How To Run Wire Through Studs

Some rules help ensure the structural integrity of a wall.

How to run wire through studs. One of the most helpful features of metal studs is that the verticals have pre punched holes especially for wiring. Before calling for a wiring rough in inspection look around to make sure you ve installed enough cable staples and added nail plates where cables run too close to the face of a stud. Use a drill and spade bit to make holes in the studs and other framing members for running the cables. You can use most home cordless drills for drilling these but make sure it s a high enough quality since this takes quite a bit of torque to get through some of the harder woods.

If the wire will run from one room to the next it is sometimes easier to run the wire through the wall left to right straight up along the last stud in a corner over through the ceiling and. In the unfinished space you can run the wiring horizontally then back down or up into the wall stud cavity where you will install the new outlet switch or another device. These typically have a larger diameter and work great for getting a bigger hole made if you re running a lot of wires through the hole. Installing wiring in a metal stud wall is very similar to wiring in wood stud walls with a few exceptions.

In metal stud construction the walls are framed in lightweight steel members instead of wood. Run the electrical wire. What kind of drill can i use for drilling holes into studs. When you have to run pipes ducts or wires horizontally through the studs you often have to notch or drill holes sometimes big ones to get them to their destination.

But you can t just drill and saw away. Another option is to run wiring up or down through the wall plates and into an unfinished attic or basement or crawlspace. Pulling wire through studs is made slightly easier with nm wire such as romex that has a patented coating called simpull that reduces friction. Make a hole in the center of each stud large enough to allow the cables to pass through easily but never exceed 40 percent of the stud width which means a maximum diameter of 1 3 8 inches for 2 x 4 framing.

When adding or replacing wiring in finished walls most electricians will attempt to make the horizontal portion of the cable run in the unfinished attic or basement crawlspace areas looping the cable down or up through the wall cavity across the floor or ceiling joists then vertically through another stud cavity to the next wall box opening.