Why does nobody mention the tape measure trick for long drops?

I had a run up in Des Moines last month where the attic clearance was like 14 inches and I kept miscounting my drop length by a foot. Started marking the cable with a paint pen at the 10 foot mark before pulling and it saved me so many re-pulls, anyone else do something similar or am I just late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

henryt182d ago

Honestly I used to think marking the cable was a waste of time, like just count your wraps and be careful, you know? But after a few jobs where the drop was way off and I had to pull everything back down, I get it now. The paint pen thing is genius because your eyes lie to you when you're up in an attic with bad light and you're trying to remember if that was 10 feet or 11. I started doing it with a little piece of tape instead of paint since I always lose the pen, but same idea. It's one of those small habits that just makes the whole run smoother, and I'm kind of annoyed I didn't figure it out sooner.

phoenix_brown852d ago

Think about how much consumable you save too. If you're doing a big pull and the drop is short, you're cutting and tossing an extra chunk of cable every time. That adds up fast on a job. Marking it once saves you from wasting a whole spool worth by the end of the week.

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