wire staple removal

[madmax55555]

Need some advice please...

I have a ceiling fan that I want to move approx 8 feet from its current position. It is wired to a light switch on the other end. If possible I want to continue using the wall switch. I plan to move the fan 8 feet back toward the switch.

The wire goes from the switch up to the ceiling, then through holes that have been drilled in the joists, then runs lengthwise down the joist to the current location. I figure I should be able to pull the wire back through the joist holes, and run it down the joist closest to the new location.

The problem is, between the hole in the last joist (where it bends 90 degrees and runs to the current location) and the hole where the fan was, the wire is stapled to the joist ( as I am sure it should be ). I put a mirror and a flashlight up to the hole in the ceiling after I took the fan down, that is how I know it's there.
I can not pull the wire back through the other joists unless I get that staple out.
I am wondering how to get it out without cutting another hole in my ceiling to access it. We have a textured ceiling, so I really dont want to have to mess it up any more than I have to. The staple is about 4 feet down the joist from the box where the fan was.

Any suggestions as to how I might get that staple out without cutting another hole in the ceiling would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Max

 

[JohnD]

From above?

 

[madmax55555]

No, the fan is in my basement. I am working between the basement ceiling and the floor of the second storey. Access is from the box the fan was in in the basement ceiling.

 

[securespark]

Are you really in Canada? Are the staples the Arrow type - metal with plastic insulation on?

Sometimes if you pull hard enough, they become loosened.

 

[plugwash]

can't you just cut the cable at the new location for the fan?

 

[madmax55555]

Are you really in Canada? Are the staples the Arrow type - metal with plastic insulation on?

Sometimes if you pull hard enough, they become loosened.

Yes, I REALLY am in Canada....LOL
British Columbia to be exact.

The staples are all metal, no plastic.

 

[madmax55555]

can't you just cut the cable at the new location for the fan?

No, I cant. Below is a drawing.


| | | | |
--------|
| | | | ||
| | | | ||
| | | | ||
|n | | |o

The orange shows the path of the wire. o is where the fan is now and n is where I want to move it to. The staple is about half way down the vertical orange length.

I want to move the fan 8 feet straight back from o to n, so the wire thru that joist is 6 feet away from where I want. I was thinking if there was some way to either remove the staple or cut the wire at the staple, I can cut the new hole at n and fish it through. But I am not sure if I can achieve that. Whatever I do, I am hoping to do it from where o is, and not have to damage the ceiling any more than I have to.

Hope that gives a clearer picture of what I am dealing with. I have tried putting a metal bar into the hole to see if I can make contact with the staple and then give it a whack with a hammer to try to loosen it, but I have not had much success, as the view is limited. I can not see the staple by looking into the hole, I have to face away from it and use a mirror and a flashlight to even see the actual staple. Trying to guide a metal bar with one hand while looking through a backwards view in a mirror is not very efficient.

Anyone with any bright ideas, I am listening....

 

[madmax55555]

On the advice of someone on another forum, my problem is solved.

He suggested a cold chisel on a long extension.

As previously mentioned, I had tried putting a metal bar into the hole to see if I could make contact with the staple and then give it a whack with a hammer to try to loosen it. That bar was in fact a 4 ft length of aluminum pipe. I had put a slight bend into it to reach the staple properly.

My cold chisel happened to be exactly the same diameter as the inside diameter of the pipe.

I put it in, whacked it a few dozen times, and VOILA, done deal !!!

Thanks to all who offered suggestions.

If anyone else runs into the same problem in the future, give this a a try.