Fold the Cable End Back on Itself to Feed Through Conduit Bends

The Problem

Feeding cable or a fish tape down a conduit run, the tip jams at the first bend and hangs up on the small step inside every coupling. The longer the run and the more bends it has — slab runs between boxes are the classic case — the more places there are for a squared-off end to dig in and stop dead.

The Technique

1. Fold the tip of the cable back on itself, about 180 degrees.
2. Wrap the folded end with a couple of turns of electrical tape so it can't open up.
3. Feed it in. The loop presents a rounded leading edge that slides around bends and glides over coupling steps instead of catching on them.

The same fold-and-tape works on the end of a fish tape or snake — anywhere a blunt tip has been hanging up.