SCHEDULING AND PREPARATION
Plan to schedule the speaker wiring after the electrical wiring is finished. That way you can avoid
wire routes, which could potentially induce hum over the speaker wire. The basic wiring rules are:
• Never run speaker wire through the same hole as an electrical cable.
• Never run speaker wire into the same J-box as electrical cable.
• Avoid running the speaker wire beside the electrical cable. Keep your speaker
cable at a distance of at least 3 feet from any electrical power cable.
• If side-by-side wiring is unavoidable in particular spots in the house, move the
speaker wire route away as soon as possible.
• If construction forces a side-by-side run for more than 10 feet, install metal conduit
or shielded speaker wire. Low-voltage wires such as doorbells, intercoms, telephone,
security, or television cannot cause interference or hum on your speaker wires, so
you can safely run all of them at the same time, through the same holes,
side-by-side.
• Before drilling any holes, mount the speaker brackets in the desired speaker
Locations and mount p-rings or open-backed J-boxes where the in-wall volume
Controls and stereo equipment will be located.
ABOUT DRILLING
Use a bit that is large enough for the wires you plan to run. This is an important consideration,
since you may be drilling a lot of holes. Here are some additional tips:
• We recommend using an auger bit for rough-
in wiring. It will actually pull itself through
the wood, so that the drill motor, not you,
does most of the work.
• Always drill the holes in the center of the
stud. If you have to notch the stud or drill the
hole closer than 1 inch from the edge of the
stud, protect the wire with a nail plate, as
shown in
Figure 9
.
• When drilling holes in ceiling joists, drill in
the center of the joists and try to locate
the hole near the end of the joist.
Figure 9.
Installing a nail
plate to protect wiring in a
notched stud.
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