What Electrical Wiring to Install after Stripping Walls to Studs?

[Mike]

Hi, I'm removing paneling and one inch foam isolation from all interior
walls on the first floor of my rowhouse.
Since the walls will be striped to the studs I'll have a good opprotunity to
install wiring. Some years ago the original hot water radiors were
removed and electrical baseboard heat installed, also it appears the wiring
was upgraded to three prong outlets. So far, I'm
thinking I want to install speaker wiring for a home theater setup, cat6 for
computer networking and VOIP.
What Else do you recommend I install? A buddy told to install wiring for a
media center box in the basement
but I don't know what he's talking about.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Andrew Gabriel]

Hi, I'm removing paneling and one inch foam isolation from all interior
walls on the first floor of my rowhouse.
Since the walls will be striped to the studs I'll have a good opprotunity to
install wiring. Some years ago the original hot water radiors were
removed and electrical baseboard heat installed, also it appears the wiring
was upgraded to three prong outlets. So far, I'm

Have you got enough outlets now and going forward?
Do you currently have any leads trailing around because
there's no outlet in the ideal position?

thinking I want to install speaker wiring for a home theater setup, cat6 for
computer networking and VOIP.

Burglar alarm and/or home automation, if either of those interest you.

 

[[email protected]]

| Mike wrote:
|> Hi, I'm removing paneling and one inch foam isolation from all
|> interior walls on the first floor of my rowhouse.
|> Since the walls will be striped to the studs I'll have a good
|> opprotunity to install wiring. Some years ago the original hot water
|> radiors were removed and electrical baseboard heat installed, also it
|> appears the
|> wiring was upgraded to three prong outlets. So far, I'm
|> thinking I want to install speaker wiring for a home theater setup,
|> cat6 for computer networking and VOIP.
|> What Else do you recommend I install? A buddy told to install wiring
|> for a media center box in the basement
|> but I don't know what he's talking about.
|>
|> Thanks,
|>
|> Mike
|
| Don't install wire. Install conduits. You don't know what you will
| want or need five years from now, but if you have a conduit you should be
| able to run almost anything technology comes up with.

Excellent idea. And make that larger non-metallic conduits.

 

[Goedjn]

| Don't install wire. Install conduits. You don't know what you will
| want or need five years from now, but if you have a conduit you should be
| able to run almost anything technology comes up with.

Excellent idea. And make that larger non-metallic conduits.

Why non-metallic? If I'm going to put condiut in my walls,
I want something that will turn a nail.

 

[Beachcomber]

| Mike wrote:
|> Hi, I'm removing paneling and one inch foam isolation from all
|> interior walls on the first floor of my rowhouse.
|> Since the walls will be striped to the studs I'll have a good
|> opprotunity to install wiring. Some years ago the original hot water
|> radiors were removed and electrical baseboard heat installed, also it
|> appears the
|> wiring was upgraded to three prong outlets. So far, I'm
|> thinking I want to install speaker wiring for a home theater setup,
|> cat6 for computer networking and VOIP.
|> What Else do you recommend I install? A buddy told to install wiring
|> for a media center box in the basement
|> but I don't know what he's talking about.
|>

Let's see... You might want

Telephone, intercom, burglar alarms, fire alams, panic buttons, CCTV
security cam cables, cable TV, satellite TV, antena cables, door
strike controls, doorbell, computer (cat 6 + router placement), stereo
distribution (line level + spkr cables), annuciator circuits (for the
butler & other servants), & emergency genset control cables....

Plus... I'd run some general purpose fiber-optic cable for who knows
what in the next 20 years...

Beachcomber

 

[Mike]

Have you got enough outlets now and going forward?
Do you currently have any leads trailing around because
there's no outlet in the ideal position?


Burglar alarm and/or home automation, if either of those interest you.

I need some more outlets. The good news is I've got two electrical panels
in the basement w/ some free space.
I've got a Brinks burgular now but I could add some features to it and I
want to install CAT6 network cabing
and speaker wires for as home theater.

Mike

 

[Mike]

Mike wrote:

Don't install wire. Install conduits. You don't know what you will
want or need five years from now, but if you have a conduit you should be
able to run almost anything technology comes up with.

Good idea.

 

[Mike]

On 21 Nov 2006 15:13:44 GMT, [email protected] wrote:
Telephone, intercom, burglar alarms, fire alams, panic buttons, CCTV
security cam cables, cable TV, satellite TV, antena cables, door
strike controls, doorbell, computer (cat 6 + router placement), stereo
distribution (line level + spkr cables), annuciator circuits (for the
butler & other servants), & emergency genset control cables....

Plus... I'd run some general purpose fiber-optic cable for who knows
what in the next 20 years...

Wow, you've covered everything. Do I do home runs to a central location
then branch off from a "media center"?

 

[Mike]

Conduit costs about 3 times more than NMB Cable. I am writing to you
from my home that is foamed and wired by me in NMB cable. Here in
Alaska where we have many foamed homes and businesses NMB is commonly
used. There is the problem of running through holes and along furring
strips where the 1 1/4 inch spacing cannot be accomplished. See below.
Also, all the foaming companies here know to not foam over NMB cable.
It isn't in the Code yet, but it should be.

REF:
2005 NEC 330.5
(D) Cables and Raceways Parallel to Framing Members
and Furring Strips. In both exposed and concealed
locations, where a cable- or raceway-type wiring method is
installed parallel to framing members, such as joists,
rafters, or studs, or is installed parallel to furring strips, the
cable or raceway shall be installed and supported so that the
nearest outside surface of the cable or raceway is not less
than 32 mm (11/4 in.) from the nearest edge of the framing
member or furring strips where nails or screws are likely to
penetrate. Where this distance cannot be maintained, the
cable or raceway shall be protected from penetration by
nails or screws by a steel plate, sleeve, or equivalent at least
1.6 mm (1/16 in.) thick.
Exception No. 1: Steel plates, sleeves, or the equivalent
shall not be required to protect rigid metal conduit, intermediate
metal conduit, rigid nonmetallic conduit, or electrical
metallic tubing.
Exception No. 2: For concealed work in finished buildings,
or finished panels for prefabricated buildings where
such supporting is impracticable, it shall be permissible to
fish the cables between access points.
Exception No. 3: A listed and marked steel plate less than
1.6 mm (1/16 in.) thick that provides equal or better protection
against nail or screw penetration shall be permitted.

Thanks for another good idea. I don't know if I use foam because the wood
floors are inlayed w/ two decorative strips of dark wood about three inches
apart
about six inches from the baseboads. Think I'd have to buoild it out too
much for foam. I'm thinking of replacing the 1" sheets of foam insulation
behind the paneling I'm going to remove.

 

[Beachcomber]

conduit is CHEAP and must be far cheaper than any cables.

opening walls and such to try and run new cables is a major disruptive
pain the the #@$^%

pulling new cable when a standard changes is quick and easy.

One consideration that I find is often overlooked in considering new
house wiring for data/entertainment services is keeping everything
close together in one area of the home, if possible.

If your house is not super-large, it helps to plan to have most of
your electronic paraphernalia in one particular location, be that a
media room, home office or whatever. If you do have wiring to other
locations, try to locate the site of your home run junction at or near
this central location. You will save on cable, labor, expense,
aggravation, and make it simple to upgrade when changes are necessary.


Do whatever you can to avoid the need for extensive fishing of wires
through the walls.

1. If you are constructing a house, be aware and plan for where the
telephone, cable, fiber lines will enter the building. In most cases
you don't want this to be at the opposite end of the house where your
entertainment center and home office are located.

2. The newest terminal equipment (the box that the cable/Internet
company installs outside your house) is going to require AC and a
power supply with back up batteries. Make sure the location is
accessible when you need to get to this equipment.

3. Allow for more than one 15A circuit for home theatres and offices
with printers, faxes, computers, copy machines, and future needs.
Consider installing at least two 20A appliance circuits in these
locations. Try to get these on opposite hot wire legs, if possible,
to keep the load balanced and minimize voltage drop.

Beachcomber

 

[[email protected]]

| On 21 Nov 2006 15:13:44 GMT, [email protected] wrote:
|
|>| Mike wrote:
|>|> Hi, I'm removing paneling and one inch foam isolation from all
|>|> interior walls on the first floor of my rowhouse.
|>|> Since the walls will be striped to the studs I'll have a good
|>|> opprotunity to install wiring. Some years ago the original hot water
|>|> radiors were removed and electrical baseboard heat installed, also it
|>|> appears the
|>|> wiring was upgraded to three prong outlets. So far, I'm
|>|> thinking I want to install speaker wiring for a home theater setup,
|>|> cat6 for computer networking and VOIP.
|>|> What Else do you recommend I install? A buddy told to install wiring
|>|> for a media center box in the basement
|>|> but I don't know what he's talking about.
|>|>
|
| Let's see... You might want
|
| Telephone, intercom, burglar alarms, fire alams, panic buttons, CCTV
| security cam cables, cable TV, satellite TV, antena cables, door
| strike controls, doorbell, computer (cat 6 + router placement), stereo
| distribution (line level + spkr cables), annuciator circuits (for the
| butler & other servants), & emergency genset control cables....

And some pull ropes for future stuff no one can imagine right now

 

[Mike]

One consideration that I find is often overlooked in considering new
house wiring for data/entertainment services is keeping everything
close together in one area of the home, if possible.

If your house is not super-large, it helps to plan to have most of
your electronic paraphernalia in one particular location, be that a
media room, home office or whatever. If you do have wiring to other
locations, try to locate the site of your home run junction at or near
this central location. You will save on cable, labor, expense,
aggravation, and make it simple to upgrade when changes are necessary.


Do whatever you can to avoid the need for extensive fishing of wires
through the walls.

1. If you are constructing a house, be aware and plan for where the
telephone, cable, fiber lines will enter the building. In most cases
you don't want this to be at the opposite end of the house where your
entertainment center and home office are located.

2. The newest terminal equipment (the box that the cable/Internet
company installs outside your house) is going to require AC and a
power supply with back up batteries. Make sure the location is
accessible when you need to get to this equipment.

3. Allow for more than one 15A circuit for home theatres and offices
with printers, faxes, computers, copy machines, and future needs.
Consider installing at least two 20A appliance circuits in these
locations. Try to get these on opposite hot wire legs, if possible,
to keep the load balanced and minimize voltage drop.

Good points. What does opposite hot wire legs mean?

 

[Beachcomber]

Good points. What does opposite hot wire legs mean?

If you are on the North American Electrical System, (USA, Canada,
Mexico), it means that the service to your house is likely to be
120/240 V. also called split-phase. The small appliance outlets in
the house are wired for 120V. but they can be on either leg (either of
2 hot wires and a neutral, from your utility transformer).

I am suggesting that each of the two circuits serving your media room
or home office be wired to separate sides of the hot wires at your
circuit-breaker panel (rather than the same side). Your kitchen is
likely wired that way. In the US, the outlets may even share the same
neutral. As I said, the advantage is that it reduces voltage drop and
keeps a more balanced load on your electric meter. Also 20A circuits
are better than 15A circuits if you have a chance to pre-order this
from your contractor.

The voltage is still 120 to neutral at each outlet, but if you were to
carefully take an AC voltmeter, you would measure something close to
240 volts between the hot legs (the smaller straight slot of a 3-hole
grounded outlet) at two different outlets each wired to different hot
legs. The same measurement on outlets on the same leg (between the
hot slots) will measure near zero volts, but of course the voltage to
neutral or ground is still 120V. Don't shock yourself!

Also, I prefer my computers/electronics not be connected to GFCIs
(Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters), but you may or may not be able to
avoid this. Sometimes GFCIs experience "nuisance tripping", which can
be a real pain for electronics. I've had mine trip off due to induced
power surges from lightning strikes that were blocks away. Actually,
this is very interesting from a scientific point of view, but a pain
in the rear if you have to keep resetting these things.

The US electrical codes have exceptions for what circuits do not have
to be connected to a GFCI (a kitchen refrigerator, for example), but
since the device saves lives and is cheap, the trend looks like the
electric code will require a GFCI on almost all receptacle circuits in
future editions.

You probably will want good surge protection on your electronics
outlets. This can either be built into the outlet or you can buy a
premium outlet strip that will do the job. You can even buy a
whole-house surge protector, but that starts to get expensive unless
you live in a high-lightning area in many parts of our county.. In
that case, I wouldn't want to do without it.

Beachcomber

 

[[email protected]]

| On 21 Nov 2006 15:13:44 GMT, [email protected] wrote:
|
|>| Don't install wire. Install conduits. You don't know what you will
|>| want or need five years from now, but if you have a conduit you should be
|>| able to run almost anything technology comes up with.
|>
|>Excellent idea. And make that larger non-metallic conduits.
|
| Why non-metallic? If I'm going to put condiut in my walls,
| I want something that will turn a nail.

If it is metallic and carrying power, it has to be grounded. That is
certainly doable, and it's done all the time. But for conduit added in
just to facilitate unknown future wiring, you don't know if any conduit
in particular will be for power or not. You would have to make sure it
is fully capable of being grounded even if you don't know if it will be
used for power or not. Non-metallic conduit eliminates this. You can
fish NM cable through, if the conduit is big enough, without having to
break into it along the way to get to a ground wire. Of course if you
do use conduit, you may find single wires are more convenient, anyway.

 

[[email protected]]

| The US electrical codes have exceptions for what circuits do not have
| to be connected to a GFCI (a kitchen refrigerator, for example), but
| since the device saves lives and is cheap, the trend looks like the
| electric code will require a GFCI on almost all receptacle circuits in
| future editions.

AFCI, combination type.