For years the pages of Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine included a section called Cabling Installer Tips, in which installers shared with one another tricks of the trade.
Quite often, these tips focused on methods of getting a cable, or bundle of cables, through a pesky pathway or space that would not cooperate. Whether it was an insulated wall or an overhead drop ceiling, the challenging environment was no match for the ingenuity and experience of our many Tips contributors.
At the bottom of this page, we bring you a classic from 1998. Way back then, it won an award for being the most innovative tip turned in at the former Cabling Installation Expo. The tip describes how to use an industrial-strength vacuum, a plastic bag, and a reel of kite string to conquer an uncooperative conduit. Of course, no job would be complete without duct tape, so that's an essential tool in this task as well.
One thing we can do today that we couldn't do back then is bring you the tip as an animation. To see the full-length tip, press the "Play" button below, then watch and enjoy. And look for more animated Cabling Installer Tips like this one, appearing on the cablinginstall.com Web site.