Running wire thru tower on forward swept

[Crob83]

Does anybody have any suggestions, the metal coat hangers tapped together just isn't working. I'm about to throw these damn tower speakers on the ground and run over them with with my truck, I'm at my wits end. He them about half way up and gets stuck eveytime, and I can push the hanger aymore, just bends

 

[spatty99]

A lot of people have reported success by using a vacuum to suck a string (with a cotton ball attached to the end) through the pipe and then using that to pull your wires.

 

[Crob83]

A lot of people have reported success by using a vacuum to suck a string (with a cotton ball attached to the end) through the pipe and then using that to pull your wires.

Gonna try this, I pray to God it works...lol

 

[anmut]

try running down the tower from your hole first, then secure wire, then back up.

 

[Crob83]

try running down the tower from your hole first, then secure wire, then back up.

Will do. Thank you

 

[jjmparsons]

I wanted to say Fish Tape but if you're bending coat hangers in there I'm not sure it would do much good.

 

[Crob83]

try running down the tower from your hole first, then secure wire, then back up.

Can't really do that though, there is no way to get good suction with a shop vac or vaccuum at the bottom of the tower, only at the top hole I would think

 

[Julian]

When I installed my marine radio antenna up there, I ran it from the top down not the bottom up. I hate to say it, but it was really easy. I didn't even use fish tape as I was running coax through the tower. I just inserted the coax and pushed it all the way down to the existing hole, then hooked it out. You might try a piece of coax as your lead wire, then attach your speaker wires to it and pull it back out?

 

[Crob83]

When I installed my marine radio antenna up there, I ran it from the top down not the bottom up. I hate to say it, but it was really easy. I didn't even use fish tape as I was running coax through the tower. I just inserted the coax and pushed it all the way down to the existing hole, then hooked it out. You might try a piece of coax as your lead wire, then attach your speaker wires to it and pull it back out?

I haven't tried from the top down yet. Didn't seem like a good idea with a coat hanger. Maybe I'll just try to feed the speaker wire down by itself and see if gravity will do it's trick. Otherwise I just got back from the store from getting string and cotton balls to attempt the vacuum suction thing. The Indiana humidity is shear brutality right now

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

I haven't tried from the top down yet. Didn't seem like a good idea with a coat hanger. Maybe I'll just try to feed the speaker wire down by itself and see if gravity will do it's trick. Otherwise I just got back from the store from getting string and cotton balls to attempt the vacuum suction thing. The Indiana humidity is shear brutality right now

I did the coat hangers. Bent them extremely straight, small piece of electrical tape on the forward point. I had push and twist pretty hard to get them to follow the bend of the tower tube. I taped the shit out of the hangers where I connected them. I had to go bottom up, there was just no way I could reach the end of the hanger to pull it out the bottom the way the tower/bracket is set up. It was also a real pain getting two sets of 14g speaker wire and a 12v power/ground through that tiny gap. I was expecting it to take a hour or two, ended up taking about 4 hours. Lots a swear words, a few beers, probably 6 or 7 attempts if not more.

Bailing wire strands twisted together with a drill seems to have been easier than coat hangers for some on here. I was just to lazy/stubborn to go to the store to buy any. And the closest store that had any was probably a 30 minute drive each way.

 

[cgcaraway]

I fought like hell to get my speaker wires through. I ended up using electronic fishing tape. I did have to cut the end off it. Somebody suggested using magnets but not sure that will work. I did fish through the top going down.

 

[2kwik4u]

I took my tower off and used 14-2 Romex with the end bent over. Ran a tiny string down the tower from top to bottom. Used a vacuum cleaner to suck it through initially. Then tied it to a pieces of Romex with the connection between the too "smooth taped" with electrical tape. Pulled the Romex UP from the bottom, then attached it to the sound bar wire, and pulled that wire from Top to Bottom.

Tower Off (it's remarkably easy if you have a spare set of hands)


Romex going from the bottom of the tower towards the top.


Romex coming out the top near the sound bar.


Results:

 

[Crob83]

I did the coat hangers. Bent them extremely straight, small piece of electrical tape on the forward point. I had push and twist pretty hard to get them to follow the bend of the tower tube. I taped the shit out of the hangers where I connected them. I had to go bottom up, there was just no way I could reach the end of the hanger to pull it out the bottom the way the tower/bracket is set up. It was also a real pain getting two sets of 14g speaker wire and a 12v power/ground through that tiny gap. I was expecting it to take a hour or two, ended up taking about 4 hours. Lots a swear words, a few beers, probably 6 or 7 attempts if not more.

Bailing wire strands twisted together with a drill seems to have been easier than coat hangers for some on here. I was just to lazy/stubborn to go to the store to buy any. And the closest store that had any was probably a 30 minute drive each way.

Well thanks for the motivation! My tape was too thick at the points I connected my hangers. Re-did it and I have 3 full hangers thru, now to try to pull the piece of string I attached to the hanger thru the hole I drilled out

 

[Crob83]

One hooked up and done. Think I may have fucked myself over, it's way harder to get the second run thru with the hanger with the first set of speaker wire thru. Patients is key I guess

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

One hooked up and done. Think I may have fucked myself over, it's way harder to get the second run thru with the hanger with the first set of speaker wire thru. Patients is key I guess

Ya I did them all at once, which made it difficult to get all the wire through that small opening at the bottom of the tower. If you have the same tower as me getting the wires to the far side of the tower is also a challenge. Where the cross members are welded is a little obstructed. I found it easier to get the wires through the first hole, reattach the far side wires, and do a second snake.

 

[Crob83]

Ya I did them all at once, which made it difficult to get all the wire through that small opening at the bottom of the tower. If you have the same tower as me getting the wires to the far side of the tower is also a challenge. Where the cross members are welded is a little obstructed. I found it easier to get the wires through the first hole, reattach the far side wires, and do a second snake.

Ya I think I'm stuck right there right now. I have 3 hangers together and I only have about 40% of the last one hanging out. Seems to not want to move any further

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

Ya I think I'm stuck right there right now. I have 3 hangers together and I only have about 40% of the last one hanging out. Seems to not want to move any further

I would back it out to your first hole, pull the wires there, and put the hanger back in that first hole to the second hole. Again it’s a really tight squeeze assuming you drilled a small hole. I hit that stoppage, bent the hanger at a angle and started turning and poking until she went through. Bent the hanger back straight as I could, reattached the speaker wires for hole #2, and pulled them through. I was pretty worried about pinching wires on the sharp edges of the hole I drilled since it was then stuffed with wire, but it all worked out fine.

 

[Crob83]

I would back it out to your first hole, pull the wires there, and put the hanger back in that first hole to the second hole. Again it’s a really tight squeeze assuming you drilled a small hole. I hit that stoppage, bent the hanger at a angle and started turning and poking until she went through. Bent the hanger back straight as I could, reattached the speaker wires for hole #2, and pulled them through. I was pretty worried about pinching wires on the sharp edges of the hole I drilled since it was then stuffed with wire, but it all worked out fine.

Sounds like a great idea but there is no way another set of wires are fitting thru that hole...lol. I'm not even sure if my hangers will reach the 2nd hole. I may have to make that work somehow

 

[Crob83]

I definitely should have ran to the farthest one first, didn't think that one thru

 

[Crob83]

I definitely should have ran to the farthest one first, didn't think that one thru

Shit nevermind, obviously I can just run my first set over to the far speaker. My new run has to be at the first set already