# fish tape



## paul d. (Jul 13, 2008)

recently we had 15 yr. electrician push fish tape(steel) into a 277V lighting panel. he was 100% sure it was going to a j-box in corridor out side elec. rm. WRONG!!! FLASH!! BOOM!! lucky nobody hurt. had fiberglass fishtape AND blow/vac close by. comments


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## te12co2w (Jun 3, 2007)

Way back, when I was a first year apprentice, one of the journeymen on the job pushed a steel fishtape into a hot panel with another apprentice standing there. Huge explosion, everything went dark. No one was hurt. After power was restored the electrical superintendent showed up and fired the journeyman on the spot.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

Thank goodness no one was hurt and live and learn hopfully.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

I did the same thing years ago when I was an itty-bitty 'lectershun. Only I managed to push a steel tape into an energized 300kVa transformer. Not only did I experinece my first Big Blue Zot, but the entire buildings electrical went off for a split second (lights blinked off, all computers rebooted, etc).

Mysteriously, two weeks later, that transformer's windings went bad.......


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## nolabama (Oct 3, 2007)

i own the only nylon fish tape in my company ( shop is a very ratty shop, whatcha gonna do?) i purchased it after two seperate incidents with a disney foreman we had - thank god he's gone - hopefully not pretending to be an electrician eleswhere - i refuse to do dumb things because im suronded (sic) by the stupids


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

If your not 100% sure where the other end of the conduit stops, use a vacuum and verify there is suction on the other end. I alway tape the leader of my fiberglass fish tape and make sure someone is on the other end to catch it, especially in a hot panel.


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## AWKrueger (Aug 4, 2008)

The vacuum suggestion is a great tip! I've never heard of such a thing.


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## steve134 (Apr 5, 2008)

blowing/sucking lines with a vac is much more efficient anyhow. i always have one on a job.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

This part if you dare get a small air horn and blow it in the conduit where ya want to fishtapped in and someone on that end can able tell which conduit as long that person don't _stand_ too close to the conduit opening otherwise this reaction will be like this >> 

Merci,Marc


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

steve134 said:


> blowing/sucking lines with a vac is much more efficient anyhow. i always have one on a job.


I would say if you dont know where the other end goes, you should vac it. Blowing it could lead to a bunch of water in a live panel.

~Matt


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## Bkessler (Feb 14, 2007)

When the conduit is metal and you blow up a fish tape it is scarry as hell, I have never heard of anyone getting shocked from it though l suspect some one out there knows someone who slid a metal fishtape through an underground pvc and got blasted.


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## grich (Jan 14, 2008)

frenchelectrican said:


> This part if you dare get a small air horn and blow it in the conduit where ya want to fishtapped in and someone on that end can able tell which conduit as long that person don't _stand_ too close to the conduit opening otherwise this reaction will be like this >>
> 
> Merci,Marc


I have an old Sonalert taped to a 9V battery in my toolbox. I tape it over the end of an unknown conduit and plug the battery in. Then I can go to the other unknown conduit ends and listen for the beeps.


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## nick (Feb 14, 2008)

grich said:


> I have an old Sonalert taped to a 9V battery in my toolbox. I tape it over the end of an unknown conduit and plug the battery in. Then I can go to the other unknown conduit ends and listen for the beeps.


Got little easy toy ya can make yourself GRICH !! ,think about utra sound transmitter most security sensors have a ultra sound transmitter/reciever or a electronic bug plug we use in our homes . its a ultra sound transmitter sends out a 40,000 cycle wave at that freq ,now we made one 3 years ago for laughs .it works like this you cant find a conduit so take the transmitter and hang it directly over the pipes or pipe you are trying to find then you take the receiver to the panel or panels and wa la it works great it works thur water better than a clean conduit because water is a better conductor of sound waves .i built one and my boss flipped out , but in the real world of our work its only for times when your in a jam not to be used everyday , its so easy to make one its a joke and when i brought it to work they were laughing , but when it worked everyone shut up and had that look like :001_huh:what the f---. it works so good it will go miles in a pipe and can pin point down any conduit lost ya cant find in seconds . it saves pushing a tape in and your not going to get zapped safety number one .take care best to ya


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## Tuckahoe Sparkplug (Oct 3, 2008)

steve134 said:


> blowing/sucking lines with a vac is much more efficient anyhow. i always have one on a job.


Really the only way to go on a long pull, like parking lot pole lights, for instance.


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