I have installed de-icing cables along my roof edge because we had bad ice damming and leaks last winter. The problem is getting the cable down one particular drainpipe which has a 45-degree bend in it and has been riveted together and cemented at the bottom. How can I get the cable down the pipe to ground level as required in the instructions? Is it necessary to go down that far? My wife suggested attaching a lump of ice to act as a weight to pull the cable down (which I thought was a good idea, but I haven't tried it yet).
Answer:
A wiring fish tape will do the same thing but if you just attach a large metal nut to a string and then let it fall through the bottom, you'll also be able to get it down. The advantage with the string and nut is that you can jiggle it and it will only move downward.
