I'm planning on finishing my basement, and the wiring as-is is a mess, in the way of putting up a ceiling, and code deficient in several ways. So I'm looking at ways to rework the wiring, and I'd really like to avoid drilling several dozen holes in the joists.
To me, the obvious answer is to run everything from the panel, through the joist bay directly over it, to the central carrying beam, and then run wires in both directions along the carrier beam to their destinations. The beam has to be boxed in anyway, and will definitely provide support and mechanical protection. But I can't find any examples or talk of doing anything like this, which makes me wonder if there is something I'm missing that makes this undesirable or against code. The only thing I can think of is that it's not the most efficient path and contractors want to save copper.
Is there any reason not to do this? And if not, does anyone have suggestions on how to attach a running board/cable tray/cable stacker to a steel beam?
Best Answer
Attaching wiring hangars to an I-beam is simplicity itself. You need these, which run about a buck each.
This clamps to the flange of the I-beam. Note the 1/4”-20 holes, which let you attach whatever you need.