
Pulling a cable through the ceiling
How to make a wire puller with magnets
Online since: 12/04/2022, Number of visits: 22684
On one of my jobs, I had to lay a new electric cable through a reed ceiling.
I was faced with the problem of pulling the cable through the ceiling in the easiest way possible and with the least amount of damage.
My solution: A homemade wire puller with two super magnets.
With the help of these two magnets, I was able to pull the power cable through the false ceiling without any problems.
You can find out how I did it in this customer project.
I used these materials to pull the cable through the dropped ceiling:
I chose these two neodymium magnets because both magnets still have a very strong attractive force towards each other even at a distance of 5–6 cm. The ceiling through which the cable was to be pulled had a thickness of approx. 3–4 cm. So the magnets I selected were perfect for the job.
- Tearproof string
- Duct tape
- Neodymium block magnet, type Q-51-51-25-N
- Neodymium sphere magnet, type K-30-C
I chose these two neodymium magnets because both magnets still have a very strong attractive force towards each other even at a distance of 5–6 cm. The ceiling through which the cable was to be pulled had a thickness of approx. 3–4 cm. So the magnets I selected were perfect for the job.
The ceiling was an old reed ceiling.
In this type of ceiling, a reed mat was used in addition to the regular materials.
This made the surface of the hollow space uneven, which is why I chose a round magnet to pull the string through.
Round magnets move better over bumpy surfaces.
(Even better would be an oval magnet or an oval housing for the magnet.)
How do I pull a cable through the ceiling?
Step 1I wrapped the sphere magnet with duct tape to attach the string.
Step 2
I pre-drilled the holes in the wall and then carefully chiselled them out.
Step 3
I placed the sphere magnet with the string inside the dropped ceiling. With the large block magnet on the outside, I was now able to easily pull it along the ceiling.
Important tip: First, find out where the joists are by tapping on the false ceiling. The ceiling panels are screw-fastened in a few places. These spots can be identified in advance by simply following the path with the block magnet.
Schritt 4
Lastly, I also used duct tape to attach my electric cable to the string and then carefully pulled it through the reed ceiling. The opening can now be spackled or concealed with a visually appealing cover (e.g. flush-mounted boxes, cover for cable feedthrough, wall outlet box for cable feedthrough, cable outlet, etc.)
Lastly, I also used duct tape to attach my electric cable to the string and then carefully pulled it through the reed ceiling. The opening can now be spackled or concealed with a visually appealing cover (e.g. flush-mounted boxes, cover for cable feedthrough, wall outlet box for cable feedthrough, cable outlet, etc.)
Cable pull-through made easy: I was very satisfied with the result of my wire puller for the dropped ceiling.
I had previously ordered magnets online twice for this project, none of which were any good.
I was really worried because the magnet solution was my only hope.
But with these two super magnets, it worked perfectly.
Note from the supermagnete team:
This method is also suitable for simple cable installation in places that are difficult to access.
You can find tips in our customer project Cable-laying.