Found a trick for fishing lines through old insulation that saved my back

I had this job last Tuesday in a 1970s house in Portland where the attic had that super old blown-in fiberglass. Normally I spend like 20 minutes per drop just fighting through that stuff, getting it everywhere in my clothes and breathing it in. But I was talking to this older guy at the supply house who said to try a glow rod with a swivel attachment instead of my usual steel fish tape. I thought he was nuts but I gave it a shot. The swivel lets you twist the rod around batts without snagging, and the glow tip makes it way easier to see where you're poking from the attic access. Cut my time per run down to maybe 8 minutes and I didn't end up looking like a snowman. Has anyone else found a weird trick for dealing with old insulation?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielw881mo ago

Man I gotta say "fighting through that stuff" sounds like you're describing a war zone, but honestly I just crawl through there with a basic tape and call it good. Swivel rods and glow tips feel like overcomplicating something that works fine if you're patient.

rileynelson1mo ago

@danielw88 how many attics have you actually crawled in with just tape though?