staple gun for Romex?

[Nate Nagel]

anyone recommend one? Got to staple some wires that are run along joists hidden under a whole mess of insulation, rather than pull it all up to use a hammer I thought I'd try one of those staple guns to see if it would work OK. Anyone recommend any one above the others, or are they all about the same?

I'm looking for just a hand operated one, I'm not doing this professionally, just trying to save attic time during some home rewiring. I doubt the inspector will look up there, but I don't want to lie to him either and tell him that I've stapled stuff that I haven't. (original wiring was just laid over the top of the joists, but I don't like that. Everything I'm putting in, I'm drilling through and stapling along.)

thanks,

Nate

[Frank]

someone mentioned T75

[dpb]

Nate Nagel wrote: ...

Absolutely, totally, unnecessary and a waste of effort...

Only stapling needed and that does any thing useful at all is that within the required distance of boxes, etc., ...

--

[Nate Nagel]

Right, but it's still hidden under three layers if fiberglas and a foot or so of cellulose. I can much more easily fit a staple gun in there than I can move all the insulation out of the way to swing a hammer.

I'm replacing all the fixture boxes with fan rated boxes, rewiring

*everything,* and adding hardwired smoke detectors, so there will be... um... something like 10-12 ceiling boxes all with several wires coming out of them, which are technically accessable as there's no attic floor (so I can't use the "old work" exception,) but in reality are not easily accessable at all, so anything that makes the job easier would be welcome. And a staple or two in the middle of the runs (it's a small house, despite the large number of rooms/hallways/boxes, so it wouldn't be much more than that) wouldn't be that much of an impossibility.

I'm also going to add a few receps in two of the bedrooms, but I haven't gotten that far yet. So far I have only completely rewired one bedroom, done the other one save for the receps, and properly wired one light in one hallway. So I've still got about half the second floor to rewire and haven't even started on the smokes yet. One of these days I'm going to have to get back at it and just do it... I bought all the materials save for the smokes but haven't got my lazy ass back up into the attic in a while.

nate

[Doug Miller]

Which is the only reason I can imagine for using one. I bought the Gardner-Bender stapler they sell at the Borg, and I am *not* impressed. It probably works better on new construction... but on the 55-year-old pine joists in my house, it won't sink a staple deep enough to meet the Code's requirements that the cable be "secured" to the framing.

[zxcvbob]

I have an Arrow T-something romex stapler. The inspector failed the wiring in my garage because of it; he said the problem was they weren't UL listed. I showed him the box with the UL label and that just pissed him off.

Bob

[Nate Nagel]

hmm... my house is older than yours...

I still am tempted to try it just because I think that if I have to go back and hand staple all the wire I've already pulled that it won't get done.

A quick google seemed to indicate that both the Arrow T-72 and T-75 staplers might be what I'm seeking... anyone know what the difference between the two might be?

nate