tyler6•19d ago

PSA: A customer in Denver showed me a trick with zip ties I'd never seen

I was running a new line through a tight attic crawl space and the homeowner, an older guy who used to work for the phone company, asked if I had a second. He took two zip ties, looped them together to make a long, stiff pull line to get past a blocked joist. It worked on the first try and saved me a trip back to the truck for my glow rod. What's the best 'field fix' you've ever been shown on a job?

3 comments

3 Comments

park.abby19d ago

That zip tie trick is a good one. It reminds me of a plumber who used a coat hanger and a shop vac to find a lost screw in a wall cavity. He straightened the hanger, taped a plastic bag over the vacuum hose, and fished around until it sucked the bag onto the screw.

grace_white18d ago

Honestly I thought those were just for bundling wires, but @park.abby's story and that zip tie trick totally changed my mind.

kelly_nelson9514d ago

Right? My dad once used a magnet on a string to pull a dropped key out of a storm drain. Those little hacks save so much time and money.