Found a trick for fishing wire through spray foam insulation

I was working a job in Portland last month and hit a wall of spray foam that just ate my glow rods. Tried everything until I remembered an old sparky told me about using a shop vac and a string to create a clean path before the foam fully cures. So I ran a vac hose through the cavity before the foam set, pulled my wire right through after. Has anyone else tried this or got a better method for dealing with that sticky mess?

2 comments

2 Comments

barnes.shane13d agoMost Upvoted

That vac and string trick works like a charm if you catch it early enough. I've also had good luck running a piece of PVC conduit through before the foam goes in, then just pulling my wire after it sets.

the_faith9d ago

Oh man, that PVC conduit trick is genius! I tried it once on a remodel and it saved me so much headache. I was running wire through a finished wall and the foam had already been sprayed, but I remembered seeing someone do that online. I pulled the string through before the foam went in, then just tugged my wire after it cured. Worked perfect, no cutting drywall or dealing with that sticky mess. I swear, that little bit of planning upfront makes all the difference when you're doing low voltage stuff. Definitely gonna do that from now on every time.