Pulling a cable through the ceiling

How to make a wire puller with magnets

Author: Stephan Müller, Glauburg, Germany

Online since: 12/04/2022, Number of visits: 150198

On one of my jobs, I had to lay a new electric cable through a reed ceiling. I was faced with the problem of pulling the cable through the ceiling in the easiest way possible and with the least amount of damage. My solution: A homemade wire puller with two super magnets. With the help of these two magnets, I was able to pull the power cable through the false ceiling without any problems. You can find out how I did it in this customer project.

You will need string, duct tape, a strong block magnet and one sphere magnet.

I used these materials to pull the cable through the dropped ceiling:

Tearproof string
Duct tape
Neodymium block magnet, type Q-51-51-25-N
Neodymium sphere magnet, type K-30-C

I chose these two neodymium magnets because both magnets still have a very strong attractive force towards each other even at a distance of 5–6 cm. The ceiling through which the cable was to be pulled had a thickness of approx. 3–4 cm. So the magnets I selected were perfect for the job.

The incorporated reed mat in the ceiling made the surface uneven.

The ceiling was an old reed ceiling. In this type of ceiling, a reed mat was used in addition to the regular materials. This made the surface of the hollow space uneven, which is why I chose a round magnet to pull the string through. Round magnets move better over bumpy surfaces. (Even better would be an oval magnet or an oval housing for the magnet.)

Preparing the wall and guiding the sphere magnet with the block magnet.

How do I pull a cable through the ceiling?

Step 1
I wrapped the sphere magnet with duct tape to attach the string.

Step 2
I pre-drilled the holes in the wall and then carefully chiselled them out.

Step 3
I placed the sphere magnet with the string inside the dropped ceiling. With the large block magnet on the outside, I was now able to easily pull it along the ceiling.

Important tip: First, find out where the joists are by tapping on the false ceiling. The ceiling panels are screw-fastened in a few places. These spots can be identified in advance by simply following the path with the block magnet.

Diagram of the magnet’s path in a zigzag pattern.

Viewed from above, I followed a zigzag pattern inside the dropped ceiling. This made it easier for me to pull the sphere magnet over the uneven surface of the ceiling. I bypassed the magnetic spot (obstacle) before I came out again at the desired location.

Attach the cable to the string and pull it through the hollow space.

Step 4
Lastly, I also used duct tape to attach my electric cable to the string and then carefully pulled it through the reed ceiling. The opening can now be spackled or concealed with a visually appealing cover (e.g. flush-mounted boxes, cover for cable feedthrough, wall outlet box for cable feedthrough, cable outlet, etc.)

Cable pull-through made easy: I was very satisfied with the result of my wire puller for the dropped ceiling. I had previously ordered magnets online twice for this project, none of which were any good. I was really worried because the magnet solution was my only hope. But with these two super magnets, it worked perfectly.

Note from the supermagnete team: This method is also suitable for simple cable installation in places that are difficult to access. You can find tips in our customer project Cable-laying.