Old timer at a job in Bakersfield called my stapling lazy and it stuck with me

Charles Mitchell · 2026-10-01T08:35:04.096425+00:00

Two years back I was running coax through a two story house in Bakersfield and I was stapling the lines to the studs every few feet, quick and done, and this older installer who was tagging along just watched me and said "you are stapling those tight enough to choke them, that is why you keep getting callbacks." I got mad at first because I had been doing it that way for years. But he was right, I was cranking the staple gun down so hard the cable jacket was getting pinched in spots, and the signal was dropping on the runs near the bends. He showed me how to leave a little slack in a loop at each staple so the cable can move when the house shifts and the temp swings. I went back to three of my callbacks from that month and every single one had a crushed spot right where I had stapled it to the stud. Now I use a light touch, loop it, and I have not had a signal complaint on a new drop in about 18 months. Anybody else get their technique torn apart by someone older and end up thanking them later?

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Old timer at a job in Bakersfield called my stapling lazy and it stuck with me | Cable Installers - Thought Shares