Routing Electrical Wiring In Walls

Routing electrical cable with no access.

Routing electrical wiring in walls. However tying the wiring into the service panel circuit breaker box and thus electrifying the wire can be an uncomfortable task for many amateur electricians. There are situations when you will be running new cable in an area that does not have access from above or below and therefore requires cutting into a wall or ceiling surface covering. Running electrical wire through the walls and hooking the wire to end point devices is an easy and safe task for a skilled do it yourselfer. So the wiring will be chased up the wall directly above the cu to the first floor circuits.

Adding or extending an electrical circuit is a job that seems intimidating to many diyers but in reality the wire connections are rather easy if you have a basic understanding of electrical work. The simplest wiring solution is up from the basement or up to the attic and back down into the top floor walls from there. Planning tips position outlets so that no point in any wall space is more than 6 ft. This usually requires drilling holes through wall studs and or the top or bottom wall plates the horizontal members at the top or bottom ends of the studs.

There are a number of electrical wiring safe zones in which the cables should run. Rerouting electrical wires part 1. The chase will then continue in the same vertical line to the loft meaning that the chase will not be in line with an appliance on the first floor. Middle floors become more complicated.

What can be much more challenging though is routing the cables through finished walls. The electrical circuit wire must be protected from damage. The primary challenge when installing new wiring in existing walls is routing the wiring through the intervening framing. The two sketches below courtesy of carson dunlop associates show examples of routing electrical circuit wires through a wood stud wall and through a wall supported by metal studs.

It is at the top of the wall and runs horizontally around the. Safety zones for electrical cables in walls. While this is definitely doable it does require a bit more consideration planning and patience. The national electrical code requires that at least 3 in.

Anytime one considers opening up a wall for a pass through doorway or as a combining of two rooms you face the possibility of finding cables and wires running through the area that you want to remove. Top of the wall where the wall meets the ceiling there is a 150mm zone where cables should be run. Thankfully they are fairly simple to understand.