# Help wire running wire thru Attic....



## Rockrz (May 13, 2013)

I'm needing to run an ethernet cable from my home office thru the attic to the living room at the other end of the house... problem it that is is an older house that has one of those really low roof lines so there's hardly any room at all to crawl thru the attic to do this normally.

But, in the closet I do have a trap door so I can stick my head up in the attic and see right down to where I need to run the ethernet cable to.

So, is there some sort of retractable tool that is available to would extend out about 60 or 70 feet that would enable me to tie the cable on to so I can drag this down the length of my attic without having to hire some little kid to crawl thru there to bring the cable down to the other end?

Any ideas (other than running it on the outside which isn't going to happen) on how to get the cable down there without having to crawl thru this very low attic space would be appreciated.




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## nealtw (May 13, 2013)

Will you be cutting a hole in the ceiling to grab the end of the wire or are you hoping to snare it a pulling it back to the door?


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## Rockrz (May 13, 2013)

> in the closet I do have a trap door so I can stick my head up in the attic and see right down to where I need to run the ethernet cable to.



I'll deal with that once the cable is run...


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## nealtw (May 13, 2013)

60 or 70 ft sound like a long shot at best. What come to mind is something like plastic conduit that you can make eazy joints and keep adding peices until you get to the right area and the feed the wire thru it. The front end might need something the shape of a ski so it rides over the joists.


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## Rockrz (May 13, 2013)

Yeah, I guess I could get a bunch of short pieces of PCV pipe and put them together while pushing the whole thing down the line... I was just hoping there was some sort of tool made to handle situations like this.

There's gotta be something!


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## nealtw (May 13, 2013)

Well there is a sling shot with a fishing line.
http://www.sdepot.com/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=47


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## Rockrz (May 13, 2013)

> Sling-A-Line is a slingshot with a fishing reel attached. The slingshot is used to fire the lead weight attached to the monofilment line in the fishing reel. The reel can then pull the weight back by reeling it in



This might be something I can use and even make myself...

Thanks for the tip!


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## nealtw (May 13, 2013)

http://www.cableorganizer.com/laserline/
Maybe you can find someone to rent one of these. Stange the things you find when you go looking.


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## Rockrz (May 13, 2013)

KewL... I was searching too and couldn't think of any good key words for my situation here.


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## CallMeVilla (May 13, 2013)

I did some rewiring in a hospital once  ....  the overhead was impossible to navigate.  Believe it or not, I used a small crossbow to shoot a line 30' down the run each time until I got to where I needed to be.  Then attached the romex to the line and pulled it back!

You will not make it in one shot due to arrow drop.

So, if you are not afraid to cut an access hole, you can do it this way in steps.


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## nealtw (May 13, 2013)

Rockrz said:


> KewL... I was searching too and couldn't think of any good key words for my situation here.


 
If you are suggesting that I have a weried immagination, you would be correct.  :banana:

I had a freind try Villa's trick, he lost his arrow in the window of the house next door!


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## Rockrz (May 13, 2013)

> I had a friend try Villa's trick, he lost his arrow in the window of the house next door!



Well, hopefully he didn't shoot anybody in they backside...
and crack the arrow, or would that be arrow in the crack


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## CallMeVilla (May 13, 2013)

A pad on the front of the bolt is recommended to preclude damage.  I also like the idea of using PVC piping ... maybe tape a pull string inside it?


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## Rockrz (May 13, 2013)

In my situation, I'd have to have a bunch of small PCV pipes about a yard long and temporarily fit them together to reach down far enough to be able to tape a string on to the end and disable the apparatus as I pull it back towards myself.

There's no need to put the ethernet cable inside the PCV pipe... or at least I don't think there is any reason... no evidence of rats or critters around so I was just going to lay it on top of the insulation.

Rekon I should coat it with something to make sure no critters mistake it for black licorice candy?  I wouldn't want any coons up there tapping in to my internet line and reading me emails.


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## nealtw (May 13, 2013)

It will have to be real rigid in order to drive it staright, don't think tape will do it.
Borrow the neighbours cat and tie a string to him and put him up thru a hole in the other end and call him the access hole.


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## JoeD (May 13, 2013)

bow and arrow and line.
tie line to dogs tail and send him running.


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## nealtw (May 13, 2013)

4 ft length of 2x2 screwed together as you go would be rigid enough to push forward and if all the ends are tapered won't hang up on joists.


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## bud16415 (May 14, 2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gW6j3hMgWC4#!

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...soft_Tx.html?gclid=CILIqI68lbcCFUFV4Aod_h4AZg


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## nealtw (May 14, 2013)

Bud: that would be great, if it could get over the ceiling joists!!


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## JoeD (May 14, 2013)

If the tank won't go over the joist this will.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWvRkUED2HA[/ame]


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## nealtw (May 14, 2013)

That's great but the cows won't fit in the attic. I guess cowboys are a thing of the past now.


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## kok328 (May 14, 2013)

Any particular reason you just don't go wireless with a router?


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