Wiring switches in wall under sistered joists
#1
03-07-11, 02:29 PM
Wiring switches in wall under sistered joists
I am refinishing my basement and currently running my wiring. On either side of the stairway there are sistered joists. Double on one side and triple on the other. The triple joist has a load bearing wall above.
There are also basement walls directly under the sistered joists next to the stairs. This makes it very difficult to get wiring down into the walls under the sistered joists. The original electricial drilled a 3/4 hole a the bottom edge of the triple joist and another 3/4 hole up through the top plate so they met and ran a wire down.
This definitely seems to violate notching/drilling rules since this set of joists is over 4 inches thick and the drilled hole is not 2 inches from the edge. What I cannot seem to find out is if there is a wall under the joists holding them up so they can't sag, does this additional support make it ok to drill small 3/4 inch holes to run wire into the wall.
What do people typically do in these situations? I don't want to drill another hole or two and find out that it was a big mistake.
There are also basement walls directly under the sistered joists next to the stairs. This makes it very difficult to get wiring down into the walls under the sistered joists. The original electricial drilled a 3/4 hole a the bottom edge of the triple joist and another 3/4 hole up through the top plate so they met and ran a wire down.
This definitely seems to violate notching/drilling rules since this set of joists is over 4 inches thick and the drilled hole is not 2 inches from the edge. What I cannot seem to find out is if there is a wall under the joists holding them up so they can't sag, does this additional support make it ok to drill small 3/4 inch holes to run wire into the wall.
What do people typically do in these situations? I don't want to drill another hole or two and find out that it was a big mistake.
#2
03-07-11, 02:36 PM
Either drill carefully at an angle or come down into an adjacent wall and run the wiring horizontally around the corner. It's worth it to waste a few extra feet of wire to not drill the beam. I'd prefer not to angle drill or notch through the beam if there is any way to avoid it.
