Installation Fundamentals

Installation

Fundamentals

Running the Speaker Wire in New Construction

If you have doubts about whether you are capable of installing a Niles ceiling mount loudspeakers, consult a Niles dealer or professional installer. They have special tools, techniques, and experience to make the impossible possible. The installer can provide you with an estimate before any work is done.

Scheduling and Preparation

Plan to schedule the speaker wiring after the electrical wiring is finished. That way you can avoid wire routes which could potentially induce hum over the speaker wire. The basic rules are:

•Never run speaker wire through the same hole as an electrical cable.

•Never run speaker wire into the same J-box as electrical cable.

•Avoid running the speaker wire beside the electrical cable. Keep your speaker cable at a distance of at least 18"-22" from any electrical power cable.

Figure 7

Side-by-side wiring is unavoidable in par- ticular spots in every house, just move the speaker wire route away as soon as possi- ble. If construction forces a side by side run for more than ten feet, install metal conduit or shielded speaker wire. Low- voltage wires such as doorbells, inter- coms, telephone, security, or television cannot cause interference or hum on your speaker wires, so you can safely run all of them at the same time, through the same holes, side-by-side.

Before you drill any holes, mount the speaker brackets in the desired speaker locations and mount p-rings or open backed J-boxes where the in-wall volume controls and stereo equipment will be.

Safety First!

Wear gloves, safety goggles and head pro- tection when drilling. Avoid nails, they ruin bits and they can create injury. Pay particu- lar care when using “hole-hogs” and other powerful electric drills; the torque of the drill when suddenly stopped by a nail can break the wrist of a strong man.

Drilling

Use a bit that is large enough for the wires you plan to run. An auger bit is the pre- ferred bit for rough-in wiring. It will actu- ally pull itself through the wood, so that the drill motor, not you, does most of the work. You may be drilling a lot of holes, so this is an important consideration.

Always drill the holes in the center of the stud. If you have to notch the stud or drill the hole closer than one inch from the edge of the stud, protect the wire with a nail plate (See Figure 7).

When drilling holes in ceiling joists drill in the center of the joists and try to locate the hole near the end of the joist. DO NOT drill through a “gluelam” or any load bearing beam without the direction of your contractor.