Running wires through corner studs

Hello all!

This is my first post here. Thanks in advance for taking your time to help me out.

I want to raise the ceiling in one of the bathrooms, unfortunately whoever did the wiring, didn't do a very good job. Now I need to hide two wires so that I can install a new drywall. As you can see in the picture both wires are on the studs instead of running through holes. On top of that, both wires pass-thru bathroom to other rooms. This means I can't just replace them with new wires.

I have no idea what to the about the corner studs. Should I just notch them, run wires and cover with a metal plate somehow?



Thanks

 

Notching the studs is not a good idea.

So you will have to either unstring the wires all the way from the closer end and restring them through new holes in the studs, or cutting the wires at the corner, restringing them through new holes in the studs, and installing a pair of junction boxes to splice the wire ends back together with a short added jumper.

 

Adding two new boxes is an option. Do they both have to be accessible though? I mean, can I hide them behind a drywall? I don't want to have blank wall plates in random places...

 

The junction boxes must have exposed wall plates.

 

Yes, they must remain accessible which means no, you cannot hide them behind drywall.

EDIT: Looks like Allan types faster than I do.

 

The wires can be spliced back together using a Tyco splicer and can be buried in the wall without access and no box. This is for NM 12 or 14 gauge only.

 

But there is no consensus that Tycos are approve for this purpose or that they are allowed in your jurisdiction. They are used mainly for modular factory built houses.

 

They are approved by the NEC with no stipulation that limits their use to factory built homes. NEC 334.40b

 

Thank you for the clarification.

 

I don't agree with it, but yes, they are approved by the NEC. We still don't know if the OP's local jurisdiction will accept them though.

 

I don't agree with the use of them either.
Case in point.... my own sisters modular home where they've sizzled nicely in the wall.
I'd only consider them in an actual emergency situation.

I must be missing something.... both cables appear to be coming out of a drilled hole.
It's pretty hard to comment on a repair without knowing where they are coming from and going to in relation to that picture.

 

IIRC there was something about they were allowed for fished cables and another stipulation. I won't use them.

 

Notching a stud 1/4" - 1/2" will have no effect to the strength of the stud. I would reroute first, if that is not available, then notch away. A Forstner bit does a really nice job making a flat bottom hole to lay cable in. Then cover with nail plates.

 

I too would notch the stud and cover with a nail plate.

 

@PJmax - the cables come from the dining room, go around the bathroom and then enter one of the bedrooms. Unfortunately, I can't see which outlet (or baseboard heater) they go to etc.
See below:


I circled in yellow the part that you can see in the picture.
As you mentioned, both cables come our of a drilled hole and then make a 90 degree turn on top of the studs.

 

I am assuming the wires beyond the right side in the picture are strung to allow for the raised ceiling and the added drywall on top of the existing walls. Since the corner in the picture is used for attaching drywall for 2 walls at right angles, the left stud of the corner must be notched from the right edge to the hole with the wires. The right stud of the corner must be notched deep enough to insure the wires can be placed to go below the nailing surface. Cover the notch with a nail plate. I would scab a piece of 2x4 to the left stud of the corner spanning the cutout (notch inside corner at 45 degrees for the other wires in the left stud of the corner to pass through).

 

I think I will just install two junction boxes. One of them I can hide behind a mirror, second one will be in the top corner so not very visible.

*rant*: I actually have two more cables that will require similar work. They come from god knows where, pass through the bathroom (on studs of course... sic!) and end up in the bedroom or kitchen. Can't see anything.
This being said, if I wanted to follow "the code" I would end up with 5 junction boxes and "stylish" wall plates in random places on the walls. I can't really replace the existing wires without tearing up drywall in 3 rooms (to see where exactly they go)! This being said, I am connecting those other two wires with the splice kit someone posted in this topic. Having lived in Europe for +25 years I don't understand why it would not be allowed by law. People splice wires like this ALL the time over there and yet they are still alive. By all the time I mean, ALL THE TIME. *end/rant*.

 

Reply to rant:

Being an electrician, and doing the work very similar to what you have, I feel your pain. However many times I surprise myself on ways I can splice cables in a legal way that really is not that much more work then just free air splicing cables in a wall. Methods include:
1) Receptacle boxes. Installing a large plastic box with a single gang mud ring for the bathroom GFCI. Large 4"x4" can house a TON of wires. Make all your splices there and nobody will be the wiser.
2) Can lights. Cans have pretty good J boxes on them which can also contain quite a few wires (8 #12 I believe)
3) Behind the mirror. (You mentioned) See above about large 4"x4" J boxes.
4) Light fixture boxes. Light fixture boxes mostly contain only one cable. Fill that sucker up!

The main reason that splices are required to be accessible is they are the most common point of failure. If something fails and it is not accessible how can it be repaired?

End of reply to rant.

 

Thanks everyone for weighing in on the topic. I'm almost done with this project. I will post some pictures later this week for people who might encounter a similar situation in the future.

I have one more question though. There's a vent pipe in one of the non-load bearing walls running from the floor through the roof. This is the same wall where two wires run. I ran the wires through holes in the studs, but obviously can't drill a hole in the pipe. I will just have to run the wires "on top" of the pipe i.e. between drywall and pipe. Now, here's my question. Is there anything I should do to protect these wires? e.g. put them in a plastic channel or something. I don't have much space so anything I use needs to be relatively thin.

Edit:
Picture is below. I got rid of the frame located just above the tile as my primary goal was to raise the ceiling. You can still see the pipe though.

 

As long as the cable is at least 1 1/4" away from the face of a framing member where you will attach the drywall, it is OK. It looks like there is a framing member on the left side. If so, notch the member and install a nail plate. You should not need to do anything to the cable where it goes over the pipe.