Found a faster way to fish lines through finished walls after 3 hours of struggle

I spent 3 hours last Tuesday trying to run coax through a finished basement ceiling with a standard fish tape and kept getting snagged on insulation. Turns out if you tape a strong magnet to your fish tape and have someone hold another magnet on the ceiling drywall, you can guide it way faster. Has anyone else tried this trick or got a better method for tight spaces?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.jason2h ago

Tried the magnet trick once. Worked great until my helper on the other end dropped his magnet and it slid down inside the wall cavity. Took us another hour with a coat hanger to fish that thing out. Next time I'm zip-tying the magnet to his wrist.

lily5741h ago

Disagree completely. The magnet trick is a hack that only works if you plan poorly. You dont need two people at all if you just tape the magnet to a long metal ruler first. Way easier to control and you can slide it right where you need it without any helpers messing it up. Honestly ross.jason sounds like he skipped the prep work and then blamed the method for a user error. Drop a magnet inside a wall and suddenly you're the expert on what doesnt work? Maybe tie the magnet to your own wrist before you start and save yourself the fishing trip. Better yet just buy a proper magnetic pickup tool for fifteen bucks and stop jerry-rigging things with coat hangers.