How to add cable, phone, etc. outlets to a wall?

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
"stiff metal box behind, which holds the end of the wife. I presume that it's screwed into a stud."

freudian slip there perhaps? i'm not sure i want to imagine mrsskoorb screwed to a stud.

Skoorb thinks he is one.


If you have any type of insulation up in the attic area, take a quick hot shower first and then a cold one.

The hot shower will keep your pores open to wash away and dust. By taking a cold/cool shower when you finish will close up your pores and trap the dust. Then you get to do the itch.

The cold shower afterwards is a punishment for the freudian slip :evil:

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
plate.JPG that's the plate off an existing setup. I need to drop into another room also - is it possible to get the cable into this box? It looks like an excercise in frustration - any tricks on how to do it easily/ I can't see how to take the box off and feed it in easily, so ideally I'd need some way to get the cable in that hole - maybe tie a heavy small weight on to it, but it still sounds tricky!

Why would you want to run another cable into that box?

Is the other room on the other side of the wall. IF so, just put a small splitter inside the existing box.
Run the wire out the box to the other side of the wall. Put a small hoe in that wall and attach a coax face plate with a double screw for each side to connect the cable to (looks more professional).

Then use sheet rock screws to attach the face plate to the wall on the other side.

 

[StageLeft]

Well here's the thing I am trying to do two things:

1) Allow highspeed internet to my computer: It's on the opposite side of the wall from that pink room, and I am tired of running cable around the wall through the door. So, I can either split it like you said, or just turn the existing faceplate into a cable/cat 5 face plate (I've seen some that have one of each). In the first case I'd have the cable modem next to the comp and in the second it would be hidden in that other room and I'd just run a bit of network cable through the wall with a network outlet by the comp. I'll surely follow your advice on this one whether I do the network cable or the coaxial split.

2) Take my sat receiver and have its coaxial output run back to my central hub outside the house, so that I can then split it among all of the remaining rooms. This is the case where it would be clean and save creating a new faceplate if I can squeeze a second coaxial cable in to that existing rear box, then I just buy a new face plate. See, there is already the one line that goes to the dish and it has to remain independent, so then I need the second one with the video output. I need to either put in a new box/plate, or somehow get a second cable in to this one (pic from pink room was used simply because access is easier).

 

[Ornery]

Why not start over and ask yourself if you really need this box. Phone jacks can be mounted nicely on the baseboard with a simple jack. Cable for your satellite can be passed up through the floor through a small hole. Boxes are nice and all, but do you really need one?

Too ghetto?

 

[TwoBills]

bump

 

[TwoBills]

The easiet way to drop a cable from the attic is to utilitize a closet. Drill a hole, inside the closet, into the ceiling and bring the wire down inside the closet. Route it to the wall you need a jack on and pop it thru. You don't need an old work box for low voltage wiring, just use a low voltage ring (a metal bracket that bends into a precut hole in the sheetrock, no stud required.)
The second method would involve locating the spot on the upper plate of the wall (in the attic) above where you want the outlet. Drill a 1/2" hole thru the plate and just feed the wire in. If you picked an inner wall chances are good that the wire will drop in the area of the outlet. Fish it out thru the hole that you cut for the low voltage plate.
Another method involves using a light switch. The cable outlet would have to be located in the same stud channel as the light switch. Remove the cover plate on the light switch, and using a 4 - 6' x 3/8" drill bit, slide the drill bit in beside the light switch, up the inside of the wall, and drill a hole into the top plate, into the attic. Attach the cable to the drill bit and back it out. You now have the cable at the light switch. Simply fish it down to the cable outlet.
As for patching the sheetrock, if you spend most of your time thinking the moves thru, hands in your pockets and no tools around, chances are there won't be anything to patch.
Oh, yeah, when your finished, don't take a hot shower. Cool water only.
BTW, to get another cable into that existing box, simply tie a pull wire to the existing cable and pull the original cable back into the attic, with the pull wire attached. Then put the new cable on with the old and pull both of them back.
Hope this helps.