Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Wiring in a finished basement

Thoughts on wiring in a finished basement? I have a ranch home with a finished basement and would like to wire for a home theater system. I have a current home theater system with white wire running under baseboards and up the walls. My floor joists are standard "V" type and have decent clearance if I go up through the ceiling. My concern is with the outside walls of the home as the basement is completely underground and I'm unsure of clearance.

My question to the folks is...has anyone wired in a finished basement or know of companies/electricians that would? I'm in Omaha, Nebraska if that helps any.

Thanks!

as a master electrician maybe i can help ? your worried about fishing speaker wires? power wires?

It's like music to my ears...literally...finding a Master Electrician close...especially one responding on this board...

I would like help fishing speaker wire through my ceiling of my home to wire for 5.1 (and possibly 7.1). I would love to have someone come out and see if it is even possible to do. My concern is my basement is completely underground and I'm not sure how much room I have to fish on the outside walls...although there could be a way under the stairs...etc. I'm not sure...but would like to discuss/evaluate. It's easier to show than describe...

I would appreciate the help. I have figured a way to set up the Axioms without running the wire through the walls...but would like it clean...through the walls with faceplates to connect up my speaker components.

Are you in Omaha? Any help/input would be appreciated...highly! Do you own a business or are part of a local business?

well i'd like to help myself but im very far away, around 3000 miles approx.
is your ceiling drywall or madeup of those 2X4 ceiling tiles that rest on a network of metal frames
are you considering adding a dedicated circuit for power as well
your basement walls are they drywall

My ceiling is drywall and the basement walls are drywall as well. Why would I consider a dedicated circuit for power? Just curious...

Thanks!

well one of the best things you can do for your home theater is provide a dedicated circuit. i have two ,one for the tv the other for the amp and processor
i've wired alot of computer rooms ( we call them data farms ) and the customer always ask for dedicated circuits isolated grounds and neutrals.
The reason for this is power is affected by appiances ,dimmers , flourescent light ,etc. Most quality home theater receivers can filter these bad harmonics out , but not all do it well.
Also have you ever turned on your vacuum and noticed your lights dim, well if your home theater shares a circuit with say any device that requires alot of power , this can lead to undo stress on your equipment.
In my opinion your better off with a surge protector and a dedicated circuit , than the most expensive power conditioner.

As far as fishing wires in your walls , have you considered using wire mold,its basically a flat conduit than sticks or screws to your walls , once painted its almost invisiable
hope that helps

While I agree its not a bad idea at all to have a dedicated circuit for your HT, personally I'd say its a bit too much to have one just for the TV on top of the other.

When I finished our basement, I made sure I put a dedicated line using 12-2 to my HT area, I believe I used a 20amp breaker.

I would also say to check out wiremold or similar product. I used "raceway's" from www.cableorganizer.com for my runs to my projector. Mine are adhesive tape backed, and have a latching side to make is easy to get to the cables.

Agreed, it never hurts to have a dedicated circuit for your HT.

I would have to hire an electrician to get a dedicated line for the HT stuff. I did buy a nice Monster power station from shopallmonster.com that was only $50 (retail $150). I run my receiver and tv through it. Not sure if that would help...but I do see your point.

I have not considered the wire mold stuff. I did have plastic wire conduit in my last house that had adhesive on it to stick to the walls. The issue with that product was when I moved out...I pulled them down and it took a lot of drywall with it. Does this stuff not stick to the wall and bring the wall down when you remove it or is it a permanent solution?

Are the "raceway's" permanent...in other words...do you plan to take them down. I've found it rips the drywall badly if you do. I wouldn't mind doing that...just hesitant if I move or need to remove it for some reason.

I'm guessing you could probably pull them off if you ever need to, however, I'm guessing it would pull some of the ceiling texture with it....They use double coated adhesive tape, not sure if it is 3M brand or what...

I doubt I'll ever move, but if I do, I'll probably leave the raceways for the next owner and just buy more, I don't think you could reuse them easily unless you put some new tape on the back and that would be more work than it is worth..

you should be able to find wiremold at home depot or your local electrical wholesaler, that will allow you to screw it to a wall.

one manufacturer that ive used alot is called panduit

your other option is too cut your drywall at every stud , then drill a hole through your stud , fish the wire , and then you get to have lots of fun trying to patch the holes and make it match the rest of the basement.
I really dont think you should do that unless your very comfortable with what your doing.

Punching holes into my wall at every stud does not sound like fun. I am looking closely at the wiremod and raceways mentioned. I appreciate the input and am going in the wiremold direction...

Is there any air space between the sheetrock and the outer wall? If you like the look of crown molding you could go inside the wall (by poking a hole in the bottom of the wall where your equipment is) till you get to the top. Then run all your wires around the top corner and install the crown molding to hide the wires. Sorry if that explanation is hard to understand. Let e know and I will try to clarify.
Jake

Running wiring across the studs is a bitch, but can be done. I’d just snap a chalk line across the bottom of the wall(s) about 12” up from the floor. Cut that 12” of rock away by setting your skill saw depth to ½”. Then boar your holes and run your wiring through he studs. Poke your holes through the rock at your speaker locations and use "old work" J-boxes at those locations. Then just fish the wires up to the boxes from the bottom of the stud bays. Screw in new rock and tape it. One long joint will be much easier to feather in to the wall(s) than patching holes. Just work your way up to a 12” trowel, match your texture and no one will ever tell the difference. Sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. Just start doing it and you’ll be done in a day.