Got a stubborn drop in a 1920s Philly row home to pass signal

The old plaster walls were killing the signal no matter what I tried. I ended up running a short section of RG6 quad shield inside some flexible plastic conduit I had in the van, just to get from the exterior entry point to the first jack. It passed with flying colors, and the homeowner was thrilled. Has anyone else had to get creative with conduit in a really old building?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola7631mo ago

That old plaster is basically a faraday cage. Had to fish cable through a cold air return once in a similar place.

viola7631mo ago

Oh man, that plaster and lath is the worst. You basically have to treat those walls like solid rock. Good call on the conduit, sometimes you just need a clean shot through the mess. Fishing through cold air returns is a classic move too, right? Gets the job done when the walls fight you every inch.

the_parker1mo ago

Yeah, exactly. It's funny how old houses force these weird workarounds that become standard practice. You see it everywhere, not just wiring. People just figure out the one path that actually works through a mess of outdated design. It's all about finding that single workable thread through the chaos.