Creative ways to run MC in drop ceiling

[Volta]

This question has been keeping me up all night long. [Fortunately Art Bell himself was on.] But, with the daring help of my cat, my impervious brain came thru:
Well known for my independent thinking outside the box, I figure that everyone else is thinking in terms of somehow suspending the MC cables somehow from the overhead bar joists even tho they are inaccessable way up there.
But there is another concept: that of messenger wire. My concept is to string a messenger cable [1/4" steel guy cable?] horizontally acroos the room about one foot above the enemy ceiling grid [and even more messenger cables if necessary] and then support you MC cables from that. Paint it yellow.
~Peter
_| |_

I like that approach. I've only seen it once, in a long hospital hallway, used for LV.

Guage and attachment depend on layout, but sounds worth planning out. Try to include a turnbuckle.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

How do you work off a vertical ladder?

Is this a joke or a real question?

 

[iwire]

Is this a joke or a real question?

It is a real question, the trestle ladder has no lean at all, how do you work from that

 

[Cavie]

Is this a joke or a real question?

Why would you think it was a joke. May guys have never seen or used one. The only time I was exposed to one was working for a sign shop 20 years ago. In answer to stiffs question, once you set up the a frame and push up the center section, you go yo the top and stradle the top of the lader. Just like sitting on the top rail of a fence. It is nessessary the adjust the hight of the center section to match your reach.

 

[bjp_ne_elec]

It is a real question, the trestle ladder has no lean at all, how do you work from that

Iwire - I was wondering the same thing - but now that it's been explained I'll keep it's design and intended use in mind. Just don't know how often I'd get to use it. Wonder it they rent these? I know they don't have them at HD - as they do rent ladders there.

Anyone know anyone specifically in the southern NH, northern MA area who does?

This job is now done, but it would have been the bomb for the particular situation.

Thanks to all who posted against this thread - I know have quite a few things I've added to the old gray matter as options/solutions. I actually rigged up a little pulley on the end of a 1/2" EMT with a 90 on the end. Pushed the EMT with pulley up through the center of the roof truss and rolled the 90 out - dropping a string up and over the top. Then used string to pull jack chain over the top. But is was the ideas tossed around this thread that finally came up with a working solution.

Thanks to all who posted! I'm still curious how some of you came up with pricing - another post where I was looking for how some of you would have priced the overall job.
Thread is at:
http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=108469

 

[brennan]

I will usually use one of those ladders 4 to 6 times a year.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

It is a real question, the trestle ladder has no lean at all, how do you work from that

Sorry, sounds like my question might have been offensive, I did not mean for it to be that way.

I used these latters a lot in the sign business. They are great in that you just climb to the top and straddle the top. You can lock your legs and feet in it so you are very stable (as long as the ladder is stable). Both hands are free and you feel (at least I did) safe.

 

[iwire]

Sorry, sounds like my question might have been offensive,

No I did not take it that way.:smile:

 

[Smart $]

How do you work off a vertical ladder?

OSHA required 3-points of contact. Stick one leg through, between rungs near hip height, and hook foot under next lower rung. Two points of contact covered. Your other foot is the third point. Leaves both hands free to work with :wink:

How do you keep moving it?

I imagine it gets moved the only way it can be... the hard way :grin:

I will stick with my EMT :smile:

I'll stick with a twisty pole, too :grin:

EDIT: Sorry for any redundancy... I didn't see there was already another page of posts.

 

[tonyou812]

That must not have been a job installed with an inspection.



300.11(A)
...Support wires and associated fittings that provide secure support and that are installed in addition th the ceiling grid support wires shall be permitted as the sole support.

(A)(2) Non-Fire Rated Assemblies.
Wiring located within the cavity of a non-fire-rated-ceiling or roof-ceiling assembly shall not be secured to, or supported by, the ceiling assembly, including the ceiling support wires.

I am surprised at how many EC do this, and get away with it. I was always taught that you need to use your own tie wire and colored yellow. But the last EC that I worked with was doing public library renovation and they wired right to the grid wire and didnt have a problem....?

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

That is where the proper training across the board will help. If the fox is watching the henhouse, how does one keep the fox out?

 

[macmikeman]

The trestle extension ladders do weigh a ton, (figurative speech) but it is not moving it around the jobsite that is so freaking hard, its getting it up and down from the racks on top of my van that is the most fun part. Honestly, that thing has been the cats meow on so many different projects, and I have owned Grove high lifts that I didn't have as much affection for.

 

[growler]

I am surprised at how many EC do this, and get away with it. I was always taught that you need to use your own tie wire and colored yellow. But the last EC that I worked with was doing public library renovation and they wired right to the grid wire and didnt have a problem....?

Years ago we ran conduit on the grid wires all the time. Sometimes people would run a whole rack of conduit supported by nothing more than the grid wire. I don't really remember when the rules changed but I think it was in the early 90's. You will probably see a lot of work that was done before the rules changed.

As far as the last EC useing the grid wire, well some people are slow to change. I think I was one of the first people caught for breaking the new rules, I felt sure it couldn't apply to a little MC cable to feed a drop in fixture. Wrong.

 

[jrannis]

I tried to go up a trestle ladder once. It went against everything I knew about ladders and gravity. I just couldn't do it........... The sign guys loved them. they would even put a pick board across the rungs or two of them to have access to the whole sign face........ made mine pucker up too much.