Fishing Wire

MikeyP

I think I got lucky but I need help. I need to run additional wire from our panel in the basement to the bathroom on the second floor. The bathroom is completely gutted and I have 2 holes that currently contain wire. The problem is the hole isn't big enough (don't you hate it when that happens) and I don't want to pull the existing wire out to make the hole bigger then fight to get the first wire fed past the first floor.

The only thing I have been able to think of is tie a string to the end of the wire. Drop the wire just below the hole. Cut a slit into the side of the hole deep enough to allow the new hole to be made larger without cutting the string then pull the wire back up. The string will rest in the slit until the hole is made

Any other ideas or any issues with what I'm thing about doing? How many wires can I run through the same hole?

Thanks,
Mike

Billy_Bob

Is the wire stapled to the studs as it travels through the 1st floor?

(Will the wire easily pull up/down from basement to 2nd floor?)

rgsgww

You could drill another hole next to the hole.

If you do leave wires cut them short or tag them with "abandoned in place"

MikeyP

I don't believe they are stapled. I hooked up a fish to a wire already in that hole and pulled it to the basement. There's still a wire in the hole with the fish.

I'd love to drill another hole and start over but I don't know how to get the wire to feed from the basement to the second floor without putting a hole in the first floor wall.

Can you help?

jamiedolan

Maybe I am missing something. But if you have a loose wire in the wall right now, upstairs, securely attached it to your fish tape, then have one person upstaris feed in the fish tape while you pull on the wire in the basement. Then in the basement, attach the new wire to the old wire and to the fish tape and then pull them all through back to the 2nd story.

Also attach a piece of strong string and pull it up as well, so it is there if you need to do this again. You can also use a sawzall to cut the hole larger if necessary.

I don't think this is going to be necessary in your situation, but thought I would mention it just in case...... If you need something ridgid to dish with (If you can't remove the wire that is in there now) the whole distance (10+ feet I assume). You can use Fish sticks, which are overpriced fiberglass sticks that screw together from fairly small sections. At lowes they have the same type of thing, screw together fiberglass rods that are for chimeney cleaning. I didn't buy any, but from looking at them in the store, they seemed to be much cheaper than the regular electrical fish sticks. So if that is what it is going to take, to get down that wall for some reason, I would check those out.

If you do a completely seperate second hole, the fish sticks can make it easier to get down to the basement and find the new hole at the other end since it is a ridgid fish as opposed to the normal ones that are pretty flexable. So you can sit upstairs and poke around with it a bit till you get it through the new hole.

OR... if you know the wall cavity is clear, and you know where the joists are, you can just drill a decent size hole 1.25" (get some Irwin speed bor bits from Lowes). Then as long as your holes are at the same spot upstairs and downstiars, you can just drop a plumb (fishing weight, or something else small and heavy on a string in the attic from the new hole, and if your lined up with the new hole in the basement, you will be able to drop it right though.

Does that help?

Jamie

J. V.

Jamie, Good advice. If you can use an existing wire to pull your new ones that would be great. Just remember to pull one for the one you pull out.

buletbob

does the 3" vent stack or waste go from the second floor down to the basement?? this is where we always find a way from the attic to the basement because 95% of the time they go straight from the roof to the waste in the basement. so run you fish tape or string with weight on it down to the basement. ( on older homes with cast iron) BOB.

joed

His problem is the hole is not big enough and he want to enlarge it but has a fish tape in the hole.
Use a jig saw, a dremel or roto zip to grind out one side of the hole and enlarge it while the fish tape is in the hole.
Drill another hole very close to the first one and chisel out the wood between them. The hole doesn't need to be round.

buletbob

the fish tape is not in the hole yet just the wires! why drill holes if he might have a clear shot down along the waste line??? its worth checking out.

joed

Then I miss interpretted this.

buletbob

Yes I do see What you were referring to in post #4 now, I was thinking you were referring to post #1, My apologies! BOB

Wildie

While we are on this subject of fishing cable, I have a fish string with a fine 8" chain tied to the end.
The chains weight pulls the string down, then if an obstruction is encountered, jiggling the chain around usually causes the chain to fall down or through and it continues on its way.

MikeyP

Ok guys I was able to get the wire through. Thank you!!! I've decided to run the wire under the floor up to the switch and to light from in the ceiling. There are pipes in the floor as well. Is there a rule when running electrical and plumbing in the same area? Distance between them, one on top of the other....

Also, one of the new wires will control a fan with heat/light. The directions said to use a 20 amp breaker but I read someplace not to put 12/2 wire with 20 amp breaker. Is that true?

Wildie

#14 has a maximum capacity of 15 amps and is to be protected by a 15 amp breaker.
#12 capacity is 20 amps and requires the protection of a 20 amp breaker. Although a 15 amp breaker is OK, but it won't give you the capacity to run your heater/light.
Does your heater have a built in control switch?

MikeyP

I didn't buy the fan yet. I just read the directions on the outside of the box which said to run it to a 20 amp circuit so I don't know if it has a control switch. What is it?