Cavity Wall Cable Feed

I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there a
suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

Geoff Lane

"Geoff Lane" wrote in message
...
I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there a
suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

Geoff Lane

Yes, a wire coat hanger works fine.

Cut a piece of hanger wire about 50cm long. Fashion one end into a grippable
handle and the other into a small loop about 5mm dia.

Drill right through the cavity wall with a long masonry bit. Push the newly
made tool through the wall until the loop emerges from the other side.
Firmly attach the coax to the loop, gently pull the cable through from the
handle end.

Works beautifully, I have done it dozens of times.

In message , Mike Henry
writes
In , Geoff Lane
wrote:

I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there a
suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

Something like this:
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/89981/...s-Tools/Cable-
Access/Cable-Rod-Tool-Box-Kit

They fit together like a chimney sweep's pole. Can be stiff and bendy as
well. HTH

Last year, we had the house professionally wired, and they made great
use of those rods. I was absolutely amazed how they were able to get
cables from A to B, using routes which I would never have thought
possible. However, I suspect that there is a bit of a knack to it.
--
Ian

"Malcolm H" wrote in message
...

"Geoff Lane" wrote in message
...
I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there a
suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

Geoff Lane

Yes, a wire coat hanger works fine.

Cut a piece of hanger wire about 50cm long. Fashion one end into a
grippable handle and the other into a small loop about 5mm dia.

Drill right through the cavity wall with a long masonry bit. Push the
newly made tool through the wall until the loop emerges from the other
side. Firmly attach the coax to the loop, gently pull the cable through
from the handle end.

Works beautifully, I have done it dozens of times.
Yep - me too. Didn't bother with the loop bit, though, 'cos when I did it
made it harder to get in (and out again). It's eminently possible to fix
the coax to the end of the wire with a bit of leccie tape (axially, not
overlapped) and gently pull it through. Keeps the hole size down to a
minimum and the conical increase in diameter easily passes most snags in the
masonry. Beware cavity wall insulation in this respect. Rockwool fibre has
a wonderful knack of snagging just about everything that tries to pass
through it. Loops in the ends of bits of wire are guaranteed to find it.

Chas

Malcolm H wrote:
"Geoff Lane" wrote in message
...
I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there
a suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

Geoff Lane

Yes, a wire coat hanger works fine.

Cut a piece of hanger wire about 50cm long. Fashion one end into a
grippable handle and the other into a small loop about 5mm dia.

Drill right through the cavity wall with a long masonry bit. Push the
newly made tool through the wall until the loop emerges from the
other side. Firmly attach the coax to the loop, gently pull the cable
through from the handle end.

Works beautifully, I have done it dozens of times.

That is also the method I've used in the past. For a standard wall it works
fine.

"Geoff Lane" wrote in message
...
I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there a
suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

I wonder whether it would be worthwhile to fit a piece of tubing instead of
the cable, to make a re-usable conduit (which could be sealed at both ends
once the cable is fitted).
I am thinking of doing that shortly when we are having some new windows
fitted, getting the fitters to put a tube through or aside the frame as our
aerial and cable are due for replacement.

Paul

I second most of the other suggestions.

When I drilled through for my satellite feed, I used a 10x400mm
masonry bit to drill the hole. Bill says you should start the hole
from the outside in a mortar joint, and it is often suggested that the
hole should slope slightly upwards as it goes inwards, so that water
will tend to run out of rather than into it. It should also be sealed
once the cable is fitted.

Yes, a straightened coat hanger can be good but it may be worth a
little time ensuring that it is absolutely straight, otherwise it
tends to snag on things. The bits where the ends of the wire were
twisted together to form the hanger can be particularly irritating! I
once used a vice and rolled the wire about on a concrete floor
methodically straightening every kink, hammering them straight if
necessary. It was the best pull-rod I ever had. I kept it for years.
Finally I lent it to a workman who nicked it! The b*stard!

Unsurprisingly, as the OP didn't ask it, no-one here has mentioned the
vertical problem. My 80s house has plasterboarding on mostly vertical
slats, so cables can be dropped down vertically from the attic.

The easiest thing is if there is an existing cable, and it's *loose*!
I suspect when cheapo houses like mine were built, the cabling is
either temporarily fixed in place with dabs of mortar or were the
victims of sloppy brickies or plasterers. Whatever the explanation,
when I tried to use the existing aerial lead to pull through the CT100
double-insulated replacement, it offered resistance, I tried to
persuade it by wriggling it about, twisting it a bit, etc. Finally I
had to just try pulling harder and it broke. So it was Plan B.

Plan B is an old trick of mine, an old steel 4m tape measure blade.
Once the right-angled stub was removed from the end, it was perfect.
Though, of course, without the stub, I needed to be careful about
letting go of the end and having the rule disappear up its own
fundament. Finally, I removed it from the casing for good!

A rule has lateral strength in one direction but weakness in the other
- I mean it tends to bend easily in the flat direction but not the
other, but In the confines of the cavity, it can even be persuaded to
remain upright when being pushed through from below, though it usually
takes a few goes. Of course, it's usually easier to drop through from
above. Having lateral strength in the one direction, it can even be
angled to a certain extent.

4m is enough to get from floor to floor. If I need to go the full
height of the house, I try and find an existing socket on the top
floor as a mid -point.

On Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:56:24 +0100, Geoff Lane
wrote:

I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there a
suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

Geoff Lane

In article ,
Paul wrote:

"Geoff Lane" wrote in message
...
I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there a
suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

I wonder whether it would be worthwhile to fit a piece of tubing instead
of the cable, to make a re-usable conduit (which could be sealed at both
ends once the cable is fitted). I am thinking of doing that shortly when
we are having some new windows fitted, getting the fitters to put a tube
through or aside the frame as our aerial and cable are due for
replacement.

If you are going to do this, make sure the tubing slopes so that the
outside is lower than the inside.

--
From KT24 - in "Leafy Surrey"

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11

"charles" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Paul wrote:

"Geoff Lane" wrote in message
...
I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there a
suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

I wonder whether it would be worthwhile to fit a piece of tubing instead
of the cable, to make a re-usable conduit (which could be sealed at both
ends once the cable is fitted). I am thinking of doing that shortly when
we are having some new windows fitted, getting the fitters to put a tube
through or aside the frame as our aerial and cable are due for
replacement.

If you are going to do this, make sure the tubing slopes so that the
outside is lower than the inside.

Good point - I'll tell the fitters.

Maybe 8mm copper tube will do the trick.

Paul

On 16 Sep, 11:13, "Paul" wrote:
"Geoff Lane" wrote in message

...

I live in a property that has a cavity wall.

If I want to feed some aerial cable through the double wall is there a
suggestion or tool to get the cable through both walls.

I wonder whether it would be worthwhile to fit a piece of tubing instead of
the cable, to make a re-usable conduit (which could be sealed at both ends
once the cable is fitted).
I am thinking of doing that shortly when we are having some new windows
fitted, getting the fitters to put a tube through or aside the frame as our
aerial and cable are due for replacement.

Paul

I had this done when we had an extension built. I asked the builder to
fit a piece of 2inch PVC waste pipe into the wall. This took all my
amateur radio cables.

Fred