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Posted: 1/12/2009 9:00:57 AM EST
How old is the house? If it is an old Balloon Frame house, there wouldnt be any fire stops in the walls...
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Posted: 1/12/2009 9:05:47 AM EST
1978
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Posted: 1/12/2009 9:08:25 AM EST
Most likely their won't be any direct access. Try ductwork, or if all else fails, you can run it down the exterior corner of your house and back into the basement.
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Posted: 1/12/2009 9:09:53 AM EST
I was hoping to avoid going to the exterior.
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Posted: 1/12/2009 9:17:05 AM EST
What about where the pipes are? I've seen space around pipes, especially drain pipes before.
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Posted: 1/12/2009 9:19:30 AM EST
I thought of that too but both of the upstairs bathrooms have two floors below them to get to the basement.
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Posted: 1/12/2009 9:36:03 AM EST
Quoted:
Most likely their won't be any direct access. Try ductwork, or if all else fails, you can run it down the exterior corner of your house and back into the basement. I know you didn't like this idea but I'll tell you what I did If you have vinyl or aluminium siding at the corners that piece of trim is usually hollow....I ran the wire from the vent in my attic along the soffit to that corner & then pushed the wire down that hollow corner piece all the way to the foundation.... It looks pretty good, & beats seeing a wire running down the siding If you have stucco or dryvit....well youre screwed.. |
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Posted: 1/12/2009 9:41:01 AM EST
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Most likely their won't be any direct access. Try ductwork, or if all else fails, you can run it down the exterior corner of your house and back into the basement. I know you didn't like this idea but I'll tell you what I did If you have vinyl or aluminium siding at the corners that piece of trim is usually hollow....I ran the wire from the vent in my attic along the soffit to that corner & then pushed the wire down that hollow corner piece all the way to the foundation.... It looks pretty good, & beats seeing a wire running down the siding If you have stucco or dryvit....well youre screwed.. That is what I was getting at. |
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Posted: 1/12/2009 9:50:13 AM EST
I need to run 8 coax cables and 12 cat5 cables plus one romex.
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Posted: 1/12/2009 10:28:12 AM EST
Quoted:
I need to run 8 coax cables and 12 cat5 cables plus one romex. Open a wall. |
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Posted: 1/12/2009 10:30:54 AM EST
Quoted: Quoted: I need to run 8 coax cables and 12 cat5 cables plus one romex. Open a wall. I was hoping to avoid that but at this point it's probably my only option. |
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Posted: 1/12/2009 10:42:23 AM EST
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I need to run 8 coax cables and 12 cat5 cables plus one romex. Open a wall. I was hoping to avoid that but at this point it's probably my only option. Find a place in all stories that will line up from basement to attic. open all the walls and install multiple conduits. Make the cutouts from stud to stud, floor to ceiling. Save the pieces of drywall. Sister a 2x2 (even ripped from a 2x4) with screws to the studs on each side of the opening. After running the conduit, use the same drywall and screw it onto the sisters. Tape and mud the joints with mesh tape and setting compound (Easysand). Touch up the paint. Pull whatever you want in the conduit. |
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Posted: 1/12/2009 1:50:27 PM EST
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I need to run 8 coax cables and 12 cat5 cables plus one romex. Open a wall. I was hoping to avoid that but at this point it's probably my only option. Find a place in all stories that will line up from basement to attic. open all the walls and install multiple conduits. Make the cutouts from stud to stud, floor to ceiling. Save the pieces of drywall. Sister a 2x2 (even ripped from a 2x4) with screws to the studs on each side of the opening. After running the conduit, use the same drywall and screw it onto the sisters. Tape and mud the joints with mesh tape and setting compound (Easysand). Touch up the paint. Pull whatever you want in the conduit. |
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Posted: 1/12/2009 6:38:25 PM EST
Find a place in all stories that will line up from basement to attic. open all the walls and install multiple conduits. Make the cutouts from stud to stud, floor to ceiling. Save the pieces of drywall. Sister a 2x2 (even ripped from a 2x4) with screws to the studs on each side of the opening. After running the conduit, use the same drywall and screw it onto the sisters. Tape and mud the joints with mesh tape and setting compound (Easysand). Touch up the paint. Pull whatever you want in the conduit. Yeah, that... ^ |
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Posted: 1/13/2009 12:36:29 PM EST
OP,
If you have an interior chimney, there may be room next to it to run the lines you wish. BTDT with coax and alarm wire. |
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Posted: 1/14/2009 4:39:24 AM EST
If you can find a path through closets on both levels, you could possibly run conduit in the back corner of the closet and no one would be the wiser. Our radon vent pipe is run through the back corner of the coat closet.
Best solution is still opening walls. |
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Posted: 1/14/2009 4:50:35 AM EST
be careful running wires through duct work, the wire needs to be UL rafted for plenum use and be able to handle the temperature inside the ducts.
you can try this if you house has return air grills in every room like they should. in older homes they just used transfer grills were their is one high in the wall and the other one low out in a common hall or stairs. they usually just used the drywall space so remove the grill up high drill a hole up through the plate for your wires and then go on the other side and drill a hole down low where the other grill is. usually older homes lined the walls of on floor above the walls of the other floor so once in the wall you just keep on going. HD and lowes also has long drill bits with flexible shafts just for pulling wire. you drill, catch the drill bit on the other side, remove the bit from the drill and put a wire through the hole in the end of the drill bit and pull your new wire down |
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Posted: 1/14/2009 5:22:52 AM EST
Quoted:
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Quoted:
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I need to run 8 coax cables and 12 cat5 cables plus one romex. Open a wall. I was hoping to avoid that but at this point it's probably my only option. Find a place in all stories that will line up from basement to attic. open all the walls and install multiple conduits. Make the 8" round cutouts between studs from stud to stud, floor to ceiling. at floor and ceiling Save the pieces of drywall. A 4' Greenlee drill bit designed for pulling wire, will come in very handy at this point to get through the top and bottom plates Sister a 2x2 (even ripped from a 2x4) with screws to the studs on each side of the opening. Fasten with screws a 1x2 across hole on the inside of the wall cavity. Then replace the saved piece of drywall and fasten to the 1x2 with a screw in the center of it. After running the conduit, use the same drywall and screw it onto the sisters. No conduit needed, but keep AC and data separated. Tape and mud the joints with mesh tape and setting compound (Easysand). Use light weight patching compound. Patch-n-paint or equal. Sand smooth. If your wall is textured, then apply texture to match. That last step will be the hardest for you if you're not experienced at such skills Touch up the paint. Pull whatever you want in the conduit. |
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Posted: 1/14/2009 9:36:39 PM EST
You have a closet?
ETA: Oh and if you do run through a conduit, don't forget to LUBE!!! Jk...I did several thousand feet fiber runs in the past and you can never have enough lube!!! |
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Posted: 1/15/2009 3:51:57 AM EST
Quoted:
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I need to run 8 coax cables and 12 cat5 cables plus one romex. Open a wall. I was hoping to avoid that but at this point it's probably my only option. Find a place in all stories that will line up from basement to attic. open all the walls and install multiple conduits. Make the 8" round cutouts between studs from stud to stud, floor to ceiling. at floor and ceiling Save the pieces of drywall. A 4' Greenlee drill bit designed for pulling wire, will come in very handy at this point to get through the top and bottom plates Sister a 2x2 (even ripped from a 2x4) with screws to the studs on each side of the opening. Fasten with screws a 1x2 across hole on the inside of the wall cavity. Then replace the saved piece of drywall and fasten to the 1x2 with a screw in the center of it. After running the conduit, use the same drywall and screw it onto the sisters. No conduit needed, but keep AC and data separated. Tape and mud the joints with mesh tape and setting compound (Easysand). Use light weight patching compound. Patch-n-paint or equal. Sand smooth. If your wall is textured, then apply texture to match. That last step will be the hardest for you if you're not experienced at such skills Touch up the paint. Pull whatever you want in the conduit. More work than just opening the whole cavity and putting in conduit that allows for adding future lines without repeating the wall damage. If the house is old enough it may also have stops in the cavities, leading to more holes. If you needed new lines once, you are likely to need them again. If you use Easysand you can apply multiple coats in a single day and have the job done. Premix mud hardens by drying, setting compounds by chemical reaction. |
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Posted: 1/15/2009 4:08:42 AM EST
I did CAT5 through my cold air return, and one run of COAX.
It just took a big washer, some strong fishing line and someone to listen for it banging around. Then I just pried it open and fished it out with a coat hangar. Don't rely on seeing light to determine if a path is good. Also, CAT5 bundles can be reduced to 1 with switches. If you run AC power along CAT5, expect your CAT5 not to work. DO NOT RUN POWER ALONG DATA unless your data is optical for more than a few feet. AC will kill your data throughput or cause it to not work at all. You seriously have NO power in the attic? Every old or new I have ever been in had at least one plug or bulb socket that could be used for power. If this is a multi-camera security system or something, I might suggest contacting one of the "theater stereo" type guys, who will know about running cables all over. Just consulting with them a bit might save you tons of time. Don't forget to wear eye protection when pulling cables, cold air returns will hold lots of dust and dead bugs that you don't want falling in your eyes. |
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Posted: 1/15/2009 4:19:26 AM EST
Maybe I'll wander around a bit more in the attic before I knock some holes in the wall. The entire upstairs is due to be painted late summer but I'm not sure if the wife will let me leave a huge patch for several months.
I did structured cabling for over a decade, but it was all commercial applications. I have no experience working in existing wood frame construction. The only power I have in the attic is for the vent. I would prefer to have everything home run to the basement. |
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Posted: 1/15/2009 10:19:48 AM EST
No need for all those Cat5s. Run two lines (extra insurance in case a mouse gets the one you're using), plug one into the switch in the basement, plug the other end into the uplink port of the 16 port switch in your attic.
Run power to the attic for lights and the switch, it's nice to not work in the dark (or with a handheld light) if you ever need to go up there. Kharn |
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Posted: 1/15/2009 3:24:09 PM EST
chimney?
there was a gap next to my chimney. I was able to drop coax down the gap |
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Posted: 1/15/2009 5:39:46 PM EST
Quoted:
No need for all those Cat5s. Run two lines (extra insurance in case a mouse gets the one you're using), plug one into the switch in the basement, plug the other end into the uplink port of the 16 port switch in your attic. Run power to the attic for lights and the switch, it's nice to not work in the dark (or with a handheld light) if you ever need to go up there. Kharn If his attic done get too hot, it will work. |
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Posted: 1/16/2009 5:02:48 AM EST
Quoted:
Quoted:
No need for all those Cat5s. Run two lines (extra insurance in case a mouse gets the one you're using), plug one into the switch in the basement, plug the other end into the uplink port of the 16 port switch in your attic. Run power to the attic for lights and the switch, it's nice to not work in the dark (or with a handheld light) if you ever need to go up there. Kharn If his attic done get too hot, it will work. Most of the commercial stuff is so inexpensive it will not operate past ~40C (104F) very reliably. Attic temps routinely get that high and hotter. |
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Posted: 1/20/2009 3:57:25 AM EST
Install these http://www.accesspanel.com/ and paint over them so you can add later when needed.
We usually can find closets that stack somewhere so they aren't visible. just make sure after you drill through the fireblocking to stuff some unfaced fiberglass insulation in the cavity when you are done There is no such thing as enough spare wires in the attic. When I built my house 5 years ago I installed 8 extra cat5 and rg6 cables each from the low voltage panel to the attic in addition to a phone/network and cable drop to each room with 2 more cable in the master and living room. I just used my last cable and had to fish extras. |
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Posted: 1/27/2009 1:54:45 AM EST
So what did you decide on?
I personally would have found a closet and either run a conduit in the corner or frame a little 8" x 8" square from ceiling to floor. |
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