Running wires through floor not through wall

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(W)KRP

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Running wires through floor not through wall
« on: 24 Mar 2014, 05:01 pm »
I was thinking of avoiding the running wire look by having the speaker wire connectors receded on the bottom of the speaker and having a matching set of connectors on the floor of my room, running the wire under the floor and have it pop out where my audio equipment is. Is this a bad idea?

I was also going to ask Jim to have a matching hole in the plinths and perhaps I could run wires temporarily through the hole and under the plinth, then over the carpet before I get my final location to install the floor connectors. I do not plan on using the plinths permanently.

Any comments are appreciated.

ernest787

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Re: Running wires through floor not through wall
« Reply #1 on: 24 Mar 2014, 05:19 pm »
I've thought about doing something similar.  I live in a house built in the 50s and it has a fireblock in the walls so it's very difficult to run any new wiring through the walls.  My house is in Texas and it pier and beam though.  I've been under the house plenty and i think it would be pretty easy for me to run wires under the house. 

I haven't gotten around to actually trying to do it, but it's in the back of my mind for sure.

coke

Re: Running wires through floor not through wall
« Reply #2 on: 24 Mar 2014, 05:21 pm »
I run mine under the edge of the carpet for my bedroom system..  This is an easy solution. Just pull back the edge of the carpet, place the wire so that it's not on any of the nails or tacks, and push the carpet back in place. I've also ran it across a room under carpet before.  In that situation, I ran the wire where 2 pieces of carpet padding met, so that foot traffic wouldn't damage the wires.


Mike Nomad

Re: Running wires through floor not through wall
« Reply #3 on: 24 Mar 2014, 06:22 pm »
Another option is behind the baseboards...

SCompRacer

Re: Running wires through floor not through wall
« Reply #4 on: 24 Mar 2014, 08:16 pm »
I knew a fellow with a small listening room that installed his mono block amps in the basement and connected them to speakers through holes in the floor. More holes in the floor connected the amps to pre amp in room. If that is what you were thinking, and depending on size of hole, maybe open holes in the floor to another level could be a building code violation? Thinking of chimney effect with fire.

Kruz

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Re: Running wires through floor not through wall
« Reply #5 on: 25 Mar 2014, 01:49 pm »
That is actually what I am in the middle of doing.  The only thing to consider with this options is how much wiring you need to run and how tall your baseboards are.  I'm using 12 AWG and have to run a bunch of cables. Even though my baseboards are quite tall my contractor still was worried about fitting everything behind them.

Any reason you're going with the floor setup?  Sorry if I missed that point.

Another option is behind the baseboards...

coke

Re: Running wires through floor not through wall
« Reply #6 on: 25 Mar 2014, 04:52 pm »
I knew a fellow with a small listening room that installed his mono block amps in the basement and connected them to speakers through holes in the floor. More holes in the floor connected the amps to pre amp in room. If that is what you were thinking, and depending on size of hole, maybe open holes in the floor to another level could be a building code violation? Thinking of chimney effect with fire.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GREAT-STUFF-16-oz-Fireblock-Insulating-Foam-Sealant-345372/202023037


lenkevy

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Re: Running wires through floor not through wall
« Reply #7 on: 25 Mar 2014, 09:07 pm »
I run my speaker wires under the floor in the way you describe. It works great.   Under the floor, I attached plastic hooks to the subfloor, so the wire under the floor is suspended in air.  I used equal length wires as well.  Some audiophiles use risers to get wires off the floor. I think this makes more sense.

lenkevy

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Re: Running wires through floor not through wall
« Reply #8 on: 25 Mar 2014, 09:15 pm »
To clarify, I don't use connectors on the floor. I simply run speaker wires through a hole in the floor. Trimmed out to look nice...

Saturn94

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Re: Running wires through floor not through wall
« Reply #9 on: 26 Mar 2014, 01:41 am »
I was thinking of avoiding the running wire look by having the speaker wire connectors receded on the bottom of the speaker and having a matching set of connectors on the floor of my room, running the wire under the floor and have it pop out where my audio equipment is. Is this a bad idea?

I was also going to ask Jim to have a matching hole in the plinths and perhaps I could run wires temporarily through the hole and under the plinth, then over the carpet before I get my final location to install the floor connectors. I do not plan on using the plinths permanently.

Any comments are appreciated.

I ran my speaker cables under the floor in my last house without any issues.  However, I have no idea if I violated any codes doing so.  :oops: