Fishing Tapes

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FionaZuppa

FionaZuppa

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Location
AZ
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Part Time Electrician (semi retired, old) - EE retired.
are the Nylon fish tapes good for 125+ ft ?? i am fishing a line about 125ft, but i saw in HD only 100ft nylon, 240ft metal.
which do you prefer, pros/cons to each ??
 
FionaZuppa said:
are the Nylon fish tapes good for 125+ ft ?? i am fishing a line about 125ft, but i saw in HD only 100ft nylon, 240ft metal.
which do you prefer, pros/cons to each ??
Click to expand...
Nylon of fiberglass? Or at least fiber reinforced?
IMHO Nylon stretches too much to be used for the pull back unless you are just using it to install a pull string or rope.
 
The nylon fish that HD sells would probably not make it 100' in a conduit. I've had problems getting it to go 40' in 3/4" PVC. Spend the extra money and get a fiberglass tape.
 
FionaZuppa said:
are the Nylon fish tapes good for 125+ ft ?? i am fishing a line about 125ft, but i saw in HD only 100ft nylon, 240ft metal.
which do you prefer, pros/cons to each ??
Click to expand...

best fish tapes i have EVER used are the stainless steel ones.
greenlee makes them, among other people.

about a third the resistance of a carbon steel one. don't ask
me why, i have no idea. it shouldn't make that much difference,
but it sure does.

greenlee makes a continuous "slinky" tape that is pretty amazing,
but only in some runs. you can't push it uphill. it weighs too much.
but downhill, it will fall thru the pipe of its own accord. expensive,
however.
 
i am pulling two 6awg with two 8awg THWN stranded through 1.5" PVC, mid way are two 45's to connect an offset of the two ~65ft pipes. at my panel i have two 90's about 3ft from each other. i have Ideal Clear pull gel to help it along.

the HD near me only has the steel Greenlee, not SS. Greenlee model 12712 would be good for me.
 
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FionaZuppa said:
i am pulling two 6awg with two 8awg THWN stranded through 1.5" PVC, mid way are two 45's to connect an offset of the two ~65ft pipes. at my panel i have two 90's about 3ft from each other. i have Ideal Clear pull gel to help it along.

the HD near me only has the steel Greenlee, not SS. Greenlee model 12712 would be good for me.
Click to expand...
You won't have any problem with any kind of fish tape. Save the lube for a fuller pipe.
 
ActionDave said:
You won't have any problem with any kind of fish tape. Save the lube for a fuller pipe.
Click to expand...

i didnt want to buy a tape at all, but i was not able to find someone to do the work with pay, so now i have to buy a tape. thus, i figure i should buy a decent one, another tool in my toolbox, etc. if i cant find the SS one then reg steel it will be.....
 
Fulthrotl said:
best fish tapes i have EVER used are the stainless steel ones.
greenlee makes them, among other people.

about a third the resistance of a carbon steel one. don't ask
me why, i have no idea. it shouldn't make that much difference,
but it sure does.

greenlee makes a continuous "slinky" tape that is pretty amazing,
but only in some runs. you can't push it uphill. it weighs too much.
but downhill, it will fall thru the pipe of its own accord. expensive,
however.
Click to expand...

While all these are good points... I would prefer a fiberglass fishtape because fiberglass is non-conductive...
 
ActionDave said:
You won't have any problem with any kind of fish tape. Save the lube for a fuller pipe.
Click to expand...

I have to go with GoldDigger on this. Nylon is not a good idea. When it jams it'll start to stretch, but it'll just feel like a hard pull. When it snaps, all that stored energy is going somewhere. Unless it's reinforced somehow to reduce stretch, I'd stay away from it.
 
OK, I went to Home Depot's site and then Klien's once I had the model number. They mention that it's a composite tape, so it's not just solid nylon. Guess we should really see if someone has actual experience with the product. You still might want to stay away from it; it's more twice the cost of steel tape per foot!
 
just the cowboy said:
Have you tried a shop vac or compressed air to blow or suck a pull string in?
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing. ;)
Blow or suck a string through with a foam mouse or even better a cheap plastic grocery bag, then pull a larger rope through to pull through your #6's & 8's.


As far as fish tapes go, I have never used nylon or fiberglass of any substantial length. I like the versatility of the steel tapes although the quality of the steel has lessened over the years.:happysad:
 
ActionDave said:
That's a lot of broo-hah-hah for 65' of 1 1/2 pipe and only two #6 and one #8. Shove a fish tape in, fiberglass or steel and be done pulling in ten minutes.
Click to expand...
two 6's and two 8's for about 190ft, not 60ft.

i tried a greenlee magnum pro 240ft, pos tape, it broke so i returned it. got an ideal 240ft and it operates smoothly, cost me $25 less too. i think the greenlee was bad from maker.
 
If you don't want to buy one, you can most likely rent one at a local tool rental place. Probably a couple of dollars for a day.
 
FionaZuppa said:
two 6's and two 8's for about 190ft, not 60ft.

i tried a greenlee magnum pro 240ft, pos tape, it broke so i returned it. got an ideal 240ft and it operates smoothly, cost me $25 less too. i think the greenlee was bad from maker.
Click to expand...

If this is your first fish tape, it's worth mentioning that when the tip breaks, it's good to heat the end up to break the temper before bending a new hook. Otherwise it will usually just snap when you go to bend it.
 
i think the greenlee was just bad item. i was struggling just to get the tape to come out, the handle would not slide easily, i got a sweaty workout just getting ~100ft to come out. near the end of releasing out 100ft the tape started to unwind from the sides. when attempting to wind it back up i got ~20ft back in but then it just seemed to have jammed. the sales guy at electric house where i got it thought he could do it, but he failed with baffle look on his face. he thought i damaged it before use, but i did not, i suspect just a poorly made item.

the Ideal tape i got runs smoothly and has the laser etched ft marks.
 
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