Subject: From: Date:

What I learned Running Wires Scott Danks Wed, 02 Jun 1999 10:06:16 -0500

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 Wed, 02 Jun 1999 10:06:16 -0500
I hope this will help any of you trying to do this.  I researched the subject before
starting, but learned a lot the hard way.  Please share any of your experiences, as
I am only about half done.

I have a two story wood and brick house in Oklahoma.  The insulation is R22 (typically).
 The tools I used were bought and made.  I bought a 58" long 1/4" drill bit that has
a spring steel shaft that was a little bit smaller than the bit.  This lets you drill
horizontally or vertically through wall studs, and insulation.  (It also lets you drill
through electrical wires, so be careful).  I wne to Walmart, and bought a child's bicycle
flag that has the fiberglass rod on it.  It is about 5-6' long, and removed the flag
and mounting bracket.  Drill a hole in one end, and you have a pull rod for wires. 
It fits nicely into the hole provided by the drill bit above.  Next I had a 2-1/2" hole
saw for drilling into the wall above the recessed Florescent lights in the kitchen.
 I found that there are supporting beams there, and I had to drill and use a chissel
to remove 1-1/2" of wood.  I then took three flashlight bulbs, and soldered them in
series, and connected them to an old wall transformer, that I collected from one of
the MANY kids toys through the years.  I knew they would come in handy one day.  I then
mounted these on the end of a coat hanger, and this gets into the holes so you can see
pretty well.  I then used several mutations of coat hangers to fish the walls for the
wires.  I used clear silicon in a toothpaste type dispenser, to secure the door contacts.
 A word of caution.  There is a stronger magnet that is used on the door contacts if
your door is a metal door.  (Like my front door is).  I also wanted to know when the
door was locked, so I used a plunger switch from LOWE'S (Normally Open) and installed
this in the black protective insert that goes into the wall where the Deadbolt shaft
inserts.  This will allow me to know at bedtime, if the door has been locked.  I read
that you should pull twice as many wires as you think you will need.  I bought CAT5
cable for about $56 per 1000 Ft.   I am pulling a lot of it.I solder all my connections
to make sure they are not going to cause "swingers" or opens in the circuit over time.
 (Don't leave the soldering iron turned on where your 4 year old can grab it, mine has
two blisters because she can't stay off the ladder where I had laid it on the top rung.--Sometimes
they learn the hard way).  I brought all my wires to a juction box installed above the
light switch, and will probably install a lan connection or RJ-45 wallplate on the box.
 I plan to install a magnet lock when I can afford it.  LED indicators will also be
placed on the wallplate too.  If you have to cut a section of sheetrock out from the
wall, I feel that if you can go over two wall studs in length, you can have two places
to use drywall screws to secure it before spackling it.  If you don't, you will probably
push the drywall back into the wall, and then you will have to revert to using the drywall
screens to patch the wall.  We are wall papering and painting this weekend anyway, so
I told my wife that this was a good time to do this now while we are remodeling.  Another
necessity is a reall good ladder, and a sharp utility knife.   Most of all patience
is the only other tool I needed.  I used black electrical tape to wrap around the connection
of the wire to the fiberglass rod.  This keeps the wire from pulling free while inside
the wall.  I also used a sonar type wall stud finder, and it helped to indicate thickness
to let me know if there are other boards between the studs.  You can get one of these
at most hardware stores for about 20-30 dollars.  That's about it.
If you have any other stories or suggestions, I would be happy to hear them.  Eventually,
I will interface these with optocouplers, and into a i/o card that will reside in the
pc.  I will use the i/o-port-byte function to interface the ECS with the card.  

Scott.

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