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Back in 2010, I had to choose between a standard fish tape or a fiberglass glow rod for a tough attic run.

The job was a retrofit in an old house in Savannah, with insulation packed tight. I went with the glow rod because it was new to me and seemed easier to push. It snapped clean in half about fifteen feet in when it hit a nail plate. I had to go back to the truck for my old steel tape, which bent but got the job done. Anyone still using those old steel tapes for tight spots?
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2 Comments
margaret_lane
Glow rods are way more flexible for snaking around corners though, right? Terry_mitchell's telecom wire trick is clever, but a good glow rod shouldn't just fold if you're careful.
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terry_mitchell
Man, that snap sound is the worst. I had a glow rod just fold on me like a cheap tent pole in a crawl space last year. It was the kind of hot, dusty job where you just want to cry when your tool quits. Ended up using a bundle of old telecom wire to fish it, which was a total hack but it worked. Sometimes the old ways are just tougher.
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