How to Get Wire Through Trusses Over Sheathed Ceilings

Turn off the electricity to the building if you are unsure of which circuit breaker controls the electrical wiring that runs through the attic.

Open the door or ceiling cover to the attic. Use a fold-out ladder if you do not have a built-in ladder in the attic door that pulls down from the ceiling. Climb up with a flashlight to examine the space and locate the trusses.After surveying the construction, decide where you want the wiring to enter above the sheathed ceiling next to the wall.

Drill a 1/2-inch diameter hole with the cordless drill at each point in the sheathed ceiling where you want to insert the wiring and where it will exit.

Push the fish tape through the hole below the ceiling so the hooked end extends into the attic.

Recruit a helper to watch the fish tape from inside the attic as you push it upwards from below. Ask your helper to provide directions on steering the fish tape through the wide upside-down V of each truss above the ceiling until the hooked end reaches your destination point for the entry or exit of the wiring.

Insert the wire through the drilled hole closest to the fish tape hook. Tie the end of the wire to the hook.

Pull the fish tape back in the direction of your starting point. The metal tape pulls the wire along and through the trusses.

Pull the tape out of the hole in the ceiling and untie the wire from the hook at the end.

Cut and strip insulation from the wire ends using the wire cutter. Secure the wire to the ceiling with a piece of masking tape to prevent it from accidentally slipping into the attic, which could ouccur if the wiring is pulled from the other end.