6
E
RUNNING
CONNECTING WIRES
Now you know where the wires have to run.
It’s time to actually route them. As mentioned
before, there are several possibilities.
1. DOWN, ACROSS & BACK UP.
If you
have a crawl space under your house or a
relatively unfinished basement, your job is
broken into three parts:
1) Down from the amplifier to the crawl space;
2) Across the crawl space to the wall(s) with
the speakers; 3) Up the wall to each speaker.
2. UP & OVER.
If you have an attic or
overhead crawl space, your three steps are:
1) Up from the amplifier to the crawl space;
2) Across the crawl space to the wall(s) with
the speakers; 3) Down the wall to the speaker.
3. OVERLAND.
If the speakers and amplifier
are in the same room and it is carpeted, you
can route the wires along the baseboard. This
method results in just two VERY short lengths
of wire being possibly visible.
Use whichever method (or combination)
is most applicable, but read each over before
undertaking it.
DRAWING 6 - DOWN, ACROSS AND BACK UP
speaker
cut-outs
1-inch hole for
wire outlet to
amplifier
wire thickness exaggerated for clarity
1-inch
hole
wire “runs” from each speaker
1-inch
hole
DOWN, ACROSS AND
BACK UP (BASEMENT OR
LOWER CRAWL SPACE)
If you have an unfinished basement or
crawl space under your home, you can avoid
having to run wires in the room. Working from
underneath is sometimes trickier since there
are often more pipes, ducts, electrical and
cable lines already in place.
m
1. Make sure you have the following:
• Tape measure
• Cordless drill (or regular model with
long extension cord) with a 1-INCH BIT
• A VERY long roll of speaker wire
• Wire cutters – either diagonal pliers
or wire strippers which include a
cutting surface
• Length of stiff wire such as coat
hanger at least 3 feet long
• Plumb bob or string with a small
weight (such as a metal nut) on the end
• Tape – any kind will do
• It’s also convenient to have another
person upstairs helping you. The person’s
job will be to grab the cables as you
push them up from below.
m
2. Enter the basement or crawl space and
proceed to a spot directly below where
where one of the in-wall speakers will be.
m
3. After carefully measuring to make sure
you’re in the right place, drill a hole up
through the horizontal 2x4 directly
below the speaker.
m
4A.If you haven’t encountered in-wall
insulation (sometimes present on
outside walls), have your assistant drop
a plumb bob or weight string down until
you can reach it. Tape the cable to it and
let them pull it up.
m
4B.If you have run into insulation, there is
another approach: Get out your long roll
of speaker cable and tape the end to the
stiff wire or bent coat hanger. Push the
stiff wire with speaker cable attached
up through one of the holes far enough
that your assistant can grasp it through
the speaker cut-out above. Have him or
her pull out at least 8 feet of cable (as
measured from your position downstairs).
m
5. Making sure that the end doesn’t get
pulled back down through the hole,
reel out wire while moving across the
basement/crawl space until you reach a
location below the amplifier.
m
6. Extend at least 10 (TEN) extra feet of
cable and cut the end off the roll.
m
7. Grab your coil/roll of cable and move
over to the hole that’s been drilled below
the other speaker. Again, have your
assistant drop a plumb bob or weight
and string down until you can reach it.
Tape the cable to it and let him or her
pull it up, extending at least 8 feet of
wire up through this hole. Or use the
stiff wire method if the wall has insulation
or obstructions in it.
