Cabling Techniques

[FreePOS]

At first, this question may seem dumb... so please read the entire Q before answering.

QUESTION: Has anyone come up with a list of "street smart" tools to do cabling with? I'm not talking about items like a crimp tool. I'm talking about the street smart stuff you can't read about in books: like dish washer liquid soap to lubricate a conduit that is full. I want to hear about the tricks of the trade.

We make a freeware restaurant POS system called FreePOS and we wire lots of brown-stone buildings, renovated houses and other properties that have been converted into restaurants/bars. Often, we run into block walls & wire-mesh with plaster on it. Sometimes, it takes forever to run a 100' cable.

We want to be able to send our guys out with EVERYTHING they could possibly need so that time is not wasted.

ANY helpful tricks of the trade would be GREATLY appreciated!

Here's what we have in our current tool kit:

RJ45 crimp tool
Carpenter's knife
Strippers
Screwdrivers
Hammer
Jig saw
Drill w/ selection of bits
1", 2" & 3" Keyhole saw bits
Liquid Soap
Clothes Hanger (metal)
Face plates & assorted wood screws
Velcro
Duct tape (OFCOURSE!!!)
Continuity tester
Stud finder
Zip ties (assorted sizes)
Assorted parts for CAT/5 installation


In particular, we run into TIME CONSUMING ISSUES with:

BLOCK WALLS
THICK WOOD FLOORS
6 INCH CRAWL SPACES
3 STORY PROPERTIES WITH NO INSIDE ACCESS TO WALLS

Anybody with some great ideas PLEASE REPLY!
Thanks!

 

[alohaakamai3]

Good list. We do lots of cabling (unfortunately) and there's a few things I'd add:

Fish tape.

Fish Stix. Better than fish tape, imo. There's are just fiberglass rods that can be screwed together (end to end) to attach cables and run then down walls, through ceilings, etc. Very easy to use, you can get them at Lowes or Home Depot.

Telescoping mirror. You can get these at any auto parts place. It's a mirror on the end of a telescoped rod (like an antenna) that allows you see things in tight spaces. For example, you want to see where a wire is, but the space isnt big enough to fit your head into, you can stick your mirrior in to see where your wire it.

Grabbing tool. I don't know where you'll find one exactly like I have, but this thing has been invaluable. I assume it performs the same job as the wire hanger in the above list. Mine is a flexible 2 1/2 foot rod with a claw on the end. It's ideal for grabbing wires in tight places. You might have to look around, but it could probably be found in an an auto parts store or maybe a home improvement.

Staple gun. Though not favorite thing to do, if you're trying to keep things to code a staple gun might be something to keep in the kit (to staple wire to wood surfaces). Careful though!

Surface mount jacks. I am not sure of the exact name of these things, but they mount to a flat surface and are able to hold a wire. These can be very handy in places that dont have something to zip time too, like maybe under a counter.

10 foot later. This might sound obvious, but I am surprised how many existing restaurants don't have a decent ladder. A pain to lug around, but definitely a must-have on certain jobs.

Expect anything and everyting. What looks like might take an hour can end up taking 10 once the work begins. We have a standing policy that we only give estimates--In the end, we bill on time and material. I'd rather walk away from a job in a lot of cases, then get pinched on the labor when an unexpected problem arises. Cuz they always seem to.

Hope this helps!

 

[dennislv]

a Fox & Hound pair - lets you trace pre-existing wires so you may not have to string each terminal again

alot of fishing line and a lead fishing weight. you basically throw it as far as you can and then pull the line with the fishing line (drop ceilings)

 

[dennislv]

I lost track of myself there... Also, get a sling shot. Use the lead weight with the sling shot to get it like 50'-100' at a time. It saves a tremendous amount of time.

Also, get some really good (expensive) masonry drill bits. There is nothing worse than killing a battery on each hole because you have a bad bit.

 

[alohaakamai3]

LMAO @ sling shot comment. Very creative idea, really.

Usually the the Fish Stix I mentioned before (thin, flexible poles that connect end to end for about 12 feet) are pretty good at a more controlled approach for putting wire through a drop ceiling. But I will admit, there are times where I've just coiled up a portion of the wire and just chucked it through the airway in the drop ceiling. Admittedly, it never seems to get very far. Using fish line and a weight like a sinker might be something I'll try next time.

 

[RosemarysBaby]

I watched a telephone system guy use a big box of cheap string (unwinds easily) tied to a full cheap roll of black electrical tape. He said the weight and size of the tape roll was perfect to get off a great toss with no damage. The string would be the leader he would then tie the cable to. Throw away the string when done (one use).

 

[piperent]

They make a "line shooter" that can be acquired at big name home improvement stores. It's like a dart gun with a fishing reel attached. It can fire a line a good little distance and works great when space is tight and accuracy is at a premium (your 6 inch crawl space would be a prime target for this device).

I also carry a 25 foot tape measure to pull lines under existing counters where access is limited to maybe one or two inches and a standard fish tape is too clumsy to get in the space.

Velcro. Never can have enough of this stuff. When all else fails, you can always velcro the wires to something.

Multiple colors of electricians tape (red, green, yellow, orange, and black). It gives you an infinite number of color combinations for coding cables. For smaller sites, it works as good as labeling numbers, and not near as expensive.

A small multi-meter as well as an AC tester. The last thing I want to do is hang a cable on a live 120 volt AC line. When your pulling thru walls, you usually are pulling near existing wiring. Sometimes the wires are hot, and sometimes they're not. Better know for sure.

JP