How to Run Wire in an Existing Home
Thought I might post a rehash of a newsletter I wrote a few years ago since I've been meaning to blog a little about cabling (been mighty distracted). Anyway.... here are a few tips on how to RUN WIRE IN YOUR EXISTING HOME (also, a few other related backissues are found at http://www.integratorpro.com/archives/archives.html):
"... Obviously, this is a little different than in new construction. The bad news is that it can be a little trickier - the good news is that you don't have to worry about someone else hacking your work after you leave the job site! How you will approach pulling wire from room to room depends on how your home is built. If you have a one story house built on a slab, your likely route will be up inside the wall and through the attic. If you have a crawl space or unfinished basement you would naturally take that route. Let's first examine how you pass wiring inside of walls without destroying stuff. Here are the tools that you need:
Fish Tape. This is something that you can find at any decent hardware store.
Stud Finder. Same thing. Hardware store.
Miscellaneous. Drywall knife, Retro-fit electrical boxes, Electrical tape, flashlight, measuring tape,... some of the same stuff you might have used in our last newsletter's "new construction" issue.
Let's assume for the moment you want to go up the wall into the attic. You'll be cutting a hole into the drywall where the wires will exit into the room. Using your stud finder (guys at the hardware store can explain this device to you), locate the studs in your wall and trace the outline of your retrofit electrical box with a pencil (someplace where the studs ARE NOT).
OH - BY THE WAY: Scope out your path BEFORE you do anything! First, make sure there are no obstructions in the wall with your stud finder. If you don't detect anything this way, then cut just a small hole and run your fish tape up the wall to make sure it doesn't hit anything before ceiling height. Second, measure the exact distance of your proposed cut from a corner, & go up into the attic & do the same. You need to be able to drill down into the wall chase at the exact spot above your proposed "hole-in-the-wall." While you're in the attic (if everything looks clear), drill your hole and drop your fish tape all the way down (if there's no insulation you can just drop a weighted string). You are now ready to cut the drywall below, reach in to grab the string or fish tape, use electrical tape to tie your wiring on, and go back up into the attic to pull away! At the other end of your run, you'll repeat the process.
The order in which you do things may vary, but this is basically how it's done. Not too difficult, was it? Except for the nasty attic insulation (ecch!)....IF YOU'RE RUNNING THROUGH THE BASEMENT it's not much different. Again you'll measure carefully, scope out the path... but this time you'll be drilling UP from the basement into the wall space. To make sure you drill up into a wall space and not through your hardwood floor (been there done that), measure carefully off some reference point visible from both the basement and upstairs. Heat ducts make good reference points. You can also look for nails and water pipes running up from the basement as good indicators of wall locations.
ONE OTHER CAUTION: Do your best to make sure of where electrical runs are inside the walls when you drill. Blue flame is pretty, but you'd rather not see it. Remember that romex (electrical cable) often runs vertically directly attached to the studs, though not always - and that it may run horizontally from outlet to outlet. Don't be paranoid, just careful. Drill slowly when you think you're about to break through, and once your drill exits the other side of a wood stud or plate, BACK OFF.
FROM BASEMENT TO SECOND FLOOR: Now you must be clever. Hypothetically speaking, you could violate code and find a cold air return that runs directly from the basement in a straight line to the second floor. If so, you'd just have to pop open the return in the basement, and open the vent on the second floor so you could drill into the attic space. Aside from this, you might find a common chase that was built into the house for pipes or cabling, etc. Sometimes a chimney has dead space around it that you can use. If you can't find a good hidden path, running wires through closet spaces or laundry chutes may accomplish the mission. If need be, you can then dress it up with 'wire moulding' from the hardware store so it's not so unsightly. The last resort would be to take the wiring outside the house, hide it best as you can by running it behind downspouts/gutters, etc., & back into the basement/attic at the other end."
