Hello to all once again. I am looking to run some 12 or 14 gauge speaker wire up from my basement and someone suggested that I use the same floor holes that currently accomodate my 3/4" hot water copper heating pipes. I was thinking that I needed to drill new holes and stay away from such pipes (at least an inch or so) due to the heat generated by the hot water during the heating season. My fear is that the plastic coating on the speaker cable will eventually melt. Any thoughts as to whether or not it is safe to run speaker wires through the same holes used for heating ? Thank you in advance to all those who respond .... Paul

tangupa,

You can use the same holes as long as you use UL listed in-wall speaker cable. This link shows cables that have an operating range up to 75 degrees C (167 degrees F).

If your pipes are that hot, then the water in them is scalding hot and can cause a burn in about 1 second.