Went back to a house I wired 3 years ago and the difference was shocking

I did a new construction job in a cul-de-sac back in 2021 and today I had to go back for a service call at the same house. The owner had a buddy "help" him run some extra coax lines in the basement after I finished. That buddy used staples to pin the cable tight against the joists every 6 inches. Now half those lines are dead from kinks and the signal is garbage on the ones that still work. The owner said he wished he never let his friend touch it. I spent 2 hours re-running 4 drops and fixing the mess. Has anyone else dealt with a homeowner who let an unqualified person mess with your original install?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ryan1mo ago

Man, I used to think anyone could handle a cable staple gun without messing things up, but stories like this totally changed my mind about that.

felix_bailey451mo ago

Remember buddy @the_ryan, everyone thinks they're tough until they punch a hole in their drywall with one of those things. I've seen people staple their own fingers more times than I can count after they said they "knew what they were doing." It's easy to forget those staples can bounce right off harder surfaces and fly somewhere you never expected.