Wiring a New House

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benmin said:
If you do need to run romex through the I joist, You'll find that then tend to not line up from one joist to another. So if you are going to run long lengths, I'ld drill new holes in a straight line so that you don't risk burning the insulation by pulling it through a zig zag pattern.
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I would think that drilling new holes in the I beams you are referring to will ruin the engineering specs and possibly fail a framing inspection for the builder.
 
barbeer said:
I would think that drilling new holes in the I beams you are referring to will ruin the engineering specs and possibly fail a framing inspection for the builder.
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The I-Joist manufacturer has specs on where and what size holes can be drilled as well as the required distance between holes.
 
growler said:
Never use passing inspections as an indicator of quality work. Many times it just means the inspector doesn't know what he's doing.
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I think the Washington state inspectors would disagree you with. The inspectors in my locale are some tough cookies. They're really stringent when it comes to DIY'ers.

growler said:
My understanding of why you shouldn't mount a panel to a conctete wall in a basement is because of moisture. You are not allowed to mount non-pressure treated wood directly to the wall or floor for this reason.
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I-Joists are in direct contact with the concrete. So are the furred out studs in the basement walls. Neither of which is treated wood.

If it makes a difference, I live in an area that averages 8" of precipitation per yr. It's pretty dry around here. But i understand where you're coming from.


growler said:
It's not really a problem of mounting to concrete such as in an industrial area. In a basement the concrete wall is just a barrier between the panel and moist soil. Concrete is porous and will allow small amounts of moisture to seep through.
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I'll ask the inspectors for their views on the subject.

Thanks,
Mike
 
Copied from the Florida Building code:

2304.11.4.2 Wood structural members.
Wood structural members that support moisture-permeable floors or roofs that are exposed to the weather, such as concrete or masonry slabs, shall be of naturally durable or preservative-treated wood unless separated from such floors or roofs by an impervious moisture barrier.

Granted most of you are not in FL. check local codes
 
If you think Fla is bad, where I live ALL structural wood must be treated, including wood used as mounting backboards. Untreated lumber is limited to stuff like baseboards, cabinets, etc. My blood must be about 50% arsenic and 50% boric acid by now.
 
it's legal to mount the panel to the concrete wall as long as moisture is not present, the loadcenter will need an air space from the wall, the treated plywood can give you this seperation, spacers will work also, even in industrial jobs we would space out the panel, if it was an outside wall, inside walls different matter, dry location.
 
barbeer said:
I would think that drilling new holes in the I beams you are referring to will ruin the engineering specs and possibly fail a framing inspection for the builder.
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That would be for the supporting beams and they have very specific instructions on where and how big a hole you can drill.

When I'm talking about drilling through the I beam, I'm talking about maybe a 1" hole for wires. But if you were drill a 4" hole, you would have to reinforce each side to satisfy the building inspector
 
wireing a house

wireing a house

man o man i remember my first were do u start? sounds like u r over your head! sorry to say but i think u need help . maybe find some one to help u lay it out. it is a lot of work for a first time person, and lets not forget done by code & safe for u and the home owner.good luck!!!!!!!!!
 
The reason panelboards are made with dimples where the mounting holes are is to hold the panel off the concrete so air can circulate behind it and dry any moisture. That is the reason you don't have to use a mounting board.
 
The thing that is anoying me in this thread is the attitude. An inexperienced guy asks for help. He gets that help. The proper advice I might add, from experienced guys who know their stuff. Then proceeds to discount the advice and in fact dispute it. Why even ask if you don't want to know. :-? For me I'd take the advice and use it. In the end you will be better for it.
 
In close to thirty years I have never seen a panel enclosure mounted to a concrete wall that had rust or corrosion problem. In a home or business. Granted in a good year might get 24" of moisture. I have never measured them to see if they meet NEC but I always thought that is what the dimples were for.
 
What I like to do is shoot a couple of scrap pt 2X4s onto the concrete then mount my plywood. Gives me a little chase behind if I have to run wires to the bottom of the panel.

If you mount directly to the concrete how do you staple your wires above the panel?
 
Sonny Boy said:
I plan to install a 30/40 space 200 amp SQ D Homeline Service Panel. I looked at the 40 space one and it?s too long . Right choice?
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The Square D homeline panel has a NEMA type-1 enclosure ( dry location). I don't think you will find any dimples.

If you have a panel with dimples you can ship the plywood backer. ( plywood is cheaper ).
 
bradleyelectric said:
The reason panelboards are made with dimples where the mounting holes are is to hold the panel off the concrete so air can circulate behind it and dry any moisture. That is the reason you don't have to use a mounting board.
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Not many residential panels have dimples.........meterbases do though
 
Nobody has mentioned this.

Has anybody read about the type of fasteners that need to be used with the new pressure treaded wood (last couple of years)? Basicly it says the treated wood will eat through anything thats not 5x diped galvanized or stainless steel. Also I have never seen untreated wood desinnergrate on a concrete wall unless there was a BIG water problem. So I guess I ask this, which is better, have the untreated wood rot over a long period of time, or have the treaded wood eat the cement nails and zinc screws that hold the panel up. I've never seen stainless nails for ramsets, but maybe they are out there.
 
frankft2000 said:
Nobody has mentioned this.

Has anybody read about the type of fasteners that need to be used with the new pressure treaded wood (last couple of years)? Basicly it says the treated wood will eat through anything thats not 5x diped galvanized or stainless steel. Also I have never seen untreated wood desinnergrate on a concrete wall unless there was a BIG water problem. So I guess I ask this, which is better, have the untreated wood rot over a long period of time, or have the treaded wood eat the cement nails and zinc screws that hold the panel up. I've never seen stainless nails for ramsets, but maybe they are out there.
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When they changed from CCA to ACQ, the problem started (I think about 2 years ago). I only use stainless steel fastners in any treated lumber now.
 
frankft2000 said:
Nobody has mentioned this.

<snip>
Basicly it says the treated wood will eat through anything thats not 5x diped galvanized or stainless steel. <snip>
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Yes, I've seen a lot of info about the effects of the new preservatives on fasteners and structural supports. Simpson has a number of bulletins related to using Strong-ties and associated fasteners with various type of treated lumber.

All of which begs the question: what about the panel itself? Fastening it to a piece of treated wood may be far worse than fastening it to concrete. It bears investigation. With all the changes in the building industry materials, us old guys don't know half what we think we know because everything we learned is becoming obsolete. "That's the way I've always done it" might not work anymore.
 
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