Advise On Fishing Wires Through Existing Walls
“Good! We’re getting the pull-through done. Had that number eight go through—not too bad, actually. Surprisingly well.”
Today, we’re at a customer’s home, and we’re going to walk you through how to fish wires through existing walls—especially in a finished basement. Let’s dive in.
The Right Tools Make All the Difference
The key to a successful wire fishing job is a good fish tape. We use a professional-grade metal fish tape with a hook at the end. A straight, sturdy tape makes all the difference when navigating tight spaces.
We usually try to fish wires between the strapping in the ceiling. In this case, we ran the wires up and over the strapping and then into the wall cavity. The ceiling in the adjacent room is finished, so we had to fish across and run the wire down through the wall.
Cutting Minimal Access Holes
Working in a finished basement means you can’t avoid making a few holes—but we always aim to keep damage to a minimum. Small access holes are necessary to guide the fish tape through and pull the wire where it needs to go.
For this particular job, we had to run a number eight cable about 40 feet across the basement to connect an outdoor hot tub. It took two people, a lot of careful planning, and some finesse, but we got it done!
Planning the Route
As we walked through the home, we confirmed where the wires needed to go:
- One wire goes up to the living room under the front window (a big 2500W heater).
- Another runs to the dining room above the panel, servicing the kitchen area.
- Additional lines were routed through the garage to access back bedrooms and a bathroom.
We had to open up a soffit and cut through rigid blue insulation to make it happen—but the holes were kept small and clean.
Wire Fishing Techniques
Here’s a trick: When it’s an easy fish, we hook the wire right into the insulation using the hooked fish tape, then tape it in place. For harder pulls, we strip the wire and use the bare copper ground wire to form a secure loop, which we hook onto the tape and wrap thoroughly with tape. This helps ensure it won’t snag or come apart during the pull.
In one part of the job, we fished across the ceiling into another room, hooked on the wire, and pulled it back into the basement. Leaving extra coil in the garage gave us flexibility and space to maneuver.
Coordination and Execution
As always, having two people makes this much easier. One person pulls the tape or wire from one end while the other guides or feeds it at the opposite end. It saves time and avoids the frustration that comes with working solo on long or tight runs.
And remember—communication with the homeowner is key. We always discuss where we’ll need to make holes, how we plan to get wires from point A to point B, and who will be responsible for patching drywall afterward.
Pro Tip: Save on Labor by Pre-Fishing
If you’re handy and want to cut down on labor costs, you can pre-fish the wires yourself. You’re not working on energized equipment, so there’s no electrical hazard involved in this step. That said, we always recommend leaving the final connections to a licensed electrician.
Final Thoughts
The final result? The wire comes neatly out near the baseboard, ready to be connected to a heater. We made one access hole larger to make fishing easier—another small trick that helps in finished walls.
Wire fishing in existing walls is part skill, part patience, and part problem-solving. But with the right tools and a solid plan, it’s a task that can be done cleanly and efficiently.
Thanks for reading!
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