Drilling Through Floor Joists For Electrical

The picture above shows what can happen when an untrained plumber is working on your home.

Drilling through floor joists for electrical. Holes anywhere in the web area of engineered i joists except within 6 in. It s important to calculate the siz. You often require drilling holes in ceiling joists to pass any electrical or plumbing runs through the ceiling or floor. 1 you are not allowed to drill in the middle third of the span at all.

I noticed that quite a few people have a common concern that drilling holes in joists will make them weaker. In a perfect world floor joists are left whole to provide the greatest support. Most electricians keep their inspector happy by drilling 3 4 in. Drill holes with a diameter of no more than one third the depth of the joist staying 2 in.

I m here to let you know that you can safely drill holes in joists by following a few simple guidelines. There are very specific locations and sizes in the code telling you what is allowed. If they need to run more wires they ll drill more holes directly above the others. Drilling floor joists to run plumbing wiring or ducts can be tricky.

How to drill a hole through the side of a floor joist. Of protective wood on each side. Where and how to drill joists for electrical cables or. Full demonstration on how to measu.

Roger goes over the best practices and rules for notching and drilling holes in joists while filming our bathroom series. Away from the top and bottom. But modern living requires electrical wiring and plumbing. These joists may need reinforcin g to reduce bounciness sagging or excessive deflection in the floor or ceiling.

The actual rules do limit your drilling as to both location and size. Student training aid for where to drill joists so cables wiring can be run safely includes examples of the calculations. As part of any new installation work or a re wire a cable trunking or cable tray sometimes has to pass through an element of building construction such as a floor wall or beam necessitating the formation of a notch or opening in the element. The holes can not be larger in diameter than 1 3 the actual depth of the joist.

For a 2x10 that would mean a hole no larger than 3 5 32 diameter. If the cut outs are too large or in the wrong location the joist can be weakened and unable to support the load it was designed for. Cutting notches and drilling holes in joists. This gives them a hole large enough to run two electrical cables and leave 1 3 8 in.

Let s review what is wrong with this particular joist and discuss what the proper technique is for.