How To Run Romex In Attic

With a flashlight examine the attic and locate the path that you will use to run the wire between the two locations.

How to run romex in attic.

You must protect cables located within 6 of the attic access hole. You must protect all cables running perpendicular and atop the joists. Familiarize yourself with the footing situation. We won t cover many other house wiring details.

All other attics need protection within 6 feet of the attic opening and this is the typical situation. In this article we ll show you some house wiring basics how to position outlet and switch boxes and run the electrical cable between them. The simple way to protect the cables is to run 1x2 or larger wood guard strips on both sides of the cable as shown in the diagram below. Ultimately for type nm romex this is directly referenced in the 2011 nec 334 23 but only points you to comply with 320 23 type ac as does 330 23 type mc.

The national electrical code which is the basis for all local building codes has specific regulations for installing electrical wires so that they are protected from damage. As i m doing some rewiring and have a large amount of leftover nm romex cable i was wondering if i can run that just sitting on top of and secured to the joists in the attic like the current armored cable is. Attics with permanent access stairs ladder. Climb through the attic access using a ladder if necessary and look into the attic space.

Plastic boxes and flexible nonmetallic cable commonly called romex put electrical wiring projects within the skill range of every dedicated diyer. A pull down attic ladder does not count.