What else to consider when running wiring

16 years ago

I'm planning to build a new house and laying out the electrical plan (outlets, switches, ceiling fans, lights, etc). Is there any other wiring or are there any other features I may want to think about in the process of running wires. I've got cable, internet router, and phone included... but are there other things I should consider. Also, is it typical (possible) to run the phone, internet and cable in a single line?

Thanks

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Comments (10)

fotostat
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
They make cable that has RG-6 and Cat5e in it so you could do phone, network, and video all in one, but it is much more expensive. I personally like to run separate wires anyway.

Remember things such as doorbell, security system (the wire is cheap so run it even if you don't plan on putting an alarm in) and thermostat.

Do you have the basic electrical done? Did you include things such as smoke detectors, dedicated 20A bathroom receptacles, 2 20A small appliance circuits, all the 240V circuits for compresoors and air handlers, etc. etc. etc?

If not, you need to have all this planned out.
carguy60
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Fotostat's advice is well taken. I also am not a big fan of the all-in-one wiring solutions. The technology changes rapidly, and multimedia/computer wiring planning is probably a crapshoot anyway. The Cat6, RG6, etc are not all that expensive in bulk and are a better bet.
I have run hundreds of feet of wiring in my 20 year old house, and to avoid some of that would have been attractive.
Some pieces of advice that I would offer.
1. If you have computer interest, run some CAT6 cable
(not CAT5) to logical computer locations, or printer
locations. Wireless connections might render this unused, but may be very appreciated in the future.

2. Run at least two (I run 4) high quality RG6 to logical television locations. Their starting point should be a location that can contain consolidation equipment such as cable splitting, or satellite multiswitches.
I would encourage you to designate a place for this intersection, (call it a wiring closet) and center it in the house (basement works great) so that you have a point where Computer and Media wiring comes together.

3. Also run Computer wire to television locations. Lots of technologies coming that rely on the house LAN to carry multimedia (TV, Audio, PC, digital video) for distribution.

4. Run CAT6 to any logical phone location, rather than running the 24 connector (I think it is this many) daisy chained phone wire. Home runs for phone are good also to ensure high quality, easy to troupleshoot connections.
Cell phones, wireless phones would influence this plan, but a reliable, high quality central phone station is a big factor in quality phone service.

5. Run your low voltage lines, AV, and computer after your power circuits are roughed. Make sure that whoever is running these lines knows the requirements for separation from power wires.

6. Get your electrician to mark the electrical drawing with circuit numbers that can be identified in the service box. That will be a good indication on the job your electrician is doing also.
1. Do not let your electrician choose where to put outlets and switches. You should mark each one on the electrical diagram. Put some thought into how you live, and your personal likes/dislikes for these decisions. I have never been dissatisfied with where I have outlets and how circuits are switched in my house, but one of my neighbors, whose house was wired by the same electrician, complained loudly about the location and usefulness of his switches and outlets.
8. Have your electrician install a whole house surge protector. This may be somewhat controversial, but they are not that expensive, (less than $200) and can protect you from several common failures.

9. Ask your electrician to use some duplex circuit breakers in your service box, to make sure that you have available slots for future use. I have added 2 240 circuits and 12 other circuits in my home in 20 years. It is very expensive if you have to add additional service box. Make sure you get 200 amp service to start. (minimum)

10. Specify to your electrician that GFI circuits should not span rooms, so that if a GFI trips, you do not have to go to another room to reset it. I missed that in my design and I have to go upstairs to another bathroom to reset the GFI that handles the master bath.

11. If you are a computer nerd, specify to your electrician that you would like separate home run circuits
run for computer locations, (I also did it for two television locations, and a CPAP outlet) or other important electronics oriented circuits. Then it becomes easy to install UPS systems at your service entrance site to provide secure, uninterruptible, conditioned power to that type of equipment.

I hope this is helpful.
A little attention now can save you money, and "wish I had done that" regrets in the future.

Good luck
John
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As the proud owner of a ca. 1825 farmhouse, I understand a lot of the challenges and adventures that come with playing "this old house", and it sounds like you have your share too! That said, I have no idea what it might take to rework your plan to take power from the main panel instead of that unused two-wire ungrounded circuit. Any chance you could pull a new cable there with an equipment ground and maybe a bit more ampacity? The lack of a ground at the point of hookup is definitely a problem and it all but guarantees that any "solution" you try will violate modern electrical codes. I think I understand the ground rods providing some protection against lightning and other surges but not being conductive enough to create overcurrents that will trip a breaker (though surely strong enough currents to trip the GFCI I plan to place on the barn branch circuit). Actually, equipment grounds have little or nothing to do with the operation of a GFCI. Because a GFCI works by monitoring the hot and neutral and only trips when they are out of balance, a GFCI doesn't even need a ground wire to function properly. But you should also keep in mind that, while a GFCI protects against ground faults, it doesn't provide overcurrent protection. Thus, in the case of a short circuit, the heat can start a fire while a GFCI continues to feed power! "Actually, as a side note, I once measured an impedance of about 10 ohms in a ground rod circuit. Indeed not low enough to generate the 20amp overcurrent to trip a breaker at 120V." Yep, you're spot on there and, actually, 10 ohms is better than average! With this in mind, you may have wondered why I recommended two ground rods. It's because recent code editions allow a single ground rod where the impedance is 25 ohms or less. If a single rod flunks this test, a second rod is required and many single rods do, in fact, flunk. Don't ask me why (practicality, I'd assume), but the two ground rods together don't have to pass the test--they're just presumed to be OK. So it ain't all pure science, if you catch my drift. :-) "I am starting to get the feeling that unless I establish a (green) equipment-ground wire in the house circuit and connect it to the main panel, there is no way to take electricity to the barn and still meet code." That's my take too. "I assume that by equipment-ground you mean the wire that is normally green in color but sometimes grey or bare copper. Yep. (While gray is technically designated as an alternate color for neutrals, those old green ground wires do sometimes look gray.) 1. Maintain separate neutral and ground bars in that panel. (You may have to buy a small ground bar for a couple of bucks or, if there are two bars and they are connected, they need to be disconnected.) There is only one bar in the small barn subpanel. But no problem, say I buy a small separate ground bar. If you still have the packaging materials, they'll probably say somewhere the correct part number with the notation "sold separately." (Thanks, folks.) It's best to use the designated part although, in truth, those short ground bars are fairly interchangeable. 2. In your house, connect the equipment ground wire to the ground bar. In a main panel, there is often only one bar, serving both neutrals and equipment grounds. (That's fine in a main panel. In a subpanel, however, they should be separated.) There are no equipment-ground wires in any of my house wiring. That is, there are no green, gray or bare copper conductors anywhere. All wires in my house are 2 conductor wires, just one white and one black (hot+neutral). The only ground (bar) is inside the main panel where the neutral from the utility pole attaches. See, for now, I was planning to feed the barn circuit from an existing, unused, 20amp two conductor (black+white) house circuit. This house circuit was originally used to feed an old radiant space heater in one of my bathrooms (that bathroom is the closest room to the barn anyway so tapping into that circuit for the barn is most convenient). I disconnected the old radiant heater a long time ago for safety reasons and since that was the only appliance on that circuit, this circuit is now unused and available, I assume, to feed the barn. But it is strictly a 2-conductor wire (black+white only). Sigh, I feel your pain. (Really! No sarcasm intended.) 3. At the barn, connect the equipment ground feeder to the subpanel ground bar and land your branch circuit ground wires there too. In other words, all the (green) equipment-ground wires go to the subpanel ground bar. However, there is no existing (green) equipment ground wire coming from the house. If one is needed I would have to install one on a separate route and run it all the way to my houses main panel. True, true and true. 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jason1083
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
make sure to specify "spec grade" switches and receptacles its more money in the short term but will be better in the long term.
And no Backstab connections (common failure point, many electricians dont like them).
Another thing to consider is having extra empty conduits installed (if in a multi level home) this makes future expansion/addition easier (for any kind of wire). I believe ENT would be acceptable for this.
solarpowered
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Just to verify the obvious, I assume you have gone over the requirements in NEC section 210 in detail?
joed
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Consider some additional receptcles for things like christmas light. Put some switched receptacles up in the eaves, receptacles under every window, 3 wire cable to all ceiling fixtures for future fan/light. Thinkj about what tools you might use in the garage. Add receptacles for them.
cobraguy
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Carguy has some outstanding suggestions. My LAN was done after construction and was a real pain to run. But I now am not stuck using wireless. Do as he suggested and run your LAN to your A/V equipment. That technology is here now and I use it. It's amazing. I can play music, videos, etc from any pc in my house through my home theater.

I would do one other thing. I would include 20A circuits to any home office and to all A/V locations.
fotostat
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Another reason to run Cat5e to television locations is because devices like Tivo, satellite receivers, and even HD-DVD players can be (some HAVE to be) connected to your network or phone line.
itsunclebill
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
If you're in an area where power issues are a regular weather related thing plan on installing the wiring with a standby generator in mind. Get all the home runs for the circuits that will be on the standby power into a separate panel from the beginning.

Even if you plan on using a gas range and dryer, wire for the electrics. May make for an easier sell if the time ever comes or less stress if you change your own mind.

Place receptacles in bedrooms so no matter where a headboard will wind up there is a receptacle on each side of it rather than in the middle. Have wire installed so these can be split wired if desired (half the receptacle is switch controlled).

Have neutrals run to switch locations for fancy function controls.

Think about a receptacle in a drawer in the bathroom, maybe even with a switch that shuts it off when the drawer is closed.

Receptacles in a cupboard or near a shelf where the cell phones and other modern "gotta haves" come to rest at the end of the day and need charging.

Run Smurf pipe (the blue plastic flexible stuff)from the basement or crawl space to the attic in several places for future "whatever".

Put in conduit stubs if future hot tubs, detatched garages, or other out buildings are in the future.
seesee
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
>>10. Specify to your electrician that GFI circuits should not span rooms, so that if a GFI trips, you do not have to go to another room to reset it. I missed that in my design and I have to go upstairs to another bathroom to reset the GFI that handles the master bath.
>>

Here's a possible solution:
Rewire the existing GFI so it does not protect the downstream load, i.e., your master bath. Then, install a new GFI in the master bath.
carguy60
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
SeeSee
Rewiring the GFI like you suggest is a great idea. I will probably leave it the way it is, because I need the exercise, and I think there is an outdoor outlet between the two bathrooms.

I would also like to have an outlet under bathroom sinks for automated faucets, and recirc pump.

Unclebill, I like your suggestions. I wish I had done all of them.

John

What else to consider when running wiring

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fotostat

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