wiring a barn house

[Stevenfyeager]

I appreciate your suggestions. So many problems with this house. Labor cost wise, I really want to not use conduit. The owner has no electrical skill but has free time so I will get him to do non electrical work. The conduit around the posts was the owners idea, but I agree would look terrible. Drilling through 200 year old 8x8 posts, I’ll have to consult the inspector. The owner told me he already had to ‘sign off’ on the framing.
I’m thinking romex next to the pink styrofoam, then having owner cover with 1/2” foam board. If I can drill posts, that would be good. Use a short 3/4” pvc to come out into the back of a pvc box that recesses in the mortar joint. Let owner cut it in. Great stuff anywhere needed.
Customer is family member of a friend, so I probably can’t pass on this job.

 

[jmellc]

For esthetics I would personally want to do it in K&T, but I'm sure someone official would have a problem with it

Knob & Tube Wire and Supplies

Knob & tube wire is a reproduction of wire used for house wiring from the 1880s to the 1930s. The wire is called "knob and tube" because it was run through porcelain wire clamps, called knobs, to hold it to the wall and tubes to run it through beams.

sundialwire.com

I should have saved my K/T stuff. I had a large box at one time from a few rewires I did. Never thought there would be a market for it.

 

[Sberry]

Use a twist drill for the old posts. The posts are already "notched" so to speak and not sure how to what code would apply to wall like that but sure I could find a way to get some holes thru, some doesnt look like have to penetrate the beam proper, lay a little foam over it and can see some places might drill hole and bell the end and even bend pvc in where it might get mudded in?

 

[Sberry]

I really dont see this as that big a problem, like you said at first lay the cable, tape or sleeve and would get the idea of emt out of my mind and use cable and get this DONE as you already described it. Doesnt really look that complicated as many of my days go.
Skip all that connect mc bond emt and some other schemes and use cable and plastic boxes, hide it all, no one will care after the OTHER THAN IT WORKS and feature it proper with switch locations, run 3 conductor to the fixture boxes, 1 more wire in the cable gives a lot of cheap future proof. Might use a box other than blue, gray or brown would hardly be noticed.
There are wayyyyyyy too many good ideas in this thread.

 

[Joethemechanic]

plastic boxes.

I hate those. they are always a bad sign, just like multiple satellite dishes

 

[hbiss]

The owner has no electrical skill but has free time so I will get him to do non electrical work. The conduit around the posts was the owners idea, but I agree would look terrible... Use a short 3/4” pvc to come out into the back of a pvc box that recesses in the mortar joint. Let owner cut it in... Customer is family member of a friend, so I probably can’t pass on this job.

This just goes from bad to worse.

-Hal

 

[Joethemechanic]

Customer is family member of a friend, so I probably can’t pass on this job.

Just do the whole place in MC, Surface mount everything. That would look like a lot of the old barns I've been in

 

[Buck Parrish]

I appreciate your suggestions. So many problems with this house. Labor cost wise, I really want to not use conduit. The owner has no electrical skill but has free time so I will get him to do non electrical work. The conduit around the posts was the owners idea, but I agree would look terrible. Drilling through 200 year old 8x8 posts, I’ll have to consult the inspector. The owner told me he already had to ‘sign off’ on the framing.
I’m thinking romex next to the pink styrofoam, then having owner cover with 1/2” foam board. If I can drill posts, that would be good. Use a short 3/4” pvc to come out into the back of a pvc box that recesses in the mortar joint. Let owner cut it in. Great stuff anywhere needed.
Customer is family member of a friend, so I probably can’t pass on this job.

Anything that is expsoed be it conduit or mc cable. Paint it flat black before you put it up.

 

[winnie]

One approach that I saw in a mill building conversion to residential use was to lean hard into the industrial look.

All the wiring was surface mounted, most of it in solid strut channel with the strut raceway components.

Probably expensive materials, but it looked great.

Jon

 

[Stevenfyeager]

Thank you, I used UF and was able to drill behind the 8 x8 posts into the 2" styrofoam he had outside the posts. Going with 1/2" EMT everywhere else. (painted brown before installed) How do you mount ceiling light fixtures, fans, to surface mounted metal boxes ? Need a flat surface for the fixture canopy. I'm thinking Bell outdoor ceiling fan box, that comes with a round plate for mounting surface, but they are $25 each at least.

 

[letgomywago]

Thank you, I used UF and was able to drill behind the 8 x8 posts into the 2" styrofoam he had outside the posts. Going with 1/2" EMT everywhere else. (painted brown before installed) How do you mount ceiling light fixtures, fans, to surface mounted metal boxes ? Need a flat surface for the fixture canopy. I'm thinking Bell outdoor ceiling fan box, that comes with a round plate for mounting surface, but they are $25 each at least. View attachment 2566390

The bell boxes work good. You can make siding blocks with routered out backs for the conduit so the whole thing sits flat and nice

 

[Stevenfyeager]

The bell boxes work good. You can make siding blocks with routered out backs for the conduit so the whole thing sits flat and nice

Question : I realized my method here has EMT terminating into a plastic box. EMT not grounded. Is that a problem ? Inspector may fail this ?
Thank you !

 

[Little Bill]

Question : I realized my method here has EMT terminating into a plastic box. EMT not grounded. Is that a problem ? Inspector may fail this ?
Thank you !

Unless you meet the requirements in the exceptions, you can't use EMT with plastic boxes.

314.3 Nonmetallic Boxes. Nonmetallic boxes shall be permitted
only with open wiring on insulators, concealed knob-andtube
wiring, cabled wiring methods with entirely nonmetallic
sheaths, flexible cords, and nonmetallic raceways.
Exception No. 1: Where internal bonding means are provided between
all entries, nonmetallic boxes shall be permitted to be used with metal
raceways or metal-armored cables.
Exception No. 2: Where integral bonding means with a provision for
attaching an equipment bonding jumper inside the box are provided
between all threaded entries in nonmetallic boxes listed for the purpose,
nonmetallic boxes shall be permitted to be used with metal raceways or
metal-armored cables.

 

[letgomywago]

Question : I realized my method here has EMT terminating into a plastic box. EMT not grounded. Is that a problem ? Inspector may fail this ?
Thank you !

If you can bond 1 end of the emt with a metal box or ground bushing you should be ok

 

[Stevenfyeager]

If you can bond 1 end of the emt with a metal box or ground bushing you should be ok

Thanks, the other end of the EMT would be coming from a metal box containing the switch. I was wondering if bonding one end would be sufficient.