Tips & Tricks

Pulling wiring in a new house

• Do it after the electricians are done.
• Buy or rent a right angle drill.
• Take many pictures.
• Don’t pull too fast.
• Get many ladders.
• Use good, waterproof labels.
• Use J-boxes.
• Leave long ends on the wire.
• Cover cable ends with plastic bags.
• Leave really long ends on the controller end.
• Bundle and wrap controller ends in plastic.
• Plan, Plan, Plan!
• Research and follow the building codes in your area.
• Don’t pull too tight.
• Use wire staples and follow the electricians lead.
• Mark on the floor with spray paint where each of your J-boxes are.
• Use deep J-boxes.
• Beware crossing or getting close to electric lines.
• We read on the Internet that a wire stapler was wonderful so we got one, but we did not find it useful.  The small wire nails were faster and easier  (get many sizes).
• Work from longest run to shortest run.  This utilizes your cable the best.

IR

• Be careful hooking up your IR receivers. If you get the wires mixed up, you may kill the receiver.
• Use JP1 remotes if you have the skills.

X-10

• Buy an X10 signal tester. It will be worth the money!
• X-10 is not reliable so do not use it for critical things.