Sacedog's House Wiring Project
- Thread starter Sacedog
- Start date
Sacedog
Active Member
The plan is to use a Russound VM1 with 1 or 2 of them. The other is for baluns for composite standard definition video.
Nice job! I am just completing my wiring now too - insulating and drywall starts this week. We have the open floor joists, so it made running the cables easy. It's taken us several full weekends to get all of our cables run.
I am not sure how to leave the cables at the LV boxes. I've been told that the drywallers are notorious for putting their knives in the boxes to cut out the holes and in the process nick and cut the cables. Any thoughts on how you are going to leave your cables? I was going to bundle them up and leave them in the back of the box, but don't want to have problems.
I am not sure how to leave the cables at the LV boxes. I've been told that the drywallers are notorious for putting their knives in the boxes to cut out the holes and in the process nick and cut the cables. Any thoughts on how you are going to leave your cables? I was going to bundle them up and leave them in the back of the box, but don't want to have problems.
Photon
Active Member
Sacedog, I see you have some red cable going into the garage. Are you installing smokes out there? Rate of rise/heat detectors?
I just pulled a half dozen cables up my Basement-to-Attic pipe, and that bundle got thoroughly tangled with the existing cables. I recommend you remove the 90* bend at the top of yours unless it is absolutely necessary. It is a nice idea to preserve the minimum radius like you did over the pipes on the adjacent pulls, but it will make it harder to use the conduit in the future if the bend is glued in place. I wonder if you could leave it loose, pull cable straight up, and than slip the 90* bent over the bundle to get the gentle curve.
Got2weims, the cables are probably safe from the drywallers tools if you can keep them to the back of the box. It gets messy in the boxes when they spray on the texture, primer, and paint, so unless you want to terminate a bunch of white cables, I'd also stick them into a sandwich bag.
I just pulled a half dozen cables up my Basement-to-Attic pipe, and that bundle got thoroughly tangled with the existing cables. I recommend you remove the 90* bend at the top of yours unless it is absolutely necessary. It is a nice idea to preserve the minimum radius like you did over the pipes on the adjacent pulls, but it will make it harder to use the conduit in the future if the bend is glued in place. I wonder if you could leave it loose, pull cable straight up, and than slip the 90* bent over the bundle to get the gentle curve.
Got2weims, the cables are probably safe from the drywallers tools if you can keep them to the back of the box. It gets messy in the boxes when they spray on the texture, primer, and paint, so unless you want to terminate a bunch of white cables, I'd also stick them into a sandwich bag.
Sacedog
Active Member
One of the FPLR wires is for a heat detector in the garage; the other is for the siren on the exterior of the garage.
The 90* is a sweep 90, which is a nice gradual bend, so cables should pull through there pretty easily. I could see if I had a lot of cables in the pipe though, that that might create a problem. Good thought, and I will probably change that.
That would work for the first pull, but on subsequent pulls that would not work. I will probably just leave it off, and fabricate something like I did for the wire that comes straight up the chase.
Great idea with the sandwich bag! Back of the box is a good place. You also need to be concerned with outside of the box too. Make sure you do not have any slack cable near the front top of the box, as the drywallers typically will use a RotoZip to cut around the box, and have been known to cut wires on the outside of the box with this. Also, make sure that your wire running down the wall is attached to the center of the stud, so that if the drywallers screw misses the stud, it doesn't end up embedded in your wire!
Ranger Digital
Active Member
I just use a couple strips of wide masking tape to cover my boxes. ALL boxes. Course the rotozip can hit that and the baggie too. Best to be there and educate EACH one of them. Hopefully at least one speaks english.
Sacedog
Active Member
Well, the wire is all pulled, and almost everything is ready for the sheetrock. The only thing I have left to get ready is all of the window and door contacts, and to pull up the wire from the basement. I spend the entire day today installing my wiring cans. Over the last few months, I have had time to get everything set up in my cans, so that I knew exactly where I needed holes in the sides. There were a couple of places I could use the standard knockouts, but most I had to punch new holes. I used an expander bit, to get a large hole for the bolt of the hole cutter, and then used the hole cutter to punch all of my holes. I then had to mount the cans, mark where the holes in the studs went, take the cans down, and drill all of those holes. I ended up hitting a few knots, and messed up my wrist from the drill getting stuck.
After drilling all those holes through the studs, both my builder and I thought it would be a good idea to put another 2x4 behind each of the ones that I drilled through. We placed the perpendicular, so that the wall on the opposite side was only pushed out 1.75 inches. This worked for me, as the other side is a hall cabinet, and it is a very short wall. This took a while...
To finish up the day, I installed a sound deadening material to the back side of the stud wall, which should help eliminate noise from that room. We are using 5/8" Type X sheetrock throughout the house, which is great for sound deadening by itself.
In the pic below, the small can is for power, the can above it is for the Elk stuff, the can to the left of the Elk one is for telephone, cable, and punchdowns for the security contacts, and the can to the right is for lighting control. I will also have a 19" rack in the room for all of the data, audio, video, and camera gear.
The box in the wall to the far left in the picture is one of a couple LCD tv boxes. They have three knockouts, one for AC power, and two for low voltage.
The other thing you can see in this picture is the ventaliation. I had them install a Panasonic whisper quiet fan in the closet, and there is a supply vant cut into the floor (right below cans). The supply is ducted to underneath the hall cabinet directly behind the wiring cans, so that the fan will pull in house air for cooling. I'll have a thermostat in this closet, which will turn the fan on and off based on temp (fan switch will be connected to lighting control).
After drilling all those holes through the studs, both my builder and I thought it would be a good idea to put another 2x4 behind each of the ones that I drilled through. We placed the perpendicular, so that the wall on the opposite side was only pushed out 1.75 inches. This worked for me, as the other side is a hall cabinet, and it is a very short wall. This took a while...
To finish up the day, I installed a sound deadening material to the back side of the stud wall, which should help eliminate noise from that room. We are using 5/8" Type X sheetrock throughout the house, which is great for sound deadening by itself.
In the pic below, the small can is for power, the can above it is for the Elk stuff, the can to the left of the Elk one is for telephone, cable, and punchdowns for the security contacts, and the can to the right is for lighting control. I will also have a 19" rack in the room for all of the data, audio, video, and camera gear.
The box in the wall to the far left in the picture is one of a couple LCD tv boxes. They have three knockouts, one for AC power, and two for low voltage.
The other thing you can see in this picture is the ventaliation. I had them install a Panasonic whisper quiet fan in the closet, and there is a supply vant cut into the floor (right below cans). The supply is ducted to underneath the hall cabinet directly behind the wiring cans, so that the fan will pull in house air for cooling. I'll have a thermostat in this closet, which will turn the fan on and off based on temp (fan switch will be connected to lighting control).
Sacedog
Active Member
Thanks for the heads up! Yep, the builder has already taken that into account, so I am good to go there.
Somewhat related...I used 3 CV cans, and 1 Leviton can, and I must say that I really prefer working with the CV cans. The Leviton can had a single hole for mounting, while the CV cans had slots. So the CV cans were much easier to mount to the correct depth for the 5/8" sheetrock. Also, the CV can knockouts popped out much easier than the Leviton ones. About the only thing I liked about the Leviton can, was that it was a slightly heavier gauge sheet metal than the CV ones...a moot point after they were mounted.
beelzerob
Senior Member
I have to giggle at that. Windows and doors took us about a week and a half (of course, we only worked at nights on weekdays), just for all the drilling and wire threading and stuff. A definite pain. I hope yours goes easier! After the first month of work, I learned to stop saying "The only thing left is..." It was driving my wife nuts.
So, you definitely took a different route than me...opting to have cans in from day 1 instead of just working with the rats nest that I enjoy. Not a bad idea. But you're pretty much locked into your wiring scheme then, right? I mean, the wires are going to go into the cans through the wall....so there really won't be any rearranging or changing your mind as to which wire goes in which can, right?
I've got a LOT further to go yet, but when I start putting things together, all my cans will be surface mounted and all my wires will be disconnectable, just because I know I won't hit on the right arrangement of devices and wires on the first several tries. Probably eventually some wires will be permanently connected, but that's as "permanent" as things will get, probably.
Sacedog
Active Member
I have to giggle at that. Windows and doors took us about a week and a half (of course, we only worked at nights on weekdays), just for all the drilling and wire threading and stuff. A definite pain. I hope yours goes easier! After the first month of work, I learned to stop saying "The only thing left is..." It was driving my wife nuts.
Yep, I have been the same way for about two weeks now.
I am hoping door and window contacts wont take me that long...you're making me nervous! I will be working on them tomorrow, and hope to have them done. The wire is already there...I just need to drill the holes, and prep the wire. We'll see... Well, kinda... All my wiring comes up through the basement, directly below the floor of the wiring closet. If you notice the wall that the cans are on, I had them space studs so that I have a 6" cavity in between each can, and the bottom plate of each of those 6" cavities has a 2" x 6" hole through to the basement. I will be able to pretty easily pull new wire, or move wire around if I need to. In addition, I am installing some flexible conduit between cans, so that I can do cross-connects, or other wire between those. I spent a lot of time up front, figuring how everything was going to be installed in each can. I even have all boards mounted, and put them in each can, then took pictures (and then took them all out to store untill I am ready to start hooking them up). I also have already pre drilled each can for wire raceway. So I am pretty confident that everything will work where I planned to install it, but I would be able to change my mind if I need to.
Sacedog
Active Member
Well, I am getting closer to being done. I got all of the wire for the cans, pulled up from the basement, installed all of my future conduit in the cans, and got all of the "rack runs" organized in the basement. The rack runs will be pulled up later, after sheetrock, so that they don't get damaged by the rockers. All of these runs have a lot of slack in them. They include, data, distributed audio, HD and SD video, camera, Intercom, and serial/infrared. I installed flexible Carlon conduit between cans, and from each can down to the basement. I still need to pull the lighting control wire into that can (pink wire in the back), and will probably do so tomorrow. I wanted to group those runs together.
I got all of the security contacts drilled this afternoon, and a lot of the wires prepped for the sheetrockers. It took less time than I had anticipated, and went pretty well. I had the benefit of being on site when the whole-house vacuum installer was installing. His main bread and butter is security / low voltage installation, and just does vacuum installs here and there. He had a TON of tips on prepping for sheetrock, and showed me a ton of things. I think without his insight, the contacts would have taken a lot longer. The two real tricky ones were the two double sliding glass doors. It was a challenge getting wires to the center of those!
Enjoy the pic!
I got all of the security contacts drilled this afternoon, and a lot of the wires prepped for the sheetrockers. It took less time than I had anticipated, and went pretty well. I had the benefit of being on site when the whole-house vacuum installer was installing. His main bread and butter is security / low voltage installation, and just does vacuum installs here and there. He had a TON of tips on prepping for sheetrock, and showed me a ton of things. I think without his insight, the contacts would have taken a lot longer. The two real tricky ones were the two double sliding glass doors. It was a challenge getting wires to the center of those!
Enjoy the pic!
felixrosbergen
Senior Member
HI gents,
little of topic, but how would i mount the wiring cans in a concreate basement that I plan to finish at a later time? I do put a few studs againsts the concreate walls and put the cans in between?
little of topic, but how would i mount the wiring cans in a concreate basement that I plan to finish at a later time? I do put a few studs againsts the concreate walls and put the cans in between?
Sacedog
Active Member
Either that, or you could mount the cans directly to the concrete using concrete bolts.
thewireguy
Active Member
If your going to have insulation in your attic I would recommend removing the 90 sweep from your chase pipe and adding about 2 feet to keep it above the insulation. Trust me it will not be fun to hunt for that in 24inchs of blown insulation. I have done it more time then I care to admit.
