nowhere, grabs my coax crimper right out of the open pouch, and just bolts. The owner is chasing him, I'm chasing the owner, and the dog is having the time of his life thinking it's a new toy. We finally corner him in the kitchen, and he's just sitting there with the crimper in his mouth, tail wagging. The owner was so sorry, but honestly, it was pretty funny. I had to finish the job using my backup tool, which is never as good. Has anyone else had a pet decide your gear was part of their playtime?