how do i install In-ceiling speakers?

[Apkesh]

hi,
I am not sure if this is the right group to ask, but since everyone
sounds like a pro at what they do, I thought I'll try.

I've purchased 2 sets of In-ceiling speakers I'd like to install in
the kitchen. We live in a "typical" Canadian suburban house with
basement, ground level (where the kitchen and the living room are) and
second floor. I'd like to know how I'd bring the speaker wire from the
living room where the stereo is to the kitchen ceiling. Has anyone
done this sort of thing? Where I am not sure is the 'fishing' the line
part. How do I bring the wire up to the kitchen ceiling when the roof
is stud construction?

Thanks.
apkesh

[Robert L. Bass]

> ... Where I am not sure is the 'fishing' the line
> part. How do I bring the wire up to the kitchen
> ceiling when the roof is stud construction?

Hi Apkesh,

I've done this many times. There are several different techniques and which
one will work for you depends on the way your home is constructed. I like
to bring the speaker cables from the amplifier to the basement and then go
up inside a wall near the ceiling speakers. If you place the ceiling
speakers near a wall this is much easier than in the center of the room.

The hole which you must cut out for the speakers is large enough to reach
into the ceiling with a right-angle, cordless drill such as the Makita
DA391D depicted on the following image. My Makita is similar to this but
it's an older model:

http://www.coastaltool.com/a/maki/images/da391d.jpg

This drill is available at discounters like Coastal Tool. Note: I have no
affiliation with Coastal other than being a satisfied customer. You can
probably get the same or a similar model at Home Depot.

Reaching into the ceiling, use a 3/4" paddle bit to drill down into the top
of the adjacent wall. Once you have the hole drilled, just drop about 2'
more cable into the hole than it takes to reach the floor. Check first to
see if there's a horizontal "fire stop" (piece of wood) half way up the
wall. If there is you'll need to make a hole in the sheetrock above this
brace and drill through it to rout the cable the rest of the way. This will
mean patching a 1-2" hole in the sheetrock afterward. You can find
firestops with a stud finder such as this (same sources):

http://www.coastaltool.com/a/ab/zircon/images/studsensor.jpg

With the cable reaching the base of the wall, go to the basement and look up
at the floor above. Each wall is defined by a double row of nails. Drill
into the base of the wall with your paddle bit and pull the cable out. You
can usually hit the right stud bay by measuring left or right from a nearby
electrical outlet and then doing the same from the Romex cable going up into
the wall from the basement.

I like to install a single-gang mud ring or retrofit "Caddy" fastener in the
wall behind the stereo cabinet. Attach the in-wall speaker cables (be sure
they are rated for in-wall use) to the back of a standard speaker jack plate
(Leviton, OnQ and numerous other brands are good) and affix this to the
1-gang opening.

Be sure you leave about 8-10 feet of extra speaker cable in the ceiling.
That way you can make your speaker connections with the speaker resting on
top of your step ladder or a table instead of trying to juggle the speaker
with one hand and a scredriver in the other while standing on top of a
ladder -- a recipe for disaster. :^)

I have an extensive alarm and home installation FAQ with lots of tips on
wiring new and existing homes. You may find it helpful. The link is on my
home page. Enjoy.

Regards,
Robert

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