Subfloor Conduit: best method to run low-voltage wires


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Old 11-08-12, 12:32 PM
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Subfloor Conduit: best method to run low-voltage wires

The house I just bought has horrible access to run wires through various parts of the building (or at least, without ripping apart drywall as there is no attic, basement, or crawlspace in areas of the house). Needless to say, the area I want to run some Ethernet, HDMI, and Speaker cabling is one of these locations. Attached is a picture of the area I want to run the cabling to and think that running conduit through the floor joists / subfloor is the best bet. Here's the situation:

The only way to run wires through the floor is to rip the ceiling drywall off of the downstairs floor and drill tons of holes (probably 30+ feet long) to get to the wiring hub. Instead of doing that, there is a crawl space that I can run the cables from the wiring hub, then put in a conduit that goes through the foundation to the outside, and then through the wall / floor of the area the cables go to. However, then I'd have to run conduit in the flooring of the area I want to snake the cables through (see picture - conduit comes in where the chair is) and was initially thinking of using 1-2" conduit. However, my concern is I'd have to cut deep into the subflooring. Think this would work?

So, questions:
  • Do you think this conduit method is the best way to go?
  • If going through the joists, would I be able to notch the tops of them, or would I need to drill holes centrally (thinking structural integrity here)?
  • To reduce any cuts into the subfloor / joists, should I run multiple 3/4" conduits instead of, say, a 1.5" ?
 
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Old 11-08-12, 12:34 PM
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Just how much cable are we talking about - can this just be run behind the baseboards or is it too much for that space?
 
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Old 11-08-12, 12:44 PM
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Baseboards are tiny (the previous owner designed the place and was an architect - so limited functionality). But ultimately we are talking 5-10 Cat5 sized cables.
 
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Old 11-08-12, 12:51 PM
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Oh, yeah - way too much for behind the baseboards.

I assume you're opposed to something visible like raceway?
 
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Old 11-08-12, 01:40 PM
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Where ultimately are you trying to get the cable to? the stairs, a desk near the stairs, downstairs? Everything is going wireless these days, does technology, looking forward, involve not having wires? I digress...

I have built some fairly decorative Chase's or (hollow boxes) both at ceiling level and baseboard level to hide electrical item. One was the main telephone feeds and returns that ran through the middle of a hotel room and down through the floor to the reception desk area.
 
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Old 11-08-12, 03:46 PM
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Any cuts to the top or bottom chord of a joist are going to weaken them, especially when you are talking a conduit that size.
 
 

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