Eliminating tangles when pulling new cable

Jeff Smith, Sunglo Telecom Inc.

Problem

When the backstring is tied off at a wall at both the pull end and feed end of a conduit, tray, or other piece of cable-routing equipment, cables that are subsequently pulled can become entangled with the backstring, causing snags and loops.

Solution

Once a cable pull is completed, only tie the backstring to the wall at the feed end of the cable-routing equipment. Do not tie it to the wall at the pull end.

Procedure

1) Perform the original cable pull following standard procedures.

2) Once the pull is completed, tie the backstring to the wall at the feed end of the cable-routing equipment.

3) Allow the backstring to hang freely from the pull end.

4) When it is time for another cable pull, perform the pull following standard procedures. The cable will pull smoothly, because the backstring from the previous pull--hanging freely from the pull end--will unwind itself from the new cable being pulled.

When done correctly, the backstring--which is used in the cable-pulling process--is tied off to the wall at the feed end of the cable and is left dangling from the pull end of the conduit. Pulls and snags can result in the next cable pull if the pull end of the backstring is also tied off at the wall.

Jeff Smith is a network technician with Sunglo Telecom Inc. (Upland, CA).