Re: Drilling for conduit

["Bill Kearney" <wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Any insights appreciated.

If the baseboards are tall then sometimes you can get away with pulling a
section of one and cutting the hole behind it.  But then there's usually not
enough vertical room to get the drill and bit in there together.  So then
you've got to cut an opening for an inspection hole and get a cover.  Then
use extensions are Lewis suggested.  There's really no good way to avoid it
if you want to drill anything larger that what the usual flexible auger bit
can make.  You can usually paint the covers if you don't want to repaint the
whole wall/room.

I purchased a dewalt cordless right-angle drill a while back (for running
some wiring in a boat) and it's been tremendously useful for other stuff
too.  I've tried the various right-angle adapters over the years and most
really aren't worth the hassle.  They're generally no good for anything
light duty work.  But the dewalt has been great for the various holes I've
needed to wire up our Russound stuff.

Depending on how much wiring you're doing it's sometimes better to find a
good alternative location to run "everything" and cut the wall open.  Or
even create a box or false panel inside a closet to contain it all.
Sometimes you have to factor the costs and hassles of running it where you
want, versus running it where it's easier.  The added tool and repair work
costs sometimes overwhelm what it'd cost in re-routed wiring and replacing a
whole section of drywall in that out of the way location.

Just remember if you're using conduit that it's not a good idea to assume
you can pull more wire later if the conduit is more than half-full.  You end
up gouging or otherwise damaging the existing wires if you try to pull more
stuff later.  And bends in the conduit make that an even bigger hassle.
Then make sure you follow the electrical/local codes on dealing with the
ends of the conduits.

-Bill Kearney