Snaking a ceiling

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In resi.....fiberglass or rodders ...they don't coil up like metal snakes in a cavity ....if all you have is metal, use one snake to grab the other.

If your dealing with comm./drop ceilings....a lead weight and some string or a kid's suction cup gun with "ammo" will get you some distance easily.
 
Snaking is an acquired skill. I learned snaking by myself and you learn to be accurate fairly quick if you have to go up and down ladders over and over! The biggest thing is to keep the metal snake straight. A lot of guys seem to think that if it's going in easy it's money, but they end up 3 bays over. Visualize what the snake head needs to look like to clear ostacles(strapping, lathe) and push straight, when it sticks flip 180 degrees and try again. If it sticks then it's time for the death shake! Shake hard until it pops free/through.

Tom:)

My old man always told me that painter/patcher are cheaper than we are so make holes if necessary.
 
for running MC in drop cielings i use a 3/4" 10' stick of PVC conduit, tape the MC to the end of the PVC and slide the PVC along the grid u can shove the PVC about 12' at a time and and it goes pretty quick to.
 
Joe R said:
for running MC in drop cielings i use a 3/4" 10' stick of PVC conduit, tape the MC to the end of the PVC and slide the PVC along the grid u can shove the PVC about 12' at a time and and it goes pretty quick to.
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What's the point of that in a dropped ceiling? You have to go back and fasten the MC cable up anyhow.
 
mdshunk said:
What's the point of that in a dropped ceiling? You have to go back and fasten the MC cable up anyhow.
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Marc-- some basements around here have dropped sheetrock ceilings (not lay in tile). Last job I did I had to go from the panel room (unfinished) across a 20 feet long play room into an unfinished furnace room. Because of all the duct work they dropped a ceiling about 12" below the floor joist. Luckily there were many recessed cans I could pull down to access the fishing. I used those fiberglass glow rods but I have also used pvc.
 
mdshunk said:
What's the point of that in a dropped ceiling? You have to go back and fasten the MC cable up anyhow.
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True, but what is faster throwing the MC or running it the way I suggest, the original poster wanted tips on speeding up the process of snaking thru cielings not how to install cable :wink: .
 
some company actually sells a shooting gun with a weight and string for electricians, LV installers. It goes further than a kiddy gun, but I don;t remember where I saw it.
 
Joe R said:
... the original poster wanted tips on speeding up the process of snaking thru cielings not how to install cable :wink: .
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:grin: Point taken!

I like the "Top Slide" tool to help feed in the smaller MC in dropped ceilings, and I'll hang a big Greenlee sheave to help feed in bigger MC.

seats-190-1c.jpg
 
I got one of those Greenlee guns for dropped ceilings. It is pretty accurate up to 25'. Nice when there are alot of desks in the way.

Tom
 
Davis9 said:
Nice when there are alot of desks in the way.
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Speaking of desks, those "moving men" little disks that they used to sell on TV really work good if you have to slide a fullly loaded desk out of the road.
 
snaking cielings

snaking cielings

Get yourself a set of fishsticks,sone dversabits with extensions and placement tools, a spackle knife with a small quart comtainer of fresh spackle. A book on common residential wood framing so you can more clearly understand where you are trying to go stay away from bathroom areas and allways check 2nd floor for hidden bathrooms water can do a lot more damage than a sheetrock saw.
 
Davis9 said:
I got one of those Greenlee guns for dropped ceilings. It is pretty accurate up to 25'. Nice when there are alot of desks in the way.

Tom
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I believe Davis9 is speaking of this animal

tem25023.jpg
 
Yes Sir I was. I am pretty deadly with that thing! I make my helper put his hand in the ceiling so I have something to aim at J/K. I only got him once from 25+-' but from the noise he made it is pretty powerful!

Tom
 
I used to have a bow and arrow on jet line. Worked great, but you need a bit of room... I put it right though a soft duct once - it did have its draw backs - pun intended. But had great range when you had the room to use it. I lost it - I don't know where, as if I did I wouldn't have...
 
Anyone ever use a remoted controlled monster truck from Radio Shack to drag a pull string through a suspended ceiling? I might know a guy that used to do that. ;)
 
crossbow

crossbow

I used to have a training crossbow using ceiling line stringto first pull in a jet line then the cable.
I would use this setup where I susspected asbestos so I could avoid exposure.
Then other people wanted to use it and thats when the trouble began some people should not use these things.
One guy sgot it right into a duct 3 feet in front of him and it came straight back and hit him in the face thank the lord he wore glasses or he would be blind in 1 eye.
Sometimes the crossbow would scare customers too.
 
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