Does anyone know of an installer in the NE Atlanta area that could hook me up to my AT-9 with a third drop? It needs to go from the attic through a trough (fairly packed) to the basement. DTV installer said that glow rods won't handle it.
Installer to fish from attic to basement - 2 Story house
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I had a two-story house (1st and last) and I ran cables from the attic using the heat/AC duct works. Worked just fine. Others have said to use a closet that is over the first floor one and just run it inside. Couldn't find anything like that in that house but would make it easy if that is your case. There are always tricks to use and find, but hate the Cable Companies in the past that wanted to run it on the outside of the house! That is why I got involved. My last two houses were both pre-wired as I had them built. Really only way to go if you construct one.
Spade said:
Hey were Electricians not Magicians... If nobody installed PVC pipes from the basement to the attic you might as well forget about snaking wires, Most houses have fireblocks installed....
hall said:
99% of the time a cable that was put in during the construction phase will be stapled to the framing to insure it will not get between the drywall and the frame.
There is a cable chase from the attic to the basement. I just don't have the equipment (or desire) to do it myself. 
dervari said:There is a cable chase from the attic to the basement. I just don't have the equipment (or desire) to do it myself.
Equipment? A 250 Ft fish tape costs $70 @ HD. That's cheaper than you'll get an installer to do it for. Although, if that cable chase is accessible on each floor, you might no need one so long.
Reason I suggested that was there was an old alarm system in my house and a number of wires ran from the basement (from the alarm panel) up to the attic (3rd floor) via the vent stack "opening". One of the wires was labeled "spare" in fact so I used it to pull a CAT5 cable years ago (when wireless routers cost $300, not $50).The Tate said:
hall said:
Your house is an exception, today everything is firecaulked and no more balloon framing...
This is the kind of wall fishing that I do everyday. Some wall fishes are tougher than others. With no prepared chase, I usually use interior walls. Even those with horizontal fire stops can be handled. Exterior walls full of insulation can also be done.
The toughest wall fishes involve homes with foamed in insulation. I've done those, too.
The toughest wall fishes involve homes with foamed in insulation. I've done those, too.
Mike500 said:
I don't work in to many one story ranch houses, usually two story colonials but here goes...
So your telling me you send a drill bit down an 8 ft. wall from an attic with a 8 pitch into the 2nd floor bottom plate then continue thru the 1st. floor top plate, (all doing this blind I might add, for the people that don't know how a stick built house is built) and full of insulation... Hmmm must have missed that class in Electric 101...
Now even attempting this from the basement the odds of success without damage to any wall finish is just to risky... at least in the houses I work in...
Well, talked to a shooting buddy of mine who runs an electrical contracting company. He's gonna come out and fish the line for me and then we'll enjoy some hidef sports and beer.
I didn't even think about him when I was planning this. Guess I didn't equate commercial electric contracting with fishing an RG6 cable.
I didn't even think about him when I was planning this. Guess I didn't equate commercial electric contracting with fishing an RG6 cable.
stickboy75 said:
I've never done a 2 story or exterior wall fish, but I kinda figured you would drop the wire one floor at a time. Cutting a hole in the wall on the second floor to access the cable and to utilize a flexbit to drill the floor plate and ceiling cap for the first floor.
Like I said, I'd never do it. If I gotta take that much risk, then the customer is going to pay enough to cover my insurance deductible at a minimum (in cash, up front, so they can't back out if things go south). My theory is that if I stay the hell out of attics, I have NO chance of falling through a ceiling and having to go to the insurance company to begin with.
stickboy75 said:
For each floor, the technique involves cutting standard 2x4 standard "old work" electrical box holes within two inches of the stud in the wall cavity and at the same level as the other wall outlets. This allows using the long flex bit, which has a self feeding auger screw to pull itself in to drill through the floor plate, the subfloor and the top plate into the lower wall cavity. Using extension rods, the cable is push down from the attic to the second floor box access hole. Then the rods are used to push the cables to the first floor box access hole. And, then to the basement. When finished, I'd just pop an orange "old work" low voltage box frame and cover the access with a blank box cover that matches the others in the room.
The advantage to the access plates is that new wiring can be pulled in the future with ease, if the need arises.
Fluidmaster and other manufacturers make a 9x9 inch white plastic (paintable) snap in access panel that looks nice in a closet, basement or utility room ceiling. Just drill down through the ceiling of the lower floor with the long flex bit, cut out the ceiling for the access panel as closed to the next nearest wall. 9x9 inches is usually large enough for a battery drill a a 3/4" auger bit for drilling into the top plate of the wall below.
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