O.T.--Electrical Fish Tape--- Shatter

[Jiles]

I had a 200' Electrical wire Fish Tape that I had used several times. I had it stored in an unheated garage and when I got it out to use, it would not extract. It had shattered into many small pieces.

Has anyone ever heard of this?

 

[C.R.]

did you get contact cleaner on it? sometimes that stuff melts some kinds of plastics

 

[Jiles]

(quoted from post at 18:55:17 02/27/11) did you get contact cleaner on it? sometimes that stuff melts some kinds of plastics

No--this was a metal tape.

 

[RayP(MI)]

Metal or plastic?

 

[Chris (swIA)]

Mine rides around in the back of a truck to this very day. The case should break before the tape does.

 

[huntingreen2day]

Cold hardened metal with a load on it when it is coiled up.

 

[buickanddeere]

Want to see a metal fish tape disappear? Just run
it down a conduit into an energized panel and into
the 600V electrical bus.

 

[evilboweivel]

yes
seems like after they get some age this happens
lost two this way
one was at least 30 years old
Ron

 

[Bud in FLA]

Don't know what causes it but I had one do that a few years ago. It'd been hanging in my shop for a month or two and when I needed to use it the longest piece was about 12 inches long.

 

[Bob]

Was there surface rust/pitting on the tape?

 

[rodm1]

What brands where they?

 

[IaGary]

Now just how do you know that Buick?

Gary

 

[buickanddeere]

It was somebody else on my crew that did the fish tape.
I was the person that used compressed air to blowdown the conduits before fishing to check for obstructions. Didn't expect several gallons of water inside from condesation. Surprised that dripping wet breaker panel never blewup.

 

[Errin OH]

Hummm....

I had demonstrated to me how to turn a 10" screw driver into a 1/2" numb.

Same fell’a also showed me how to stop, drop, and roll.

480v panel, a shut load of fireworks, and one very embarrassed electrician pointing out a problem.

 

[sammydwm]

a sure way to get around the old "but we can't shut down for that"

 

[PJH]

We blew a slug of nasty black water through a traffic signal conduit once. Lots of force in a situation like that. It blew the post cap off of the top of the yellow signal post, and water went another 5 to 10 feet above the top of the post. Luckily there were no pedestrians within range. Post itself was probably a 14 footer, with bracket mounted heads. Never did figure out why it was so violent, unless there was some sort of plug that released after pressure built up. Seemed like it was over before it began. . .

Paul

 

[RobMD]

My fish tape is around 35 years old. Still springy and flexible. I pour oil into the thing when i'm done using it.

 

[Oldmax]

I had the same thing to happen to two Greenlee tapes. had not used for a short while when started to use were in short pieces.