Removing old cable that goes through external wall

Question

I need to remove an unused cable that goes through my external wall. Is there a method to do this or do I just pull it with force?

The old cable was connected to a TV satellite dish outside that was removed, but the cable was left there. I want to install a security camera outside my house and use this hole to run the cables through the wall (instead of drilling a new hole). Is there a good way to remove the old cable? Do I just pull it out with force? From inside or outside to minimize damage to the wall?

This is a standard Victorian house in United Kingdom, and the external wall is a solid brick wall around 20cm thick.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I've removed several of these, but never from a brick wall. Typically the hole is a bit larger diameter than the wire and the gap is sealed on both sides with caulk or rubber grommets. If you remove the gap seal it should be trivial to pull it out. I would dig around the cable on the exterior side with a knife or pliers to free up the cable. On the interior side, you can see the rubber grommet so you can cut or pull that off.

You seem to have more cable on the interior so it would be easier to get a grip on that side, but if you'd rather pull from outside you can use vise grips to clamp the cable and a pry bar and a wood/brick fulcrum to pull a few centimeters until you have enough wire to get a good hand grip. Pulling the cable inside would be a shorter pull though, as it has just a few centimeters more than the 20cm wall thickness.