How to Run Electrical Wire Into a Fixed Ceiling

A fixed ceiling is made of sheet rock, wood or other similar material that cannot be removed easily. The contrast to this type of ceiling are those made of removable tiles. Running electrical wire into a fixed ceiling is not difficult when there is enough room to move across the attic, even if you have to crawl on your stomach. If the attic is not accessible, electrical wires have to be run through a channel secured to the outside surfaces of walls and ceilings.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hammer
• Punch
• Fish tape
• 12-2 non-metallic sheathed cable with ground wire
• Flashlight
• Wire stripper of sharp knife
• Needle-nosed pliers
• Electrician's pliers
• Electrical tape
• Electrical or battery operated drill
• Drill bit slightly larger than the width of the cable

Access to the Attic

1. Determine whether you are going to tap into an existing circuit or install a new one. This decision needs to be based on the amount of load on existing circuits and what electrical fixtures or appliances you are adding with the new wiring. It will be assumed that a new circuit is going to be added.

2. Go to your breaker box, remove the inside panel and punch out one of the knock-outs in the top of the box for the new non-metallic sheathed cable.

3. Ask a helper to go into the attic with a fish tape, drill and bit. The helper needs to move to where the existing circuits run through the wall to the breaker box. A hole is drilled into the header plate next to the existed wires and then, the end of the fish tape is pushed through the hole and down the wall until it hits the top of the breaker box.

4. Watch for the end of the fish tape. When it appears, grab the end with a pair of needle-nose pliers and pull it into the breaker box.

5. Strip about 6 inches of sheathing from the end of a roll of 12-2 non-metallic sheathed electrical cable. Peel about 3 inches of insulation from the individual wires in the cable.

6. Thread the peeled wires through the eye at the end of the fish tape and bend the wires back against themselves. Wrap the connection of the cable and fish tape with electrical tape until it is a smooth joint with no sharp edges.

7. Ask your helper to slowly pull the fish tape and cable up through the wall into the attic.

Using Wire Channel

8. Run electric cable into the house through a wall into a junction box designed to be used with wire channel.

9. Fasten switch boxes to the wall where light switches will be located. Secure outlet boxes to the wall where light fixtures will be located.

10. Connect all boxes with pieces of channel which can be cut to the desired length with a hack saw. Secure the channel to the wall.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are to use an existing circuit, the new wire can be connected in an existing outlet or junction box from the attic.
• If you don't have access to the attic but can get under the house, the cable can be brought through the bottom of the breaker box, down the wall and under the house. The cable is then brought into the house through the bottom of a wall.
• When wire channel is required, use wire instead of cable. Non-metallic sheath cable is too large to fit in the channel.
• When making connections to existing wiring or fixtures, make sure that the power is turned off to avoid electric shock.

References

• Home Wiring; Rex Cauldwell; 2000