PSA: A weird trick with zip ties and a drill fixed a stuck wall fish in an old Boston house

I was trying to fish a line through a plaster and lath wall that had a ton of old insulation blocking the path. The fish tape kept getting stuck about 8 feet in, and I was about to cut a big hole. Instead, I zip-tied a small bundle of three plastic shopping bags to the head of the tape, fired up my drill on the tape reel to spin it, and the bags acted like a little fan/ram to push through the blockage. It worked on the second try and saved me a repair. Some guys say this is a hack that can snag wires, but I was careful and it got the job done in 20 minutes instead of two hours. Has anyone else used a similar trick, or is this asking for trouble?

2 comments

2 Comments

adam_nguyen71mo ago

I mean that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Spinning a metal tape that fast inside a wall is just asking to slice through some old wire you didn't know was there. Maybe you got lucky this time but it's a huge risk. That trick could easily damage the plaster and lath from the inside too, causing way more work later. There's a reason pros use cameras or just cut careful holes, it's slower but you don't wreck your house. Idk, maybe it's just me but saving an hour isn't worth burning your place down.

the_pat1mo ago

Seriously, what is wrong with people trying these insane shortcuts? You're totally right, @adam_nguyen7. I tried something dumb like that years ago to fish a cable and ended up nicking a pipe. The tiny spray was a nightmare. It's not just wires, you have NO clue what's back there. That plaster is brittle stuff and you can crack it all over without even seeing the damage. Saving a little time just costs you SO much more later.