Rough Wiring in Remodeling Work

Remodeling presents a number of challenges not found in new construction. Work in newer one-story houses built above an unfinished basement isn’t difficult because you can access all the walls by drilling up through the basement. Work in older homes is another story because you don’t know what you will run into inside walls and ceilings.

Calculating Load

It’s possible that your service is loaded to near capacity. The best way to determine this is to measure the current coming into the panel during a time of peak use—when dinner is baking in the oven, clothes are tumbling in the dryer, and the air conditioner is running, for example. This measurement is taken with a clamp-on ammeter, which simply clips over a conductor while the reading is being taken. However, taking this measurement is difficult, sometimes impossible, because there usually is little slack in the wires connected to the mains, and space inside the panel is tight. Also, few home owners own or have access to an ammeter, so this job should be done by a professional electrician. Both hots should be read; the highest reading is the one to consider. Add the estimated load of the new work to the reading and compare that to the service rating (the capacity of the service entrance). Most likely there will be plenty of capacity available for the planned addition and , ideally, there will be space remaining in the panel for additional circuit breakers or fuses. How ever, if the readings plus the estimated load of the addition approach the service rating, you may want to enlarge your service or downsize the planned addition. An alternate, but less accurate, way to estimate current is to add the total wattage of all light bulbs, permanent appliances, and anticipated loads during peak use. Divide this total by the voltage to obtain amperage. A rule of thumb to follow is that any circuit, the mains included, should not be loaded to more than 80 percent of capacity if the load is to continue for more than three hours at a time.

Tying in to Existing Circuits

The real difficulty in connecting new receptacles to existing wiring often lies in getting the cable to the panel or into existing outlet boxes where the connection will be made to the wiring system. Remember that all such connections must be made in boxes or at the panel. Once the cable is in the box or panel, the connections should not be difficult to make.

At the Receptacle

Before beginning any actual work, shut off the power to the outlet box from which you plan to feed the new receptacle.

Remove the cover and then re move the screws and pull the receptacle and its wiring as far out of the box as possible. Using a flashlight, take a long, careful look inside the box. If it appears to have just enough room for its receptacle and existing wires, you probably should go else where for power. Also, you may find that you can’t physically get another cable into the box because there isn’t a knockout available where you need one.

Look at the top and bottom only. Don’t consider coming into the back or sides of the box. If there is a knockout where you need one, test to see if it can be removed. Knockouts are intended to be removed from the outside of the box, so removing them from the inside is a difficult task at best. Some times no matter how hard you punch the knockout from the inside, it won’t give. If this happens, try drilling a 1 hole through the front edge of the knockout, prying it up with a screwdriver tip, and then twisting it out with pliers. This sometimes works. However, be aware that if it doesn’t, you will have to close up the partial hole you have made. Any knockout that's removed accidentally has to be replaced with a closure.

The cable clamps in switch boxes are arranged to grip two cables coming into both the top and the bottom of the box. Some boxes have pryouts in the cable openings next to the clamps that can easily be re moved from the inside with the tip of a screwdriver.

After looking at the conditions inside the box, you’ll have to decide whether to tap the power here or go elsewhere. The ideal choice for powering new receptacles is at the service panel, but getting cable back to the panel in an old home is often difficult because of the distances and obstacles involved.

Power can also be picked up from existing surface-mounted boxes in unfinished basements and attics, or from midspans of exposed cable runs using the two-box method described in the section on Knob-and-Tube Wiring later in this section. Don’t forget to run a ground wire when this is done; it's very important.

At the Subpanel

Another solution is to install a subpanel. Subpanels are enclosures that contain a number of circuit breakers or fuseholders intended to feed small individual loads. They differ from the service panel in that they don’t have a main breaker and the neutral bus bar isn't bonded (electrically connected) to its enclosure. Instead, a separate bus is installed so that it's bonded to the enclosure as well as to the service panel. The bare grounding wires in all the cables leaving the subpanel connect to this bus.

Subpanels that supply power to additional branch circuits are often installed next to the service equipment when all the circuit-breaker spaces in the main panel have been used up. They’re also used where several branch circuits are needed in a certain space such as a workshop or kitchen. A subpanel may also be installed in an area where extensive remodeling is to be done and several new branch circuits will be needed.

Mount the subpanel where it will be readily accessible without having to move or climb over anything. You can surface-mount a subpanel in unfinished spaces, but it should be flush-mounted anywhere else in the house. Flush-mount the subpanel in inside walls for easiest access.

Adapting to Existing Wiring

Wiring to electrical outlets in remodel work is sometimes connected to nearby receptacles rather than being run all the way back to the panel. This is especially true if the remodeling involves adding only one or two receptacles, and the route to the panel is difficult. If possible, running a cable up from an unfinished basement or down from the attic is generally the easiest option.

Nonmetallic-sheathed cable is commonly used in remodeling even when another wiring method was used to wire the house originally. Connecting to the existing wiring usually means removing the existing receptacle connections, splicing them to the new cable, and adding a set of pigtails—6-inch pieces of wire that are used to reconnect the receptacle to the house wiring. Be sure to connect color to color, and attach the white pigtail to the silver-colored screw on the receptacle, the black to the brass-colored screw, and the bare or green to the green screw. Don’t simply connect to the second set of screws on the receptacle; this would create a possible shock hazard.

Aluminum Wiring

Many of the homes built around 1970 were wired with aluminum wiring, either nonmetallic- sheathed cable or aluminum wire in Greenfield, in order to save money. Aluminum wiring still costs about half what cop per wiring costs, but it also has been the cause of many residential fires, according to the Consumer Product Safety Com mission. Heating problems sometimes occur where the aluminum wire connects to a screw terminal on a switch or receptacle, often because the screw was over-tightened during installation, seriously nicking or flattening the wire and reducing its cross-section area which in turn reduced its ampacity. Conductor oxidation at terminals can also create high-resistance connections that can cause heating problems.

One remedy for houses where aluminum wire was in stalled in Greenfield is to re place the aluminum with copper. This isn’t as difficult as it may sound. With the power off, the aluminum wire is used to pull the copper wire in. Having a plan of the wiring scheme of the house makes this job a bit easier.

A simpler method for both aluminum nonmetallic- sheathed cable and aluminum wire in Greenfield is to turn off the power and disconnect the aluminum conductors from the switch or receptacle. Conned copper pigtails to the aluminum, and then reconnect the device to the copper wiring. Wire nuts used to be approved for use with copper-to-aluminum connections in dry locations, and this configuration is safe in existing wiring. However, the code specifies that wire nuts can no longer be used for copper-to- aluminum connections. There are now special connectors available to do the job. They are designed in such a way that the copper and aluminum contact the connector material but not each other, so galvanic action, which corrodes metal, can’t take place between them. A common connector for this application is a split-bolt connector with a separator that keeps the two conductors apart. Another type is shaped like a cylinder, has a hole in each end for the wires, and uses set screws to hold the conductors firmly in the connector. An antioxidant compound should be applied to all aluminum connections when they’re being made in order to prevent serious oxidation. These connectors must also be insulated with electrical tape before their circuits are energized again.

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50 Aluminum and Knob-and-Tube Wiring

Knob and Tube

Aluminum

Switch or receptacle must be marked CO/ALR. Any other marking, such as AL-CU, isn't acceptable.

Wires must be attached at screws, not push-in terminals.

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Knob and Tube

Rarely, a cable connection must be made to knob-and-tube wiring, a wiring method used when homes were first electrified. In this system, cylindrical porcelain knobs were nailed into position to support individual conductors along the sides and across the edges of framing members. When the wiring had to pass through a framing member, porcelain tubes were set in holes drilled at a slightly downward angle and the individual wires were pulled through the tubes. It’s very difficult to connect new wiring to a receptacle in this type of system for a variety of reasons. It’s likely that the wire insulation may be brittle with age; it may look intact, but touch it and it disintegrates. The best place to connect to a knob-and-tube system is in the attic along the floor joists, and this often means lifting some floorboards to uncover the wiring. Look first in the area above a receptacle. Wires feeding a receptacle, unlike a switch loop, are more likely to be on all the time.

You will also find that both wires in a knob-and-tube branch circuit are the same color, so your next task is to determine which is the hot wire and mark it with black tape. Start by turning off the power; then strip about 1 inch of insulation from one wire at a point midway between two knobs. To do this, simply crush the insulation with a pair of pliers, and then pick the bits of insulation off the wire. Move downstream about 3 inches and do the same to the other wire. Next, turn the power back on and return to the wiring with a voltage tester. Hold a fingertip against one of the leads of the tester while you carefully hold the other test lead, without touching the metal tip, against the bare spot on one wire and then the other. Note that this procedure re quires careful attention to safety. You must not be touching any other metal, standing in water or on damp ground, or grounded in any other way while performing this test. If you are uncomfortable with this technique, an alternative method is to ground one of the voltage-tester leads against a water pipe or other known ground (using a jumper wire if necessary) and touch the other lead to each of the wires you are testing. The hot wire is the conductor that lights your tester. 1bi off the power again and mark the hot wire with black tape near the two closest knobs.

Now cut both wires midway between the knobs, mount a box within 12 inches of each of the knobs, and route the existing wires into their respective boxes. Connect the two boxes with a short piece of nonmetallic- sheathed cable and splice the wires to restore power to every thing downstream. Power for additional outlets is now avail able in both boxes.

The porcelain bushings and flexible tubing (called loom) as well as the knobs, cleats, and tubes used in original knob- and -tube wiring have become antique-store items, so you’ll have to innovate a bit. Use plastic 4-inch square boxes. Run the old wires into separate openings in each box after re moving the cable clamp from the end of the box. Secure the nonmetallic-sheathed cable with the clamps in the other ends of the boxes and strap the cable within a foot of each box. Remember, these boxes must remain accessible, so install them so the cover plates re main visible when you replace the floorboards.

51 Installation in Wallboard

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1. Drill a small test hole and check for obstructions with a piece of bent wire

2. Trace the outline of the front of the box on the wall

3. Cut along the outline and knock out the piece of wallboard

4. Pull the cable through a knockout in the box as you set it in the hole

5. Push the box into place

6. Tighten the bracket screw

Grounding

The method described above doesn’t provide grounding for receptacles that will be added to this circuit. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) should be installed at the first electrical outlet fed from this tap in the attic, and any additional receptacles should be fed from the GFCI. Do not connect a grounding conductor to these additional receptacles. This way, all the new receptacles will be deenergized if a ground fault occurs on any of them.

Planning Runs

Plan and do your work in ways that yield the desired results, yet strive for a minimum of cleanup and restoration work. Avoid work in outside walls except where absolutely necessary. It is often nearly impossible to push a fish tape up an outside wall cavity because it's filled with batt-type insulation or because of the fire-stops and other obstructions often found in older homes. Route cables through inside walls whenever possible.

Drilling up from the basement or down from the attic is almost always easier than running cable through a finished wall. It’s sometimes advantageous to run cable up through a closet. When this is done, the holes should be drilled in a corner of the closet and the cable must be protected by metal pipe or conduit where it's exposed. The easiest way to ensure protection is to use BX cable for the exposed portion. Nonmetallic cable can be fished in the space between the first and second floors if the route runs parallel to the floor joists. Simply cut pockets in the floor next to the wall at both ends of the run and fish the cable from pocket to pocket. The pockets also allow you to drill down into the walls below. Restoring a floor is usually easier than restoring the ceiling below, especially when the floor is carpeted.

Installing a Ceiling Box in Wallboard

1. Saw out a square about 8” across.

2. Inside the opening, measure the distance to the joist. Measure that distance on the ceiling, add ¾”, and mark the center of the joist.

3. Use a steel square to cut out the square of wallboard between the joists. Trim away the backing on the edges.

4. Cut a piece of wallboard ½” smaller than the hole. Trace the outline of the box and cut out the opening.

Note: You may be able to use a simple cut-in box for lightweight fixtures.

5. Tack the hanger box in place and nail the ceiling panel along the edges.

6. Press wallboard joint compound around the panel, apply joist paper, and spread 4 thin coats of compound on top.

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53

Metal Lath and Plaster Walls

5. Pull the cable through a knockout and screw the box to the lath.

Cut-in Boxes

There are a variety of boxes available for remodeling. The principle difference between remodeling boxes and those used in new work is in the methods used to mount them:

Utility boxes in new work are mounted directly to the house framing, whereas cut-in boxes in remodeling are attached to the finish material of the walls or ceiling, whether it's plaster, wallboard, or paneling. The plaster ears on metal cut-in boxes and the flanges on plastic cut-in boxes keep them from falling into the hole. Simply tightening a device or devices attached to the box clamps the box in place from the inside.

1. If you find metal lath when you chisel a hole, cover the whole area with masking tape.

2. Outline the box on the tape, drill a 3/8” hole at each corner, and cut along the outline with a knife.

3. Chisel the plaster from the lath.

4. Saw the metal lath from the hole with a saber saw or hacksaw

5. Install the box as for wallboard

Wooden Lath and Plaster Walls

1. Chisel plaster from the full width of one lath.

2. Make a cardboard template of the box, center it on the exposed lath, and trace around it.

3. Put masking tape around the outline, score the outline with a knife, and cut it out with a saber saw or keyhole saw. Brace wall with hand and cut slowly.

4. Chip away a little more plaster so the ears fit against the lath when you put the box in the hole. Adjust the ears so the face of the box is flush with the wall.

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To mount a cut-in box, first cut a hole in the wall the approximate size and shape of the box. This cutout must be made at a point in the wall that's clear of any framing or other obstructions.

Usually a template, furnished with the box, is used to mark the shape of the opening. If you don’t have a template, hold the box with its opening against the wall and trace the outline on the surface. Do not trace around the plaster ears or mounting flanges. After marking the desired shape on the wall, make the cutout using a method appropriate for the type of wall material involved.

Pull the cable up through the wall and into the opening until about 12 inches of cable sticks out of the wall. Then prepare the box to accept the cable. Remove the cable clamp and , if it's a metal box, the knockout that's going to be used. If the box is plastic, punch out the cable opening and trim it smooth with a knife. Loosely reattach the cable clamp and push the cable into the box through the knockout or cable opening, far enough so that at least 8 inches of the outer jacket of the cable can be removed. Then remove the jacket with pliers and a cable ripper or knife.

Take the cable end in one hand and the box in the other and , tilting the upper end of the box away from the wall, push the bottom of the box into the opening until the cable entering it's well inside the wall. Then straighten the box and push it into the wall as far as it will go. The plaster ears or mounting flanges will keep it from falling into the wall cavity. Push the excess cable down through the box and into the wall until just ¼ to ½ inch of the cable jacket shows above the clamp.

Tighten the cable-clamp screw, and then tighten the screw or screws that operate the mounting device on the box until the box is held firmly in the wall.

Snap brackets and swing clamps are two popular clamping devices found on non metallic old-work boxes. A snap bracket is a U-shaped piece of sheet metal about 1½ inches wide that fits loosely over a box, covering both sides and the bottom of the box. A coarse-thread tapping screw passes through a hole in the back of the box and then into a tapped hole in the back of the bracket. The box is pushed all the way into the cutout in the wall, and then the bracket screw is pushed into the box, which pushes the snap bracket far enough into the opening for its ends to clear the opening and snap open about ½ inch on each side of the box. The bracket screw is then tightened until the box is held securely in place.

Swing clamps are flags, or fingers, that slide back and forth in channels molded on outer sides of the box and are allowed to swing out 90 degrees from the sides of the !YYX. lhpping screws pass through hubs on the front of the box, which are positioned directly over the channels, and then thread into the flags. The flags are against the box before it's pushed into the cutout. When the box is in place, tighten the clamp screws. The first quarter turn swings the damps out 90 degrees from the des of the box; the remaining turns thaw the clamps toward the front of the box, thus damping it firmly in place.

Sometimes cut-in metal boxes are installed using a box support that's nearly identical to the snap bracket described earlier. In addition, two other types of supports are commonly used with metal boxes.

One such type uses a jack- screw arrangement on each side of the box. Turning the screws causes the slotted, straight strips of metal which the screws thread into to form a V shape that pulls toward the front of the box. This clamping action will hold the box firmly in place.

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54 Wood Walls

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Sheet-metal grip fasteners or box supports are used in pairs to mount metal boxes in wall materials up to 1 inch thick. (The other types described in this section are for use in walls that are approximately ½ inch thick.) The fasteners, sometimes called steamboats or mouse- traps, resemble the letter E with a 1-inch extension of the vertical line of the letter. After the box is in place, a clamp, with the long leg up, is worked into the cutout next to the box. The clamp is centered vertically on the box and pulled forward. While holding the box to keep it from shifting, bend each finger of the clamp sharply over the front edge and down into the box. Repeat the procedure on the other side of the box, then pinch all four fingers tightly with pliers.

Boxes can be installed in wood paneling or baseboards by attaching them to the wall with small wood screws that pass through holes in their plaster ears. Take care to make the cutouts no larger than absolutely necessary; if they are too large, there may not be enough wall material at the top and bottom of the box to accommodate the screws.

Metal boxes can be fastened to the wood lath in lath-and- plaster walls. The procedure begins with marking an approximate box location on the wall. Then, using a ½-inch cold chisel and hammer and a drill with a small masonry bit, chisel and drill a small, ½-inch-wide vertical channel through the plaster to the lath but not into it. Continue the channel, working a little bit up and then down, until one full lath is exposed. The center of this lath will be the center of the cutout. Draw an outline slightly larger than 3 inches high and 2 inches wide centered vertically over the center of the lath. Using the drill and chisel, remove all the plaster within this area and then carefully saw out the lath with a keyhole saw.

Test-fit the box and trim the opening where necessary. Slip the box into the cutout and trace the outline of the plaster ears on the wall. Take the box

55 Installing a Hanger Box in Lath and Plaster

Note: You may be able to use a simple cut-in box for lightweight fixtures.

1. Using a hammer and chisel, chip out a channel the width of a lath between 2 joists

2. Hold a piece of wood next to the outline of the ceiling box as you cut from marker hole to marker hole.

3. Cut the exposed lath on the outside of the 2 joists and remove the nails.

4. Once the box is installed, fill the channel with patching plaster, allow to dry, and smooth in a layer of spackling compound.

Running Cable in an Attic

out of the opening and remove only the plaster — not the lath — within the outlines. Adjust the plaster ears so they’re set back from the front of the box the thickness of the plaster. Bring your cable into the box, and then work the box and cable back into the opening. Secure the box to the lath using small screws run through the holes in the plaster ears. Because old lath splits easily, drill small pilot holes in the lath for these mounting screws. Fill the gaps around the box with spackling compound.

Another technique is to use the type of plastic box with a U-shaped spring clamp attached. You will have to cut off the ends of the clamp so it will clear the thick lath-and-plaster wall.

It’s usually easy to run cable on the surface or through unfinished walls. Difficulties arise when the cable leaves the basement or attic and enters the finished walls and ceiling spaces. Two special tools are required for working inside the walls: One is an electronic stud finder; the other is a fish tape.

The electronic stud finder lets you map the wall interiors without having to drill exploratory holes. You can locate studs, blocking, or other obstacles inside the wall without damaging it. Stud finders work very well on finish materials that are of uniform density, such as wallboard and paneling, and they work quite well on sound plaster walls.

One fish tape on the job is good; two is much better. One fish tape lets you fish from a small or large opening into a larger area, for example, from a small hole through the top plates down into a cutout in the wall, or between pockets cut in the floor.

1. Push a piece of wire through a hole directly above the existing outlet to mark the spot in the attic.

2. Drill a ¾ hole through the top plate of the wall adjacent to the marking wire.

Running Cable through Walls

Most fish tapes used in residential work are made of flat metal spring stock that's inch wide and /i6 inch thick. Spring stock is used because it doesn’t kink easily. It does, however, tend to arch, so were you to push it into a hole in the top plate with the intention of it continuing down inside the wall and into an open knock out in a box below, it would never hit the knockout. A piece of solid wire with a small hook on the end can be pushed up into the wall through the open knockout to snag the fish tape and draw it out through the knockout, but success with this technique is marginal at best.

A more reliable method is to push the first fish tape down about halfway toward the box, and then push a second fish tape up through the knockout and most of the way up into the wall. Then the person working above cranks the top fish tape while the person below moves the lower fish tape up and down. The two tapes will hook together and the upper tape can then be pulled down into the box.

Avoid damaging the ceiling if at all possible. Ceiling restoration is far more difficult than patching a wall or fixing most floor damage.

Closing up a hole in wall board isn’t difficult. Cut two pieces of 1 by 3 or 1 by 4 to a length about the height of the hole. Then, using a variable-speed drill, a Phillips-head bit, and wallboard screws, slip the wood strips into the hole and attach one to each side by holding them in place and screwing through the wallboard. Half the width of each strip should be inside the wall and the other half should be exposed; put the cutout piece in place and screw it to the exposed half of each strip. Then tape, apply joint compound, and sand to finish the job. The cutout won’t show.

Some ways of running cable through walls involve extensive cutouts and channeling. This technique adds a lot of difficult restoration work to the job. Sometimes this is unavoidable of course, but it should be kept to a minimum. Alternative routes are often present behind baseboards and door casings.

Running Cable Under the House

1 Below the end-of-the-run receptacle, drill a pilot hole through the floor and push a piece of wire through it

3. Push the cable up through the hole and have a helper hook the end with fish tape and pull it through the box

4. If the cable runs perpendicular to the joists, drill ¾” holes through the center of the joists and pull it through

Whatever the case, when ever you run across a wall rather than through it, remove the finish material down to the studs, and then put notches in the studs to lay the cable in. After the cable is in place, nail approved plates over each notch as protection against damage by nails or screws. Then close up the walls in appropriate fashion.

Some Typical Projects

Often a room needs an additional receptacle on a particular wall. If the location on the wall isn’t critical, and if there is a receptacle somewhere on the other side of the wall in the next room, installing the new receptacle is no problem. Here, as in most remodel work, you have to have an accurate sense of the framing inside the wall. Use a stud finder or other means to locate the studs in the area in which you will be working. Plot their locations with light pencil marks on the wall. With this information, you should be able to tell on which side of the stud the existing outlet box is mounted, and from this location determine how much space is available for another box at the same elevation in the same wall void.

Make a reference mark on the wall about 3 or 4 inches from the side of the void away from the existing box. Measure carefully along the wall from this point to a point that's common to both sides of the wall—a doorway, perhaps— and measure that same distance back on the other side of the wall. This point will be the centerline of the cutout for the new box.

From here it's just a matter of making the cutout, installing the cable, and connecting it at both ends. Remember, when picking up power from an existing receptacle, the original wires should be disconnected and spliced to the new cable along with a set of pigtails that will be used to reconnect the old receptacle to the house electrical system. Don’t use one receptacle to directly re-feed another; this could create a possible shock hazard.

Another frequent remodel project is installing a new ceiling light and switch in a room. If the ceiling isn’t accessible from above, determine the direction the ceiling joists run because the wiring to the ceiling box must be fished in the same direction. Then mark a location for the box that falls between two joists, and cut an opening in the ceiling sized for the cut-in box you will be using. For boxes with hanger bars you will need to cut the opening large enough to expose both ceiling joists. Now go to a pint on an inside wall beneath two joists the light will be 1 and , beginning about 4 inches down from the ceiling, make a clean rectangular open mg in the wall. It should be a 16 inches high and 12 inches wide. Once inside the all, drill a ¾-inch hole straight up through the top plates into the ceiling space. Form a smooth bend in the end of a fish tape and push it up into the hole so that the hook is heading more or less toward the opening in the ceiling. Push until you think there is enough tape in the ceiling to reach the cutout. Then go to the cutout, reach inside, and pull out the tape. Pull cable from the ceiling box through the opening in the wall, and then route it to the new switch location. If you aren't bringing power to the light fixture through the switch, you will have to fish a new cable from the power source to the ceiling fixture in a similar fashion.

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58 Installing Ceiling Boxes from Above

3. Center a box on the marker hole, trace its outline, and drill holes at each of its 8 corners.

2. Using the marker hole and nails as a guide, cut a board or 2 from the attic floor.

1. Drill a 14” marker hole where you want the new box in the ceiling.

5. Use metal shears to snip the tabs from the ends of the adjustable hanger. Adjust the hanger to fit between the joists, attach the box so it's positioned directly over the hole, and screw the hanger to the joists.

When working in walls covered with wallpaper, cut three- sided flaps in the paper and tape them up out of the way wherever you need to cut a hole in the wall. Make the flaps large enough to fully cover your repair work in the wall.

Surface Raceways

Sometimes it isn't practical to extend a circuit using any of the old-work methods de scribed earlier. When this is true, surface raceways, metal or plastic, offer a low-cost, easy-to- install option. These raceways, which have been available for years, avoid the messy, time consuming, and somewhat difficult job of opening walls and ceilings. Their main drawback is that they sit exposed on wall and ceiling surfaces. The sys tem includes outlet starter boxes that mount over existing receptacles and are used to pro vide power for the system, and a variety of switch boxes and lighting outlet boxes.

59 Running Cable around a Door; Adding a new Outlet

60 Raceways and Plug-in Strips: Surface wiring with a raceway; Baseboard raceway; flexible plug-in raceway

Running Cable Behind Walls: New receptacle; Cut out wallboard behind baseboard removed; To run cable through studs behind existing wallboard, remove baseboard section and wallboard behind it. Cut out wallboard from the center of the stud nearest the existing box to the center of the stud nearest the new box.

The boxes are mounted on the surface and are connected by channel through which the raceway-system wiring is routed. Elbow fittings are used to make turns where needed.

Another popular system also uses an outlet starter box but doesn’t use switch boxes. Rather, a wider channel is connected to the starter box, and special receptacles mount directly in the channel. The areas between receptacles are protected by a flat cover that simply snaps into the channel. This system is especially appropriate where many receptacles are needed in a small space, such as along the back of a workbench.

Permits and Inspections

Remodel work requires permits and inspections in much the same way new work does. Discuss your project when applying for your permit, and an inspector will probably adapt the inspection schedule to the complexity of your job.

probably only want to look at it once before the receptacle

If the project involves just a receptacle or two fished up from the basement, the inspector will is energized. However, if the cable runs require complex channeling or extraordinary routing, an inspection may be necessary before any restoration work begins. Then there will be a final inspection after the restoration work is done and the wiring is completed.

61 Switch / Ceiling Lighting