Running cable through long void

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Running cable through long void

Pat2020

24 posts

Geek

#289552 12-Sep-2021 15:07

I've been told that the visible wires running to our wall mounted TV need to go...

To do this I have to run some aerial/power cables up through the wall then along in the eaves for about 5m before they can be connected.

I'm cool with getting the cables up the wall but am stumped as to how to get them along inside the eaves.

Theres no room to take anything longer than 1m into the eaves so I can't easily just push the wire up through the wall and snag it with a long pole, and the set of screw together fibreglass rods that I've used for similar things before flex too much over that distance so can't be used either.

Any suggestions (other than borrowing a small child and using them chimney sweep style)?

Cheers

1 | 2

750 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2776958 12-Sep-2021 15:10

Tile roof or iron roof? are there downlights in the eves?

Pat2020

24 posts

Geek

#2776962 12-Sep-2021 15:20

Wow, quick reply thanks.

I can't lift any of the roof (ashfelt over ply) unfortunately.

No downlights, but there is an extractor fan outlet that I'd wondered about. It'd be fiddly, but maybe I could stick a USB camera up there then, while watching the camera use my screw together rods to hook the wire... I suspect the swear jar will fill up before I could get the cable (or more likely string to pull the cable) tho?

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
8876 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2777014 12-Sep-2021 15:24

Any chance you could bring them out of the eaves and run them along under the eaves, tucked in behind the fascia? The fascia usually protrudes down a little below the soffit.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

sparkz25

750 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2777015 12-Sep-2021 15:26

Is it at the front of the house or the back of the house?

If at the front you could always cut some downlights in lol "Feature lighting" then you have a new path to run cables by just popping out the lights.

Pat2020

24 posts

Geek

#2777019 12-Sep-2021 15:30

eracode:
Any chance you could bring them out of the eaves and run them along under the eaves, tucked in behind the fascia?

Hmm, hadn't thought of that. Running them in conduit would keep it in code and tidy I guess. Would also mean running power alongside aerial cable for 5-6m, dunno what that would do to the TV signal?

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
8876 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2777020 12-Sep-2021 15:33

I assume you can’t go the other way, down inside the wall and out under the house - sure you would have thought of that.

Or, if you can go down, how about temporarily removing the skirting, run them behind that - and put the skirting back. There’s often a space between the bottom of the gib and the flooring.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Pat2020

24 posts

Geek

#2777023 12-Sep-2021 15:37

sparkz25:
Is it at the front of the house or the back of the house?

If at the front you could always cut some downlights in lol "Feature lighting" then you have a new path to run cables by just popping out the lights.

Now we're talking. There's a security light on the eaves not far from where the cable will come up the wall. If I replaced that with a (waterproof) downlight I'd have an excuse to put a hole there that I could fit my arm through.

Off to find a tape measure and/or a mate with long skinny arms...

Appreciate the help!

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

sparkz25

750 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2777024 12-Sep-2021 15:41

Pat2020:
sparkz25:

Is it at the front of the house or the back of the house?

If at the front you could always cut some downlights in lol "Feature lighting" then you have a new path to run cables by just popping out the lights.

Now we're talking. There's a security light on the eaves not far from where the cable will come up the wall. If I replaced that with a (waterproof) downlight I'd have an excuse to put a hole there that I could fit my arm through.

Off to find a tape measure and/or a mate with long skinny arms...

Appreciate the help!

That would be how I would do it, if it's fiber cement board you should be able to see the nail lines in the eves then that will tell you where the timbers are, then you can measure out and mark out from there, you should also be able to get your rod set in there then as well once the holes have been cut.

This is exactly what I did at my house, managed to get rid of the stupid wall lights on the outside of the house at the same time and having the downlights out the front make it looks so much better at nighttime with more light.

If you are going to install a few, I would invest in a carbide-tipped hole saw or see if you can borrow one as it will make life easier, the other option was a diamond jigsaw blade that we used when i was doing my time but that was years ago, not sue if they still make them.

Pat2020

24 posts

Geek

#2777025 12-Sep-2021 15:43

eracode:
I assume you can’t go the other way, down inside the wall and out under the house - sure you would have thought of that.

Or, if you can go down, how about temporarily removing the skirting, run them behind that - and put the skirting back.

Having conduit running down the wall would be less wife friendly than the current cables so that option would be veto'd....

Cant run cables down either I'm afraid, concrete floor and floor to ceiling window between tv and the nearest place to connect my power/aerial.

Good ideas tho :)

chevrolux

4962 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#2777028 12-Sep-2021 15:49

If you've got the fiber glass rods, try to fashion an attachment like this for the end of it...

Cable puller: flexible cable rods to easily route cables | HellermannTyton

We used to push across things like ceiling tile grids, or ceiling battons for miles. You'd be surprised how much easier that makes it.

Pat2020

24 posts

Geek

#2777030 12-Sep-2021 15:57

Yeah, that would help sliding the rods down for sure. Would be fiddly to hook the wire but you never know. Might give it a practice run...

k1w1k1d

1530 posts

Uber Geek

#2777110 12-Sep-2021 18:12

Soffit probably contains silica, so make sure to wear a suitable mask etc.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#2777357 13-Sep-2021 12:42

Pat2020:

To do this I have to run some aerial/power cables up through the wall then along in the eaves for about 5m before they can be connected.

Cheers

If you're going to be needing to run power cables, then you're also going to need a sparky who's probably going to have struck similar cable access issues before and probably has some tricks up their sleeve.

You can't legally DIY run a power cable and connect it.

You mention an outdoor security light is close to where the cables have to run, if the cable feeding that runs in the direction you want the new cable to go, then that may be able to be disconnected from the fitting and that cable used to pull the new cable(s) including aerial wire along the soffit - with a cable or cord so that the lighting cable can be pulled back to where it was and reconnected. With great care, because if it comes apart when pulling the cable, you doubled the original problem.

Pat2020

24 posts

Geek

#2777494 13-Sep-2021 13:17

Fred99:
Pat2020:

To do this I have to run some aerial/power cables up through the wall then along in the eaves for about 5m before they can be connected.

Cheers

If you're going to be needing to run power cables, then you're also going to need a sparky who's probably going to have struck similar cable access issues before and probably has some tricks up their sleeve.

You can't legally DIY run a power cable and connect it.

You mention an outdoor security light is close to where the cables have to run, if the cable feeding that runs in the direction you want the new cable to go, then that may be able to be disconnected from the fitting and that cable used to pull the new cable(s) including aerial wire along the soffit - with a cable or cord so that the lighting cable can be pulled back to where it was and reconnected. With great care, because if it comes apart when pulling the cable, you doubled the original problem.

Unfortunately the existing light cable doesn't run in the right direction.

I was waiting for someone to post about needing a sparky. I'm aware of what the law requires.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#2777542 13-Sep-2021 14:21

Pat2020:

I was waiting for someone to post about needing a sparky. I'm aware of what the law requires.

That's good. So the obvious answer is to get the sparky to solve the kind of problem any domestic sparky (not working only on new builds) faces every day.

1 | 2