Spent 5 hours chasing a signal issue in a 1920s house in St. Paul and it was a staple

Betty Fox · 2026-09-29T15:50:03.367228+00:00

Last Tuesday I got sent to a two story in St. Paul off Grand Ave, old place with plaster walls and knob and tube wiring in half the rooms. Customer said her internet dropped every time the furnace kicked on. I figured it was a ground loop or a bad splitter, so I swapped the splitter, reterminated both ends, checked the drop at the box, and even ran a new line through the basement. Still dropping. Around hour four I pulled the faceplate off the wall outlet in the back bedroom and found an old phone line staple driven right through the side of my coax, nicked the shield but the center conductor looked fine at a glance. Every time the furnace blower vibrated the floor joist, it must have moved just enough to open that nick. Five hours total on a job that should have been 45 minutes. Repulled that section, wrapped it in a split loom, and it's been solid since. Anybody else getting burned by old staples in these pre war houses, or is it just my bad luck?

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Spent 5 hours chasing a signal issue in a 1920s house in St. Paul and it was a staple | Cable Installers - SMM Buzz