Part I: Installing outlets in plaster walls is available in the Archives

One of the advantages to pulling wire is that it allows you to have an intimate knowledge of your house. Our house, built in 1901, was built with balloon framing. This style is similar to the platform framing that is commonly used today in construction. In platform framing, 2x4 material (in our case the wood actually measures 2" x 4 ") is used like sticks that hold up the story above. Each wall then has a top plate and a bottom plate. In balloon framing, the vertical studs continue for multiple floors with no horizontal plates separating the floors. I must confess here, that as I am not a carpenter my use of terminology will not be the same as a framing carpenter. I use these words for their descriptive value.

What wire to fish I have assumed that most people would be using this information to add electrical outlets to their homes. This information can also be used for adding phone and networking wire to an older home. In the United States in 1999, there are 4 common options of wires that could be run: Romex, POTS, Cat 5, and RG6. Romex is the brand name of a plastic insulated copper wire used in most residential applications in the US. The 12-gauge size is what I used in our house. The wire costs about $30 for 250 foot roll. POTS is Plain Old Telephone Service. This is great if you only want to use a phone line. If you think you may want to get a second line in the future, or maybe some mini networking, I would suggest using Cat 5 wire. Cat (category) 5 is the same gauge (size) wire as POTS, but with two main differences. The Cat 5 wires are arranged in a twisted pair configuration. That is, the two wires that are used for the line (phone, computer, etc.) are twisted on each other. So in a four pair wire, there are four sets of twisted pair wires in each jacket. This eliminates the cross talk between lines. The other difference is the special shielding that is used. It helps to eliminate the electrical interference that can occur when the wire is next to electrical wires. Cost is about $300 for 1,000 ft roll. RG6 wire looks like the cable used for televisions. The shielding is slightly different than regular cable. This can be helpful if your area may get cable modems or cable phones. Also several computer-networking applications use this type of wire. Cost is about $80 for 1,000 ft. The other note is to try to keep your electrical runs separate from your phone/cable wire runs. If you remember creating an electromagnet from a wire, nail and battery, you know that when electricity goes through wire, there are magnetic fields that can interfere with other items. Most of the time it is not a problem, but to keep things simple: Keep all Cat 5, POTS and RG6 wire in a separate chase away from your electrical wire. If you must cross wires, try to cross them perpendicular, rather than parallel to each other. Try to have the POTS, or Cat 5 wire in a stud bay separate from any electrical outlets.

In houses built since the 1860's or so, you will probably encounter platform or balloon framing. In even older homes there are a variety of styles, but most are based on timber frame construction techniques. Timber framing allows for a 'boxy' style of house which can be very helpful or problematic when running wire. I won't be able to go into detail about wiring this framing style as our house is balloon framed. I am sure though that many of the techniques that I was able to use can be adapted to the timber framed house as well.

Picture of old chimney, and where we have run the wire.

The first thing that needs to be done is to identify where you can run wires from your main panel (usually in a basement or attic) to the opposite main wire running area. For example, our 200 amp service was in the basement of a two story (plus attic) house. We wanted to run new wiring to the second floor bedrooms. Our electrician discussed two choices with us. One was to place a subpanel in the attic, have the second floor wiring start here and then go to the rooms. The second option was to run everything from the basement panel, to the individual rooms. Our electrician recommended the second option because having active subpanels can be confusing, and this option puts all the controls in one place. This is the method we decided to use.

The other thing that needs to be identified is an area where you can pull the wires from the basement to the attic. Such an area is called a chase. There are several places to investigate when you are looking for chases for the wire. Plumbing walls, where pipes are located, can be excellent places to pull wire. Generally in older homes, the plumbing was all in one wall. There is always a vent that goes through the attic, so it is fairly easy to find in the attic area. Another place to look for a chase is in common walls between the first and second floor. An example of this in a balloon-framed house is the stud wall cavities that run from the attic to the basement. A third place to look would be an unused chimney. In some old houses, there were several chimneys. Our house had two chimneys. There is a main chimney that held the flue for the main fireplace and one in the back of the house that was for the kitchen cook stove. About 20 years before we bought the house, the kitchen chimney deteriorated and fell off the roof. All brick and mortar was then removed to below the roofline rendering the chimney inactive. We decided to remove the bricks all of the way down to the basement and use that wall space to run the new Romex wire. This old chimney chase has proved very helpful and has also gained us extra room in the kitchen.

Measuring from plumbing vent in attic to get to access area.
Showing how I mark hatch for future reference.

Once you have determined where to run the wires, you need to determine how to get the wires to where you need them. The most important tool you will need for this part is a tape measure. Our attic has floorboards, so we are not looking down at the plaster ceiling until we take off a section of that floor. This situation has its good points and bad points. First, it is helpful because we can walk around the attic without worrying about whether we are on the joists. This eliminates most of the worry about falling through the ceiling. The drawback is that you cannot easily see where the existing wiring is running, nor the top plates that you want to drill into. Two additional tools needed in your toolbox for this part of the job include a cat's paw & hammer. These allow you to pull up a nail that is pounded into a piece of wood. They do cause damage to the wood, but fortunately for us, I was not worried too much about that in the attic. Another tool that is very helpful is a circular saw with a nail-cutting blade. I used this set to a depth that only cut the floorboard (no deeper). I used this to create an "access hatch" to the top plate or ceiling fixture I wanted to work on. To do this, I wanted my cutting parallel to the joist so half of the floorboard would still be on the joist. This way, when I replaced the "hatch", it had a place to sit on and I could use a screw to anchor it back in place. I used screws which will allow me easy access if I ever need to get to that area again.

Photo of access hatch and wire running to bedroom. Note the extra hole (for the old knob & tube wiring) and note on the access hatch, the cut, and the relatively minor damage done by the cat's paw.

Closeup of the wire and hole. Can't see as much of attic floor damage, and access.

I started by measuring from something that was a constant and could be measured both in the second floor bedroom and upstairs in the attic. In our case, I had a plumbing vent from a sink that was in the master bedroom. I carefully measured (to the nearest inch) from there to the light fixture. Then, in the attic, I did the same, crossed my fingers and then cut my hatch opening. The first time, I was only off about 12 inches. So, I just cut a larger access hatch. The more hatches I cut, the better I got. After cutting five to six hatches, I was really getting cocky so that I was only measuring once and cutting only once. ..... I did fine until day two. I had gotten out of my rhythm from the day before and cut three holes before I finally found the area I needed. Thankfully, it only took me two hatches to get back into my groove again.

Tools needed for pulling wire Tape measure Paper and pencil Cat's paw Hammer Circular saw with nail blade Screws (to put floorboards back) Drill with 1" around the corner bit Fish tape 20 foot length of carriage chain Electrical tape Walkie-talkies Knee pads, your knees will thank me

Once you have the top plate identified, you drill a hole with a 1" bit into the top plate where you want the wire to go. I started with a spade bit, but then used an 'Around the Corner bit' from Vermont American. It looks like a spade bit, but the corners are more rounded and the drill is not jolted from your hands if it catches just right (or wrong). Once the hole is drilled, it's time for the easy part of actually fishing the wire.

Two tools that help with fishing wire are fish tape and a 20' length of chain. Fish tape is a 1/4" wide piece of metal that is coiled up on a reel. I used this to push through the holes from the electrical boxes to the attic. I usually created a hook in the tape and then wrapped the wire through the hook. Electrical tape wrapped around this connection made a smooth object, which was easier to pull through the opening. Chain can also be used for this, but the chain works with gravity and so it can only be used from the top down. The fish tape is nice because due to it being very rigid, it can be fished from the bottom up. I have used both of these tools when I am having difficulty finding the opening. Usually, I drop the chain from the top and then use the fish tape to try to hook the chain, as I have someone upstairs rock the chain to get it to move around. Sometimes, it helps if your assistant is not your spouse. It can get very frustrating when you can just about get the chain, and right when you almost have it, the other person pulls it just out of your reach again. AAArrrgh. Another helpful tool (especially at this point) is a set of walkie-talkies. They are very helpful. It is much easier to use the walkie-talkies even when you think you are loud enough to shout from the attic to the second floor.

When working in the basement, wiring tends to be a lot easier (at least it was in our house). We have several things to measure from that are easily identifiable. Also, with hardwood floors I discovered a little trick. Put a piece of coat hanger in your drill (I used a 0.0875 surgical K wire- but I figure not everyone has that) and go near the area you want to run the wire. Using the coat hanger, drill through the hardwood into the basement. You then have a reference to measure from both sides of the floor. I should mention that I drilled the coat hanger into a corner of the wood floor pattern. When the wire is removed, the hole is almost impossible to see, because it is in a corner between the strips of wood. If you just drill in the middle of a section of wood, the hole is much easier to see when you are all done.

You might be saying about now that this sounds fine, but what about fishing a wire under a window on the second floor or in another place where you don't have access to the basement or attic? There are several techniques I used in our house. If you have to pull up a good floor, try doing most of your damage in a closet. Our closets are strategically placed over the supporting walls, so when we needed to get wire up the first floor walls, we opened the "hatch" in the closet and were able to successfully pull the wire.

Another technique is the hole and patch method. In our second floor bedroom with the turret, we could not get to the top plate very easily but we wanted outlets under the windows. So, I started with an electrical outlet hole. Then I used a stiff wire to feel for where the next 2x4 stud was located. Once I found that, I used that same wire to measure the distance on the plaster. I then cut a small hole (about 4 inches wide, by 2 inches tall) around the stud. This would allow me to 'fish' the wire around the stud to the next wall cavity. I continued this around the room until I got to all the places I wanted the wire. Once all of the wire was in place, I put a metal protective plate over the stud sections to protect the wire from being punctured. I then patched all of the holes with drywall mud. As you can see, the resulting job has no evidence of the 'Swiss cheese' approach to pulling the wire.

Before
Holes in the plaster over the studs

I have tried to include as many pictures as possible to explain my techniques. If any are unclear, let the editor know, and I will gladly submit a follow up with more descriptive pictures (4 rooms are done, but I still have 8 rooms to finish and so, I'm sure I could get more pictures if needed)

Happy fishing!!!