Need to rewire outlets and lights..HELP

suboveryde · 11-02-2010, 03:37 PM

I have old knob and tube wiring that is powering 8 light fixtures and 14 outlets. Currently have a 60 Amp service that we are upgrading to 200 but I need to rewire the lights and outlets and get rid of the knob and tube. Problem is the plaster walls and fire blocks in the walls making it near impossible to fish. there are no more than 3 outlets in a room. I am going to have AFCI in the 2 bedrooms, living room, and dining room. Going to have the 2 bedrooms on the same circuit for outlets and the dining and living room on the same for outlets as well. Lights are bedrooms and living room on one and dining, kitchen and hall on another.
1st question:
Can the bathroom light be on that circuit or does the bathroom light and outlets have to be on one circuit alone? The lights I am going to run 14 with 15a. Do the outlets need to be on 12 with 20a or can they be 14 with 15a?
2nd question:
Since i have to figure how to run the wires, I have a few options: i can take of molding and drill down to crawl space but is it ok to run wire through a hole that is angled through sill plate into crawl space. Once its in the crawl space i plan on attaching wire to face of joists but i may have to go perpendicular. Do i need a running board if its in a crawl space? I dont really want to drill holes through joists since they are 100 years old and just never know. I am residing the house so i am ripping off the woodlap siding down to the studs from the outside. I can try and run as much wire as i can while the outside walls are down but I will have to drill through studs. If I do how far from the inside wall does the hole need to be? Would rather do the first option since not all the outside walls will be off at the same time. Anyways any help would be much appreciated.

joed · 11-02-2010, 07:19 PM

Bathroom light can be on any circuit except special circuits like kitchen counter receptacles. It's the bathroom receptacles that are restricted. The bathroom receptacle circuit must be 20 amp. There are two option for this circuit. Option 1, it can serve anything, including lights and fans, within the bathroom. The circuit can't serve anything outside the bathroom. Option two, If the circuit serve only receptacles it can leave the bathroom and serve receptacles in other bathrooms only.

Holes for cable can be drilled any angle required as long as they stay 1 1/4" from the face of the stud. If they are closer than that then you need a metal protector plate to prevent nails from piercing the cable. When drilling studs best practice it drill in the center.