residential surface mount raceway

toddmpa · 02-12-2011, 06:16 PM

Hi. I am building a house with solid, low-density concrete blocks in a part of the world where subs ask wazzat? (It is autoclaved aerated concrete.) I'm looking at surface mount raceways as an easy and flexible way to wire it. Trouble is the residential contractors ask wazzat? http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/pre...ecatalog/N-8ed
I'd run the raceway at outlet height in a continuous stripe in the two rooms that have a single interior studwall (no basement or attic.) I'd install wood paneling above and below in a style that would make the raceway look like a metal accent at first glance.

Three questions:

If you can get the cover off, is an embedded raceway still considered surface mount?

Anyone know of a source for two channel raceway that would also give me coax and phone flexibility down the road? Designer colors would be nice, too.

This is residential so the outlets would have to be AFCI and tamper proof. Am I dreaming?

brric · 02-12-2011, 06:24 PM

IMO it sounds more like you need the raceway elsewhere rather than on stud walls which could be wired before they are coverd.

Google Wiremold for a plethora of options.

toddmpa · 02-13-2011, 01:10 PM

Thx for the wiremold tip. To clarify, my first floor has 150 linear feet of solid AAC wall and 18 lft of stud wall, so conventional wiring is not an option. (No basement; no attic access.) While it is relatively easy to rout conduit channels in AAC, the expense isn't much less than surface raceway and the volume of dust produced is unbelievable.
What's worse, after the finishers parge plaster over the AAC, subsequent wiring changes would be very, very expensive indeed.

Saturday Cowboy · 02-14-2011, 09:31 AM

keep in mind that "surface mount raceways" are just that. Wiremold being a major brand, are not aloud to be recessed in any way.