How to Feed a Wire in Batt-Insulated Walls

Finished walls in your home may have batt insulation compressed into the space between the interior and exterior wall. Installing new wiring through the walls is necessary for new cable, speaker or other electrical needs. While the batting makes the process more difficult, it doesn't prevent the pulling of the wire. The most common process for pulling wire through walls is called fishing, using a specialized tape and wire hook and rod setups to easily track where the wire is and where it is going.

Screwdriver
Drill
Drill bit
Fishing tape
Wire fishing hook
Wire fishing rod
Flashlight

Instructions

- 1
  Find the stud on the wall by tapping it with your knuckles or the back of a screwdriver. Listen for the hollow section of the wall next to the dense sound of studs.
- 2
  Drill a hole in the hollow section going through the batt insulation. Drill toward the corner of the wall frame where the wire will be pulled to make pulling through insulation easier. This means if you are pulling wire from downstairs to an upper level, drill toward the top corner through the insulation.
- 3
  Secure the wire to the wire rod with fishing tape. Wrap the tape several inches along the edge of the fishing rod, leaving the hook exposed but making sure the hook won't separate from the wire.
- 4
  Feed the wire on the rod through the hole as far as you can send it.
- 5
  Insert the fishing hook through the other end of the wire hole you drilled. A flashlight can help find the rod hook. Work the fishing hook until it hooks on the rod, then pull the rod through with the wire.

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