Cheap wiring solution

[glitchen]

Since the hvac guys screwed me and put the trunk lines right where I was going to put my cables trays, I had to scramble to come up with some sort of solution without drilling through my floor joists. I know i'm allowed to drill through the joists I just don't want to.

So here is my cheap solution, I decided to buy a bunch of 4" j-hooks that you normally would use for plumbing and run between the i-beam and the hvac trunk line....They only cost me around $30.00 and allowed me to return $400 worth of cables trays.

 

[sbwright]

Since the hvac guys screwed me and put the trunk lines right where I was going to put my cables trays, I had to scramble to come up with some sort of solution without drilling through my floor joists. I know i'm allowed to drill through the joists I just don't want to.

So here is my cheap solution, I decided to buy a bunch of 4" j-hooks that you normally would use for plumbing and run between the i-beam and the hvac trunk line....They only cost me around $30.00 and allowed me to return $400 worth of cables trays.

Great idea, maybe through a pull cord in there for future also.

 

[Del91574]

Will work, however with structured cabling, the bearing point is very tiny compared to a true J hook, so if the bundle is of any size, the likelyhood of pinching the cables on the bottom increases significantly. Same reason why drive rings and bridle rings are frowned upon for horizontal runs.

I would've suggested using beam clamps and other hardware.

 

[userone]

/\/\/\ im guessing he isn't putting in a ceiling
looks good and not a bad idea, but for the record that close to the beam you could put a hole the size of your fist and not have any structural issues

 

[Del91574]

He wouldn't be able to finish where the run is anyways without a soffit so it's a moot point. I couldn't see building 2-3 soffits to contain what is seen there anyways.

My point is consider the width of a true J hook or loop fastener, typically 3" or greater, which disperses the weight. Look at a plumbing J hook, 1/2" at best...now think about the weight of a good sized bundle of cables pressing down (gravity) over time....it basically will act like a guillotine over time, may not cut through, but cable integrity will be compromised.

I would've suggested running on the I beam as the trunk line, either with beam clamps and hardware or even with plywood or similar installed within the webbing or on the I beam itself.

 

[treo650]

Looks like you will have a soft fit as mentioned above.

For my new build, we did a full 9 foot ceiling so I avoided any sof-fits or dropped ceiling as much as possible (none in my home actually)

There are many options you could have used with your setup.

What I've seen been done in new builds is, (and going by your photo) have the framing guys simply use 2x4s and finish up the soffit width of the hvac and tucking the cables in the 2x4 'drop ceiling'

With the gun nailer, and fast paced of the framing crew, they could have tackled this fair quick too

 

[treo650]

I just remembered... I had a small soffit in the garage, due to an upstairs drain

Here's what we did

http://db.tt/7v10LytX

http://db.tt/pBVut5sZ

 

[cctv]

Question for OP:

On the perimeter wall of the structure (where the structure rests on the foundation) is there any room for running cable?

In houses I have seen there are two bottom plates which lift the house about 3 inches off the foundation. Those bottom plates are usually located on the outside edge of the foundation, meaning you should have a few inches of extra space on the inside to run cables, conduits, etc.

http://www.dreamstim...humb4401672.jpg

 

[mattw22]

I've used the Arlington TL25/TL50 Cable Hangers (100 Cat5/300 Cat5) in almost the exact scenario in a basement. Very economical compared to metal j-hooks and easy to add additional cables.

 

[mikei-ma]

The Arlington cable hangers look nice, but at over $3.00 a piece I wouldn't call them economical. I use zip ties in a loop with screw holder for most <5 wire runs. When I have a 'trunk' or over 5 wires spare pvc pipe cut in half works well as a holder/tray and it's much cheaper than wire trays. A 10' x 4" pipe is roughly $6.00 - that'll give you 20' continuous or enough for an entire job if you gap it. Using J hangers or even zip ties makes for short work.

 

[mattw22]

I've seen the Arlington J-Hooks for around $1.00 a piece on Ebay.

 

[Del91574]

I'll point out what a couple of fire marshals around here pointed out, which led to failure/no C of O being issued on a couple of jobs wired by others.....Ty-raps and plastic mounts, variations of the theme, so to speak, will not provide structural integrity or support in a fire, so the cables being held in a horizontal run by such are subject to falling down and possibly entrapping emergency personnel.

basically, in layman's terms, they are suitable for dressing wiring, but not for support. The AHJ's and marshals I've dealt with prefer metal or fire rated products.

 

[wuench]

Well I am not letting any fire marshals in my attic then...

 

[drozwood90]

Since I hate having wired supported by small points of support, I would suggest getting some PVC pipe, and cut it down the middle. Then put each 1/2 or "C" section in the J-hooks. Then the wire will be nice and supported, cost you a little, and yet not lose the flexibility you had with just laying wires in there.

For LV only please!

--Dan