That time I ran coax through a return air duct and got chewed out by the HVAC guy

So I was doing a new build in a strip mall outside Dallas last summer, and the quickest path from the demarc to the back office was through this massive return air duct. I figured it was just sheet metal, so I snaked my RG6 through there and called it done. Next day the HVAC contractor shows up, sees my cable, and goes absolutely ballistic. Tells me that violates fire code and could mess with the air flow calculations. I had to pull all 80 feet of it and reroute it through the ceiling joists, which added like 3 hours to my day. Now I always check with whoever is running the ductwork first before I even think about going through one. Anyone else get burned by assuming something was okay on a commercial job?

2 comments

2 Comments

troythompson1mo ago

We had a guy fish fiber through a bathroom vent once, and the plumber nearly hit him with a pipe wrench.

the_lee1mo ago

Hey @troythompson, that sounds like a REAL close call, glad nobody got hurt.