# Fish Tape



## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

undeadwiring said:


> Hey guys anyone here ever used Nylon fish tape ? If so is it any good or do you just stick with the normal metal or fiberglass ?


I have one just for very specific applications.
My first choice is 1/8" stainless. It doesnt get all nasty and greasy like my regular steel one does.


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## undeadwiring (Feb 9, 2010)

What type of specific applications? So I guess I would be better off using 1/8" steel for general use then ?


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## Wingnut (Jan 31, 2010)

We had too buy one for Aluminum ridged but thats all its used for.
the steel ones dig in to the 90s.


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## undeadwiring (Feb 9, 2010)

Ah I see, was curious have you ever done a solar panel installation? I have a possible working interview tomorrow morning with a company that installs them, was just wondering what tools I should bring with me.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

undeadwiring said:


> What type of specific applications? So I guess I would be better off using 1/8" steel for general use then ?


I might stick it in where it might be possible to short something out or cause abrasion with a metal snake. Its pretty much worthless for long conduit runs. The one I have is a bit too flexible for that.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Steel fish tape and greenfield holder (reel).


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I have one, but the only time I really use it is for fishing in pipe with existing wires or pulling into a hot panel. Even then, it's pull and pray.


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## Mr. Sparkle (Jan 27, 2009)

I also have one I only use for pulling into hot panels and I hate it.


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## Vintage Sounds (Oct 23, 2009)

undeadwiring said:


> Ah I see, was curious have you ever done a solar panel installation? I have a possible working interview tomorrow morning with a company that installs them, was just wondering what tools I should bring with me.



I just finished one yesterday. We used a pair of 1" aluminum rigid pipes to go from the combiner box near the arrays back to the electrical room where the inverter and control gear was. One pipe for the DC and one for the control stuff. We used a steel fish to pull our wires, which worked fine, but later I had to pull some more control wires through and fishing a partially filled aluminum conduit with a steel fish was a huge time consuming pain. We have an Ideal Zoom which is stranded stainless steel with a nylon outer jacket, which I think would have been the perfect fish for the job but I didn't have it with me when I was setting up that pull. The Zoom is stiffer than regular nylon but more flexible than steel.

I think based on this job which was my first solar install, you mostly need a socket set, two pairs of channel locks, hammer drill, mason's line, uni-bit and a Zoom fish.


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## Skipp (May 23, 2010)

Vintage Sounds said:


> I just finished one yesterday. We used a pair of 1" aluminum rigid pipes to go from the combiner box near the arrays back to the electrical room where the inverter and control gear was. One pipe for the DC and one for the control stuff. We used a steel fish to pull our wires, which worked fine, but later I had to pull some more control wires through and fishing a partially filled aluminum conduit with a steel fish was a huge time consuming pain. We have an Ideal Zoom which is stranded stainless steel with a nylon outer jacket, which I think would have been the perfect fish for the job but I didn't have it with me when I was setting up that pull. The Zoom is stiffer than regular nylon but more flexible than steel.
> 
> I think based on this job which was my first solar install, you mostly need a socket set, two pairs of channel locks, hammer drill, mason's line, uni-bit and a Zoom fish.


 I bought one of those 200' Ideal Zoom fish tapes when they first came out. I thought it would be the best of both types of fish tapes. I was dead wrong. It can't fish a long run like a steel tape. And is no better than the nylon tape on short runs or flex with conductors already in it.


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## 76nemo (Aug 13, 2008)

Why would anyone consider nylon over fiberglass other than cost????


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

76nemo said:


> Why would anyone consider nylon over fiberglass other than cost????


Nylon has its place just as fiberglass and steel. I have more than one type of screwdriver, why not more than one type of tape?:thumbsup:


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

I needed a fish tape ASAP, forgot mine home, the nearest place was HD.

All they had in stock was a 200' nylon model.

What a POS 

I couldn't get through 140' of 1 1/4 PVC with (2) 90's.. tape kept on bending inside the pipe.

You can't get any "pushing power" on the dam thing


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## undeadwiring (Feb 9, 2010)

Vintage Sounds said:


> I think based on this job which was my first solar install, you mostly need a socket set, two pairs of channel locks, hammer drill, mason's line, uni-bit and a Zoom fish.


I have the sockets, Have the channel locks, the hammer drill the other things though I don't have. Then again this will be my first time working with solar panels so I think they will understand plus I have plenty of other tools. Now all I need is a garage and I would be set


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## Vintage Sounds (Oct 23, 2009)

Skipp said:


> I bought one of those 200' Ideal Zoom fish tapes when they first came out. I thought it would be the best of both types of fish tapes. I was dead wrong. It can't fish a long run like a steel tape. And is no better than the nylon tape on short runs or flex with conductors already in it.


I guess everyone's mileage varies. I never tried it on flex. Mostly short to medium runs of EMT but there were times when we used the full 125' successfully. It's not right for every job but I like it because it generally has stayed kink free even after a lot of tough fire alarm runs. The nylon fishtapes I've used have been a lot squishier than the zoom and might not have worked for some of the stuff I did using it. Did your zoom end up collecting dust?


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