Attempting to run coax from loft

[Gogs]

Trying to do this in a 1980's wimpey two storey house (plasterboard walls)

Currently there is a knackered loft aerial with knackered Coax so my aim is to replace aerial and coax.

Coax needs run from loft to living room on ground floor.

However seems current coax must have been fed down when house being built as it appears to be help with cable clips as I cant get it out.

The feed from the loft is right in the corner, very awkward to get to and the hole its dropped through is just big enough to fit the current coax and I have managed to squeeze the new coax into said hole but that would be the lot.

I can see anyway of being able to drill a larger hole as its right into the corner.

What method would be best to try and get this fed down, any hints/tips/ideas.

I have tried just poking it down but its obviously just bunching up somewhere.

Thanks

I

[tarquinlinbin]

I take it youve considered taping the new coax to the end of the old and pulling it through? It would be unusual for the old coax to be clipped as they normally just run a lengh of circular plastic duct maybe 25mm dia or so the full length to act as a conduit?

Remove antispam and add 670 after bra to email

[Nigel Molesworth (•¿•)]

This is Wimpey we are talking about. I imagine it is stapled to the wall and plastered over.

My house is timber. I have two methods for running cables:

[1] A 3/4 inch wood bit and 6 12" extensions [2] Cut a 2" hole above and below each noggin.

[Roger Mills]

I think it will be very difficult! Why not go out through the eaves, down the outside, and in through the wall near where it needs to end up? While you're at it, why not fit an *external* aerial - especially if you want to receive digital transmissions through your aerial?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Gogs laid this down on his screen :

Is there a cavity wall you could drop it down to perhaps to then fish it out at the bottom end?

[Gogs]

My intentions were to tape the new coax to the old but the coax is not moving at all and I have gave it some pulls both from living room and from loft, however awkward to get any purchase from loft, able to pull out about 10 inches (no not from trousers) but thats the lost, so guessing its been cable clipped back before the house was fully complete.

[Gogs]

My intentions were to tape the new coax to the old but the coax is not moving at all and I have gave it some pulls both from living room and from loft, however awkward to get any purchase from loft, able to pull out about 10 inches (no not from trousers) but thats the lost, so guessing its been cable clipped back before the house was fully complete.

[Gogs]

Hi Roger,

The coax and aerial are being replaced for the purpose of digital, old stuff has seen better days and get easily affected by light switching and the like.

I do have a wall bracket and cranked mast but debating whether to go outside with it for various reasons and the aerial would be mounted at the rear of the house but would need to come in the wall at the front of the house and its terraced so cant see it being ideal?

Signal strength with the new aerial (in loft) and coax is great, it might suffer should I decide to split it without using an amplifier

[Gogs]

Hi Harry,

Ideally I would want it running down the same place as the current coax which basically runs inside the cavitys passing through the bedroom and then down to the living room.

Its the front of the house and not an internal partition if thats makes any difference to the construction.

[meow2222]

Sounds like youre making life difficult. People usually just run the wire down externally and in.

NT

[Gogs]

I would imagine its more difficult to climb onto the roof and fire it over, looks like maybe running it through the loft and out the front is going to be the only option.

Life has been made difficult in most Wimpey houses with the shoddy workmanship and even more so by the botchers who have been in the house before.

If the original fitter had run the cable in but not clipped it, life might have been a lot easier.

Also if I had been in the trade so to speak I would know what it was like behind the plasterboard exactly, I know whats its like in the partition walls as I moved the heating pipes behind the wall with very little hassle, yet the idiots who put the system in couldnt be bothered.

Anyone got experience of using the cable access kits that are available and would that be worth a shot

[Michael Chare]

I am a bit surprised that if the cable moves at all then you can't pull it all out. - Assuming two people one feeding cable at top and one pulling at bottom.

Are you able to see the cable half way down by the floor of the room above the living room?

If you use an external aerial (at the rear of your house) and connect across your attic to the old downlead you might get enought signal be able to continue using the old downlead.

I did manage to replace a downlead behind a plastic channel in my own house. I had difficulty getting the joint between the old and new cables past some obstuction at first floor height. I lubricated the new cable to make it run easily.

[mike]

"Gogs" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I don't think much of your chances of freeing it; once they get knotted up, that's usually it. Take the wall off and do it right.

Or can you find a route with some pipework, from the loft to the ground floor, maybe an airing cupboard, or into the kitchen or loo inferior - it all depends on the layout?

mike

[Gogs]

Hi Michael,

I took off an electrical socket off the bedroom below the loft and was able to locate the old coax, was inside the plastic sheeting of the insulation gear.

I made a nick in it to get hold of the coax but once again little movement in it, it has to be clipped.

Tried feeding the new stuff down but doesnt seem to appear, can only assume its getting caught up half way down.

I tried feeding a flexible rod down just to see if its going to be possible to drop from the bedroom to the lower level if I was able to get it down that far but seems there must only be a small hole that the current coax is running through, all this has obviously been done when the plasterboard was not in place.

Not too keen on joining the new WF100 double screened coax to the ancient stuff, and the end that was connected to the TV plate is in a right state, like most of the botched dodgy work have came across in the house and there is no slack to be had at that end.

[Gogs]

Hi Mike,

Given the layout the route I was hoping to take is probably the obvious choice for the layout.

The airing cupboard would have been ideal if the telly was in the opposite corner as I helped a friend do this in an identical property.

It's looking like my best option is to feed the coax through the loft then go out the front and just drop it down the front and go through the brickwork, was hoping could get it done internally without too much hassle but its not happening.

Not a comfy place to be stuck up in that loft farting about so far in the corner, especially when its not fully floored and your over 6ft lol

That insulation seems to irritate me a fair bit too.

[meow2222]

Loft is generally better, no UV, no wind, no wildlife, no rain, and well supported.

But if you want to put it over the roof, theres no need to climb anything. Tie a nice fat bogroll to the end of rope or tough string, and throw it over. Once its over, tie wire to it and pull into place.

NT

[Dave Stanton]

Sounds like the original fitter did the job correctly, coax shold be clipped and supported. Far too many just leave it dangling and flapping about.

Dave

[The Natural Philosopher]

Bite the bullet and start ripping the platserboard off in small sections, dropping the cable or using wire coat hangers between the holes, and then patch up the plasterboard and repaint after.

[mike]

"Gogs" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Tell me about it - a couple of years back I upgraded the loft insulation in my hovel!

I'm not over 6ft tall, but may be 6ft circumference ;)

mike

[daddyfreddy]

I'm not a fan of running cables outside, always look messy to me and not great for your brickwork either (maybe I'm just a fussy bugger!). Plus you'll be up a ladder drilling holes. I'd stick at running it internally, especially since you have plasterboard walls. As others have suggested make a few holes in the board and get it sorted.