Thought zip ties were fine for everything until a homeowner in Tucson handed me her cable box

Karen Carter · 2026-10-13T04:05:10.273927+00:00

For my whole first year running drops I zip tied every single run tight against the studs, and I honestly thought guys who used velcro were being soft. Then a lady in Tucson asked me to redo her living room because her cable box kept sliding off the shelf whenever she pulled it out, and I found every coax and HDMI run zip tied so tight the jackets were dented. I went back through the whole wall with velcro straps and looped the runs with a little slack, and the box slid out smooth the first try. Then she called my office and said I was the first tech who didn't leave her setup looking like a rat's nest, which got me a $75 spiff and a spot on the good list. What sold me was pulling a zip tied coax off an old job and seeing the center conductor actually nicked from over cinching, which is exactly the kind of thing that causes callbacks. So now I keep a roll of velcro in the van and only use zip ties on the messenger wire outside. Anyone else find a cheap habit like that biting them on callbacks?

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Thought zip ties were fine for everything until a homeowner in Tucson handed me her cable box | Cable Installers - Thought Shares