I searched using the amazing search feature, but couldn’t find the answer, although I’m sure it’s here somewhere.
We have an ICF foundation, covered with 1/2″ drywall, all unfinished. I’m going to finish some areas, and it’s now time to add the outlets. I grew up in an old (200 yrs) house with plaster and lath, and if there’s one thing I HATE, it’s loose electrical boxes.
What’s the preferred method for SECURELY mounting the boxes for the receptacles? I don’t want those suckers to start wiggling all over in another year. The drywall is all screwed on, so we’ll be pulling it off to run the wiring. In other words, I have a wide range of options available, and we’re only looking at about 7 or 8 boxes.
Replies
Tapon your boxes to the cement. Cut your rock and styrofoam to give the box a home. Clear out the styrofoam and rock to reveal your cement. Tapcon that box to the cement.
To run your wires go down from the box to the floor. place your wires in the styrofoam then patch the rock. Run your wires to your other boxes close to the ground so your baseboard can hide and conceal your runs.
Wouldn't it be better to hold the wire up at box height?
Wires behind the baseboard could catch a nail, even if just using them to pin a glue set base to the dw. In fact I would be more incline to take them to the ceiling, for easier home runs to the panel box.
comments?
Dave
the two icfs i worked on all went to the cieling
they used a thing that i dont know the name of but its a wire shorting out to make it hot comes in differant sizes burn melt whatever a track to lay your wire in and go
Yer basic hot wire tool for sculpting foam.
I like the Tapcon idea. I think I'll run the wires horizontally from box to box probably at the box level, then I only need one drop down from ceiling height for the feed. Well, three, actually, for the power, the cable, and the cat 5.....but that's easy. I have an old, old soldering gun that does a great (but smelly and dangerous) job of doing grooves in foam.
A router with a 1/4" veining bit se to to a depth of 2-1/4" cuts throught the ICF like butter, then just tuck your wire in tthe bottom of the groove you've made.
Er
Thornbury, ON
I have a Hotknife with curved and straight knives . It works good . But I like the router with a core box bit the size of my conduit . It is quicker and neater for making the slots . You are planing on useing conduit ?
conduit???? not around here. you never, and i mean never, see conduit in residential work.
Why not ? makes for easy up dates. I realise that it will cost more . I am wireing my whole house that way. I like the fact that I can costomize every run . A differant color wire for 3way ,4way switches and lights and outlets. Makes the wireing easier.
Ive usually done the baseboard method on remodels and refits due to less intrusion to your wall. Patch and repairs are hard to deal with in these situations due to the drywall finisher/Plasterer Painter etc.
Ideal would be at box height or above, but with ICFs and such i want vertical runs because once the wire is in the wall snaking wire is a chore. Vertical to the ceiling would work just as well since you can run your switch legs to the lamps. Id do that method over the baseboard if it were attic space that wasnt finished out with insulation duct work and wallboard.
When i run behind baseboard i dont patch behind it due to the wire. As far as baseboard and ICFs its a pain. Depending on the ICF form attching trim isnt an easy task. Ive found it best to attach plywood or blocks directy to the ICF provided tabs or ribs then putting baseboard against the blocks and fastening or just using adhesive.
Reading the original post over, the rock isnt finished and id actually just tear off the existing rock. Put in the electrical then re-rock it. I glanced the fist time and thought the rock was finished.
That's why the original rock isn't finished; code here requires rock over the foam, but since the basement wasn't finished, the normal plan is to leave it unfinished so you can take the drywall off and do all the wiring. That's the simple part, I was just wondering which was the best way to attach the boxes; I like the tapcon and adhesive idea.
Since the drywall is put on horizontally, I can mark and cut out the box locations in the drywall, then pop off the bottom sheets, do the boxes and the grooves for the wiring, and then put the drywall back up. If I plan it properly, I'll only have to have one vertical drop from the ceiling.
Cairo: I have an ICF house. Used the same foam I used to glue blocks together & Tapcons to hold the boxes - works great! I made sure the boxes would be flush w/ wall surface. Drilled hole for Tapcon; put in a layer of foam, placed box; let it set for a few minutes till the foam started to cure then set the Tapcon. That way there was minimal continued expansion of the foam to distort the box placement, and the Tapcon was holding the box against a flat surface, rather than the uneven and always not parallel to the wall face concrete. More than once I had to chisel out some concrete because where I wanted the box was not at a spot where the foam was thick enough to take the box. Couple of concrete bit drilled holes & cleanup work w/ chisel did fine.
Make sense? Sounds a bit convoluted to me. But it's what I did, & it worked fine.
DonThe GlassMasterworks - If it scratches, I etch it!
on a icf that i worked on we used a electric chain saw to cut the groove and hole for the box,squirted the back of it with pl adhesive then tapconed it to the wall. i think some brands of icf,s would be harder than others. larry