Residental Cat5e Wiring 2

[RyanEOD]

Greetings all,

I have a friend who is building a house and wants Cat5e ran before the walls are drywalled in. I have fished walls before and put boxes in after the drywall is done, but when pulling cable in before the drywall is up what do you all commonly use to attach the cable to the studs?

We don't want to run conduit or anything like that as it would be expensive and we don't see much need for it. Just looking for any suggestions/links. Thanks!

 

[skip555]

I would run conduit to a accessible area then your set for any future needs

 

[franklin97355]

http://www.arrowfastener.com/FMPro?...ml&-lay=Entry&-Op=Equals&item=591188BL&-find=

I use these.

The answer is "42"

 

[RyanEOD]

Skip - the owner doesn't want to run conduit because of the cost of it, and honestly I agree that it might be a little over kill just to put data drops in his house.

Franklin - I was actually thinking of something like that. I was thinking of the two nails with the wire strap that is used for electrical wiring. I didn't know there was a staple version, thanks for the link.

Anyone else have any suggestions? Open to all!

 

[LkEErie]

I don't. Gravity and well placed holes keep the cable where it belongs. Our code does not require us to fasten data cable at intervals like the electrical, so why would you? It makes it pretty difficult to replace a cable when some doofus runs staples every 3 feet

LkEErie

 

[wires]

The main reason to secure your cables is the insulation crew. These tend to be some of the lowest skilled contractors on the job and WILL displace your wiring.

For residential wood frame construction I use standard 1/2" NM (romex) staples driven inline with the cable bundle and attached to the cable bundle with wireties. Don't overtighten the wireties and use 2 when changing direction or if you have more than a 1" bundle.

This method allows you to use standard inexpensive fasteners and keeps you from swinging a hammer at your cables.

For a single cable those Arrow insulated staples may work but I always end up running more than 1 cable. I never had much luck with those staples in anything but brand new wood. Anything hard they didn't have the penetrating power.

 

[robertjo24]

I agree with LkEErie, do not staple the cable in unless you have to.
Pull in the cable and tie up the extra in the bottom of the wall. When you come back to cut in the holes for the plates you can fish the cable out easily enough.

If you are placing junction boxes before the drywall is up (like you do with the electrical) just tie up the extra cable in the box. I would mask over the box to protect against the inevitable “mud blobs” that will find their way in there.

I would not run them on the same stud as the electrical, go at least one over.

If you are worried about the wires getting in the way of the drywall or getting a misplaced screw through a cable that is lying near the front of the watt, use some masking tape to "tack" down the cables to the studs. This will temporarily hole the cables in place, and allow you to easily pull the cables out if you need to replace a bad cable or pull in new ones.

 

[OldPhoneGuy]

If you have wooden studs why not use 5/8" drive rings???

 

[wires]

Remember this is residential construction.

Seldom will you have a drop ceiling. More often it is drywall. Unless trusses are used there will be many holes the cables will go through between the box and anyplace you could "easily ... pull in new ones" using the existing cable as a pull string. These holes will create too much friction for the non-fastened or taped approach to work.

When I started doing residential home automation years ago I though just like LkEErie and robertjo24. It didn't take long for the non-fastened method to prove un-workable.

Run the wires you need now, do a workman like job, and fish new wiring in when you need it. I really is not that hard. Access holes are easy to cut in drywall and can either be blank plated or repaired when you are done fishing. Call an good alarm installer or electrician if you need help.

If you need a new cable in a box first remove the outlet box with a sawzall or sawzall blade in a holder by cutting the nails in between the box and the stud. Next cut a section of drywall out of the ceiling from one ceiling joist to another directly over the box and about 16" into the room. Be neat in removing this piece and you should be able to reuse it. Next drill a new hole in the top plate and fish your wire down to the hole where you removed the box. Replace the box with either a low voltage ring (Caddy MP) or a old work box. The rather large hole in the ceiling will allow you plenty of room to start fishing to your next destination.

Other pointers:

Secure all wires in boxes. Leaving loose wiring in the walls is an invitation to wire damage. Additionally this will make your work easier since the drywallers will cut all the holes for you. A photograph of all box locations with a landmark will enable you to find any boxes the drywallers failed to cut holes for.

Use as deep a nail on box as you can find and cut the bottom corner off with a sawzall to give a generous bend radius for when you install the faceplate.

At least 2 cat5e to any box. For most residential boxes I run 2 cat5e and 1 RG6.

Install your cables after the electricians and before the insulators. This way you can keep your wiring at least 12" away from electrical. Cross electrical at 90 degrees if needed.

Trunk your cables and do a professional job of securing them.

Drill at least a 3/4" hole for your cable bundles. If fire code requires fill them with foam.

Start with a plan. Label everything!


Good luck

 

[ve3slw]

Wires is right. Do a quality job.
Drill the studs as needed, install boxes for all outlets and bundle cables in a path with velcro in the floor joist space in the basement. Instead of electrical boxes, we often use low voltage mounting plates made by Erico or Arlington.