Pulling wires past chimney

[SwingKing]

LOML would like a couple lamps mounted above the fireplace mantel and I could use some advice. I've sketched up the basic idea here. I can handle wiring up the two lamps into a switch and hooking that into the house wiring. The question I have how to run the wire from the right side lamp over to the switch on the left.

I don't have much experience pulling wires, so should I try to run them through the wall and past the chimney flue? Another option would be to run the line outside and then back in to the switch. I want to do as little damage as possible to the drywall obviously, so what would you suggest? FYI, the horizontal span between the windows is about 6 feet.

Thanks!

-- Ken

[shoottx]

From the attic down each side!

[Uncle Cracker]

There should be plenty of room in the frame-out around the chimney flue, but make sure you don't get the wiring anywhere near the flue itself, due to the heat. You can get tubular heat shielding for the wire, but keep it away from the flue, just the same. A fish tape or a length of heavier wire that retains its shape should get you from point "A" to point "B"... Up one side and down the other would also work, if you are more confident in that routing.

[SwingKing]

The attic idea is interesting but the problem is that this is a "great room" with a 20 foot ceiling. I'm assuming there are cross braces in the wall which would have to be drilled through to run wires down. Are there special drill bits or other techniques that would help do this?

Keeping the wire away from the flue is my concern. I'm not sure how I'd do that without ripping a big hole in the front of the chimney to route the wire. I've considered going out through the back wall and back in which would do what you suggest, but then the wire is exposed to the elements. Would I need special wire and/or conduit if I ran it this way?

-- Ken

[just started]

From the attic down each side!

This would be my starting point for planing also, but you need to know a little more about how the framing was done for the window headers. If there is a basement you also could go down and across which would be shorter and easier. Remember that you will not be able to just fish the wire across where you show the red line, there will be 2 or 3 vertical studs that will need to be drilled through. A wider shot of the entire wall, inside and out, might help give a better idea. Is the fireplace working, and if so, is it wood, gas or electric? Is the flue tile or the newer metal, or the even newer dual chamber type that also supplies the outside air for the fire?

[ragswl4]

As mentioned above, need to know more about the framing behind the wall. Also I would not run a wire from the switch to each light. Run one wire (romex) from the switch to the light on the left then a wire (romex) from the left light to the right light unless of course you want to have control of each light independently, then disregard my comment. Good luck.

[pecker]

How hard would it be to remove the mantel? If you can do that, you can see what framing there is in the wall, and maybe even get your wire from left to right while the mantel is off.

When I built my neighbor's fireplace surround, I put a couple screws down thru the mantel into a furring strip attached to the wall, so it could be easily removed, if necessary. The previous one had been toe-nailed to the studs, and was a bit harder to remove.

[Mr__Bill]

In my mind drywall is the thing to trash and repair. It's far easier to do that than fish a wall that has fire blocks in it. That said, I would first cut the hole on the left for the switch and the light. Then look in the wall and see how hard it will be to fish it. If you are lucky there is a large air space in there and fishing will be easy. If not, then cut drill replace spackle and paint. If that is a solid masonry chimney I would not worry too much about romex touching it but if it's a metal one then keep the wire away.

If you do cut the drywall do one large hole and not a lot of little ones.


good luck,
Bill, on the Sunny Oregon Coast,

[gbtower]

I'd check the mantel to see if it is hollow. Maybe it can be routed across behind that. And if you're going to tear up some drywall, the patching would be less visible behind that.

[crokett]

Even if you want separate switches for each light you can still run one wire from the switches to the left light, then a wire to the right light. Just make the wire to the left light 14/3 (2 hots and a neutral) and switch the two hots separately.

I would cut a hole for one of the light boxes and have a look-see but I would also plan on tearing up the sheetrock. Most likely the time it takes to repair that woouldn't be much longer than what it would take to try to fish wiring and/or pull the mantel off. It also means you don't have to drill holes in the house to rout the wiring outside.