Shoutout to the trick that saved me an hour of fishing wire through a finished wall

I had a job last week in a house built in the 50s with plaster walls and no crawlspace. Needed to run a new circuit to a bedroom on the second floor. Normally I'd spend forever cutting holes and patching them back up. A buddy told me to try using a glow rod with a magnetic pickup head instead of a standard fish tape. I was skeptical because I've always just used steel fish tape for everything. But I gave it a shot and honestly it worked way better for navigating those old stud bays with fire blocks. It snaked right through in about 10 minutes where I'd usually be cursing for an hour. Has anyone else switched to glow rods for tricky runs or are you still loyal to the old fish tape?

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jason114d ago

That "no crawlspace and plaster walls" combo is exactly where I see guys overthinking it. Most people don't realize that glow rods actually work better for existing walls because the fiberglass flexes just enough to bounce off insulation and obstructions instead of getting hung up. The magnetic tip trick is nice but the real advantage is the rod itself not acting like a spear through loose fill.