Underrated, answered everything I was worried about trying to get Ethernet cables ran through my crawl space to each room as well as a few circuits for an electric stove and EV charger. Thank you!
Nice video as an electrician with over 30 years experience and doing many renovation jobs like you are doing this video shows the challenges of drilling holes for fishing wires without damaging walls or floors.
Excellent! Thanks. It would have been nice to see the finished job, and to show us the upstairs first, when you were explaining where you trying to come up at
I need to drill for a doorbell wire in a house built in 1996 where the doorbell was part of the intercom system that was removed with no power left for a traditional doorbell. I'll be putting in a Simplisafe Doorbell Cam Pro, powered by the OhmKat system which will plug into an existing outlet in the crawlspace and transmit the doorbell chime to receivers around the house. This way, I don't have to mess with a transformer or wiring a separate chime. From the crawlspace it looks like I'll have to drill at an angle through the sill plate to fish wire in the exterior wall on the porch. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
@@RefinerSimilitude Your situation is similar to what I show in this video, except it sounds like you’ll be on your back or stomach in a crawl space doing it. I’ve been there. Tougher but similar. Start by finding studs in interior wall next to the door. There’s jack studs right next to door frame, maybe you have switches there too. Sometimes there’s another stud not far from door too. Gotta avoid all that stuff where drill up. Do that, then Get a good measurement where to drill up, then drill up same as in this video. Without knowing the particulars of your house, it’s hard for me to speculate more than that. Good luck!
3:57 You're saying there are usually two 2x4s (not one) at the base of a wall. I'm not saying you're wrong, but are you sure this is usually the case? When I google framing an exterior wall, I can find this stated nowhere. Is this perhaps the case with older construction, but not newer construction?
This is much more common is older homes and homes built in the southern US. Most homes are build on 2x6 exterior construction for insulation purposes. However a lot of homes in the US are 2x4 construction due to age. Great way to tell is take a look at your door frames and see how deep they are if you don’t know
Yes, you’re correct. I misspoke on that. Usually plate is just one board thick. However, some really old home walls can be on much thicker timbers, like 6x6. Usually newer construction (less than 50-70 years old) tends to just be a single 2x4 or 2x6 for plate. Thanks for watching.
The process is similar, except might be easier on an interior wall because you can often hold the drill straight up to drill up into wall space. Measure to the spot in the basement ceiling (has to be open joist ceiling) that you think is right below the center of the wall space between the studs. Heat registers and radiator lines can be good reference points to begin measuring from. You may be able to see spike nails sticking down through the sub-floor that is a good sign you are below the sill plate you want to drill up through. Start with a 1/8 or 1/4 inch drill bit, something small as a pilot hole (in case you miss the wall space). Poke a wire of some sort up into the wall. Move it around while someone listens to the wall upstairs. If it’s in, they will hear it moving in the wall. Once you’re sure your in the wall, enlarge the pilot hole with a bigger bit. Then fish wires up the wall. Good luck. If you have any more questions let me know. Thanks for watching!
@@garyselectric5569 thank you for the quick and thorough response! I never get notifications from replies but that information is exactly what I learned the hard way. I was in a pretty tight crawl space so my pilot bit wasn’t wanting to stay level and I drilled a little hole in the drywall above that was also off a couple inches, but I eventually got it done with a paddle bit and a extension then fished it up lol. It was my sister I did it for and I was doing the work for free, especially after her having to patch the hole… good learning experience an the video definitely helped
Yes, that time it was a 3/4. Depends how many cables will be in it. A 3/4 will comfortably fit a couple 14/2 or 12/2 cables. If I need to run three cables, I might move up to a 1”, or drill a second hole.
It was. I was taught to install switches with the bottom of the outlet box at 48”. Even with a fire block at 5ft, you should still have enough room to install a switch at a comfortable height and fish a cable up to it. Thanks for watching!
Excellent! Thanks. It would have been nice to see the finished job, and to show us the upstairs first, when you were explaining where you trying to come up at
Underrated, answered everything I was worried about trying to get Ethernet cables ran through my crawl space to each room as well as a few circuits for an electric stove and EV charger. Thank you!
Nice video as an electrician with over 30 years experience and doing many renovation jobs like you are doing this video shows the challenges of drilling holes for fishing wires without damaging walls or floors.
Wonderful job Gary. You could not have done this better. Thanks for taking the time and sharing your knowledge.
In a sea of DIY vids with fancy suts is this gem with the whole messy process demonstrated instead.
Thanks for this.
Did this better than anybody every taught me. Thanks brother!
Thanks for creating this. I've got plans this weekend to do this with coax cable.
Best video I’ve seen on this topic. Thank you!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Excellent video and very informative. That is precisely what I was looking for. Thank you Gary!!! Cheers.
Excellent! Thanks. It would have been nice to see the finished job, and to show us the upstairs first, when you were explaining where you trying to come up at
Excellent video. Nicely presented
Helpful, no nonsense.
I need to drill for a doorbell wire in a house built in 1996 where the doorbell was part of the intercom system that was removed with no power left for a traditional doorbell. I'll be putting in a Simplisafe Doorbell Cam Pro, powered by the OhmKat system which will plug into an existing outlet in the crawlspace and transmit the doorbell chime to receivers around the house. This way, I don't have to mess with a transformer or wiring a separate chime. From the crawlspace it looks like I'll have to drill at an angle through the sill plate to fish wire in the exterior wall on the porch. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
@@RefinerSimilitude Your situation is similar to what I show in this video, except it sounds like you’ll be on your back or stomach in a crawl space doing it. I’ve been there. Tougher but similar. Start by finding studs in interior wall next to the door. There’s jack studs right next to door frame, maybe you have switches there too. Sometimes there’s another stud not far from door too. Gotta avoid all that stuff where drill up. Do that, then Get a good measurement where to drill up, then drill up same as in this video. Without knowing the particulars of your house, it’s hard for me to speculate more than that. Good luck!
3:57 You're saying there are usually two 2x4s (not one) at the base of a wall. I'm not saying you're wrong, but are you sure this is usually the case? When I google framing an exterior wall, I can find this stated nowhere. Is this perhaps the case with older construction, but not newer construction?
This is much more common is older homes and homes built in the southern US. Most homes are build on 2x6 exterior construction for insulation purposes. However a lot of homes in the US are 2x4 construction due to age. Great way to tell is take a look at your door frames and see how deep they are if you don’t know
Yes, you’re correct. I misspoke on that. Usually plate is just one board thick. However, some really old home walls can be on much thicker timbers, like 6x6. Usually newer construction (less than 50-70 years old) tends to just be a single 2x4 or 2x6 for plate. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the video. I think best way to find the wallplate is do a pilot hole just inside the wall and put a wire through.
How would I be able to do this in a interior wall if I already have a tsat hole in my dry wall
The process is similar, except might be easier on an interior wall because you can often hold the drill straight up to drill up into wall space. Measure to the spot in the basement ceiling (has to be open joist ceiling) that you think is right below the center of the wall space between the studs. Heat registers and radiator lines can be good reference points to begin measuring from. You may be able to see spike nails sticking down through the sub-floor that is a good sign you are below the sill plate you want to drill up through. Start with a 1/8 or 1/4 inch drill bit, something small as a pilot hole (in case you miss the wall space). Poke a wire of some sort up into the wall. Move it around while someone listens to the wall upstairs. If it’s in, they will hear it moving in the wall. Once you’re sure your in the wall, enlarge the pilot hole with a bigger bit. Then fish wires up the wall. Good luck. If you have any more questions let me know. Thanks for watching!
@@garyselectric5569 thank you for the quick and thorough response! I never get notifications from replies but that information is exactly what I learned the hard way. I was in a pretty tight crawl space so my pilot bit wasn’t wanting to stay level and I drilled a little hole in the drywall above that was also off a couple inches, but I eventually got it done with a paddle bit and a extension then fished it up lol. It was my sister I did it for and I was doing the work for free, especially after her having to patch the hole… good learning experience an the video definitely helped
Good job!
What size drill bit did you use? 3/4"?
Yes, that time it was a 3/4. Depends how many cables will be in it. A 3/4 will comfortably fit a couple 14/2 or 12/2 cables. If I need to run three cables, I might move up to a 1”, or drill a second hole.
I would have expected a fire block before 5ft, but it looks like an older home.
It was. I was taught to install switches with the bottom of the outlet box at 48”. Even with a fire block at 5ft, you should still have enough room to install a switch at a comfortable height and fish a cable up to it. Thanks for watching!
Do you ever use fiberglass fish rods? I find them to be quite handy. Nice video.
I have seen them but never bothered to buy any. I’ve gotten by using stiff wire, string or fish tapes. They look like they would work good though.
@@garyselectric5569 They're pretty handy.
What about Vapor barrier? Doesn’t this retrofit box break the Vapor barrier?
Try doing this in 2 feet of sub floor space in the dirt and in the dark. Not fun.
Wall fish at exterior walls suck
Especially with spray foam insulation lo
Excellent! Thanks. It would have been nice to see the finished job, and to show us the upstairs first, when you were explaining where you trying to come up at