Tried running CAT6 along an HVAC duct in July and cooked my pull string

I was doing a job in Phoenix last month and decided to save time by running cable right next to an AC return duct in the attic. By the time I got to the other side, the pull string had melted into a brittle mess and snapped on my next tug. Has anyone else had luck with heat-resistant pulling lube or do you just avoid those spots entirely?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura_wright29d ago

Gasped when I read that about the pull string melting. I've been doing this work for over 20 years and never had a string actually cook on me like that. Those Phoenix attics are brutal though, I remember one job near Scottsdale where my ladder was too hot to touch after just ten minutes in the sun.

patricia31728d ago

Douse that pull string in ice water before you go up there, then wrap a wet rag around the spot where the cable hits the duct. I keep a spray bottle full of cold water in my bag for those July attic runs (it helps a ton). The heat-resistant lube is okay but it won't save your string if it's pressed right against hot metal.