How to Fish Wires Through a Conduit or Pipe

When electrical wires short out or can no longer carry an electrical load to safely operate equipment or appliances, replace them by fishing new wires through the conduit or pipe. It's a safe procedure as long as you turn off the power and disconnect the wires from any receptacle, power source or other terminal connection before you start. Here's how to fish wires with a fish tape.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fish tape
• Wire stripping tool
• Electrical tape
• Wire lubricant

1. Use a fish tape to pull wires through a relatively straight run of conduit with few sharp bends and elbow connections. A fish tape is a long, thin coil of flexible spring steel with a loop bent into one end.

2. Pull all of the old wire out of the conduit and feed the fish tape into one end of the conduit. Push it all the way through until it comes out the other end.
   
   

3. Strip about 3 inches of the insulation from the end of each new wire. Run the bare wire of each new line through the fish tape's loop and bend them back against the insulated portion of the wires.

4. Tape them down against the insulated portion of the wires with a couple of inches of tape, then wind tape around all the new wires and the fish tape loop, forming a solid bundle from about two inches above to two inches below the connection so it won't pull apart as you fish the wires back through the conduit.

5. Lubricate the taped bundle of wires and fish tape with the wire lubricant to make them slide easier through the conduit. It's helpful to have a second person feeding the wires and lubricating them from time to time as you pull the fish tape back through the opposite end.

6. Cut the new wires off the fish tape connection, once enough of the new wires emerge from the conduit. Strip the wires and connect them to the same terminals as the old wires.

Tips & Warnings

• When taping the wires and fish tape end together, be sure the bundle will fit through the conduit. For example, if you're running wire through 1/2-inch diameter conduit, make sure the taped bundle is not more than 3/8-inch in diameter.