anyone ever wire their own house?
Monday, October 16th, 2006 - 5:47pm
I'm looking for a do-it-yourself guide for wiring my house. I've actually helped do this before, but that was on a 1-story house with a spacious attic. My new house has a very, very cramped attic space.
Right now I've got a wireless network but I keep having issues with the network going down. The other day I switched the wireless channel and it started working again like a charm. Today I spoke to my fiancee and she said it's down again. When I'm there, it going down is simply a hassle; when I'm not, it really stinks for her.
So what I'd like is tips or better yet, a link to a nice guide that discusses how to run the cables, what tools to use, etc. I've spoken to someone who might be willing to do it, but the job my housemates and I did years ago wasn't very hard - but instead of making holes in the walls and using faceplates, we just cut holes in the tops of the closets and ran them into the rooms that way. This time I'd want to do it right.
Thanks!
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Would be a good idea. I plan to have Logan sit in for me when I am on my honeymoon.
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Are you just doing network wiring or electrical?
There's really no magic to the physical part, it's just like pulling electrical wiring (read, a royal pain in the ass once the walls are closed).
I don't have anything handy other than what I'd type into google. I can recommend that if you are going to pull more than one or two boxes:
1: Rent or buy an angle drill. Esp if in tight quarters.
2: Don't use spade bits, use auger bits -- ugly holes, but fast and low pressure.
3: Pull the MOST expensive Cat5 wire you can buy within reason, at least Sheilded, preferably with a kevlar thread so you cant snap it pulling.
4: Buy a bottle of "yellow crap" (I think it's actually called "yellow 77") - it lubricant that makes pulling wire in old houses a THOUSAND times easier.
5: Invest in a really good snake.
6: Consider a non-contact electrical sensor. THey don't *always* pick up live current behind the drywall, but better save then sorry, eh? You can mitigate the risk by poking a small hole in the drywall and using a rotary tool or drywall saw to carefully cut your jack holes, rather than stickin a jigsaw plade into it and praying.
Other then that, it's just a matter of figuring out where you want everything and poking holes in the wall. The attic work is always the most annoying part.
Have fun. I hate pulling wire. Redid a 100 year old farm house a few years ago (electric) and it was just a horrid frustrating job.
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"In other news, Miyamoto pissed on my head, and gave me a forecast of rain." - *Le
If all else fails, do what the Verizon fiber TV guys did. Punch out to the exterior of the house for a few yards. I have one of those 2-story houses with an attic that you can't really get to everywhere, too. Stupid design.
Next time, single-story, non-sidewalk, non-corner.
"And my son, too, thinks everything is a launchpad, every bug a meal, and every sunny day a reason to take all your clothes off and roll around in the grass." - rabbit
You might contact your local BestBuy (assuming there is one) and ask 'em how much they'd charge to do it. Or check with local contractors. If you don't already have the tools and don't want/need them in the future (but what sort of man are you then?!
), the price difference might well be worth your time. I know BestBuy is trying to boost it's installation presence, so they might be the cheapest.
Also, if you do get someone else to do it, follow my pop's advice and watch everything they do. I mean, crawl up in the attic with them. Ask them questions. Listen carefully to everything they say. First, you will learn something (probably several somethings) interesting and useful. Second, they will tend to do a better job if they realize you actually care about the job... you'd be surprised how many people think grunt work like this is simple. Finally, they will be much more likely to remember you should they have to come out again. That makes scheduling, pricing and quality easier to bear, typically.
Extra Long Patch Cables + Duct Tape. You'll just move in a few years anyway.
Otherwise Rabbit speaks sage truth. Also, make sure you have a patient partner in crime. Patient because you WILL swear. You WILL get frustrated. The wires WILL snag. Holes will be made in the wrong places. (And if none of this happens you can be pleasantly surprised. But be ready for it.)
Plan exactly where you want the jacks and where you want to centralize your network. Plan this carefully. Nothing sucks worse than having everything hardwired and then the GF decides that the cabinet really should be on the opposite wall and then it's back to the Extra Long Patch Cable + Duct Tape route.
Politely rude. Briskly vague. Firmly uninformative.
I've done it a few times. Once in my old house, once in my new house, once in my brother's house, once in an accounting business... oh, and once in a church. (Yes, I'm still talking about networking!)
I would suggest buying one of those 4 foot long auger bits from home depot or the like, it's nice and flexable and it rips through everything... go a little wider than you anticipate in case you want to double the wire through the hole, no sense doing twice the work. Wall plates and boxes are also prety cheap there, but you may want to check you local electrical supply store also. That's where I would reccomend you buy your CAT5e cable, the local electric supply store sells it for pennies on the dollar that home depot sells it for... in fact, get your crimpers and RJ45's there too.
PM me, I'd be happy to give you any advice I can.. as for now, it's time to go home. I've been here at work for too long already.
There are many reasons why the connection could be dropping, and only one of them uncorrectable - "low signal strength". If your signal strength is fine, I could help you troubleshoot this issue.
If your signal strength is not fine, chances are, you could still fix this, depending on the router model you use.
I used a 1" spade bit the secret is to drill a 1' long piece of threaded metal (1/4" in my case) in diagonally (about 30 degrees) from the bottom of your baseboard into the crawlspace. Then when in the crawlspace look for your piece of threaded core and drill up about 1-2" from that. That way you know you're coming up in the middle of the wall. YMMV.
The cabling is actually easy the hard part is planning it all out, nothing sucks more than to bring 10 drops into a room to realize that you're going to turn that room into a bedroom in 3-4 years. PLAN AHEAD, talk to your spouse about how long you'll be in the house, the plans for kids, etc etc etc.
Do you ever walk alone like a drifter in the dark?
the best/worst "trick" I've seen used is to pull up the floor trim and run it behind that if possible. as long as nothing else is running there and you are careful not to put a nail through the cable when you nail the trim back to the floor area, it looks good and is out of sight.
"Also, I have four legs and am covered in wool. Baa!" *Legion* reveals his inner furry.
Don't forget to check with your local fire marshal-type people to see if you need plenum or PVC cable. Plenum cable has a different and more expensive sheath that doesn't produce toxic smoke when burned, and is required in some places (and a good idea in most others, though it is quite a bit more expensive).
EDIT: also note that this is one of the worst times in recent years to buy cable - there is a shortage of copper and it has driven cables prices through the roof.
Remember: this conversation is just between you and me ... and the NSA.
MaverickDago wrote:
The behind the trim thing is sage advice. Never poke a hole when you don't have to. And OUI as i've head the cable guy call it (Out, Up, In) works pretty well too, if you don't care what the outside of your house looks like too much. Depending on how horrific your attic situation is, it can be a real option, especially if you can find some place out of the way to stick some conduit.
For sure make the holes bigger then you think. A one inch wide hole for your little Cat5 makes life MUCH easier on the pull. You don't want to have to really PULL network cable like you can electrical cable (which you can pull with a comealong. Don't ask me how I know). The strands will break eventually.
Gamertag: GWJ Rabbit | Last.fm | Twitter
"In other news, Miyamoto pissed on my head, and gave me a forecast of rain." - *Le
I know you said not too... but I have to know.
Why did you use a comealong to pull electrical cable? It really worked?
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Built an "outbuilding" (1500 sft of office/workshop) next to my really really old new england farm house. Burried the conduit, made all the connections, then realized I should have perhaps prethreaded the monstrous 50AMP subpanel wires connecting the two buildings. About 40 feet of pull, about 15 angles, and I undersized the conduit.
Eventually, I threaded a normal 12 guage electric line through there, and used THAT to pull the really big stuff. I managed, somehow, to get all the wires exposed int he foundation of the new building, but they simply WOULD NOT BUDGE past about 6 inches over the floor. So, I strung the comealong to the nice brand new gluelam beam I'd put in and figured "what have I got to lose?" (other than burning my house down because of stripped insulation somewhere in there, but hey, its thick, below grade, teflon coated stuff right?).
So I bent the three lines over themselves and used cable clamps so I had a solid eye to hook into, and started crankin'.
In the end, it was much less dramatic than all this build up. It's amazing what a lever will do.
Gamertag: GWJ Rabbit | Last.fm | Twitter
"In other news, Miyamoto pissed on my head, and gave me a forecast of rain." - *Le