How To Run Romex In Attic

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.

How to run romex in attic.

You must protect all cables running perpendicular and atop the joists. With a flashlight examine the attic and locate the path that you will use to run the wire between the two locations. 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. What is the preferred and legal way of running the romex across the attic to where i m going to install a utility light whole house fan circuit the fan will sit about center of the attic.

All other attics need protection within 6 feet of the attic opening and this is the typical situation. We won t cover many other house wiring details. Running romex in the attic no problem pulling the wires or installing the new circuits but i have some questions once i get it into the attic. You must protect cables located within 6 of the attic access hole.

Climb through the attic access using a ladder if necessary and look into the attic space. Attics with permanent access stairs ladder. 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. 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. Plastic boxes and flexible nonmetallic cable commonly called romex put electrical wiring projects within the skill range of every dedicated diyer.