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The 500-foot spool math that broke my brain today
I was doing a rough pull estimate for a house out in Maplewood and grabbed a spool of RG6 from the truck. I figured we needed about 150 feet based on the walkthrough, but then I actually looked at the footage counter on the box for once. Turns out the route through the attic, down two walls, and around the fireplace was closer to 420 feet once I added slack and service loops. I never trusted those counters before, thought they were just a gimmick, but now I'm wondering how many jobs I've underbid over the years. Anyone else check the counter on every spool or just eyeball it like I used to?
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anthony_campbell889d ago
Funny thing is the counter only reads what actually rolls off the spool, so if you cut a run and it comes up short and you gotta redo it, that wasted length never shows up. That's the part that really messes with your numbers over a full year. Two or three f ups per job at 20, 30 feet each and you're basically giving away a free box every couple months. Start logging the counter at the end of each job against what you bid and you'll see the gap pretty quick.
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