Exposed Romex wiring - drilling into beam to hide wire?

I think I know what you're saying but I'm not sure. Could you post a pic somewhere so we can see?

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Hi Thanks for replying. Here are some pictures of what i'm trying to do - [IMG]

As others have mentioned, pictures would help.

I'd like to know what you mean by "exposed". Where are they exposed? In full view of anyone in a room? I hope not!

Please explain what you mean by "exposed".

Exposed as the picture shows in the above post. Thanks for the input.

Your links didn't work for me, but I re-formatted them above and also here:

Hopefully, these will work.

How about putting a soffit there or let the wires come into a cabinet? The wire that is cut can be moved into the soffit with an exposed cover or into the cabinet with a junction box.

You should mark one of those romex with black tape at the ceiling an where it exits the wall in case you do have to cut them. You should be able to tell them apart.

If you do decide to drill into the beam you can cut a larger opening in the sheet rock and drill up.

The romex that is cut is required to have the splices in a junction box that you can get to the cover. It can be in the attic.

It looks like these wires used to be in a soffit or above/behind cabinets.

I am not sure, but you may be able to chisel out a couple of small channels, push the wires back into those channels so they would be behind the surface of the wall and ceiling, cover the wires in those areas with metal nailing plates so that no one could accidentally nail into the wires, and then patch over the those areas with plaster. If that is do-able, and if it is legal code-wise, that would save you from having to drill holes and re-route the wires.

Not totally conclusive but presuming that the one is the top of the top plate from the attic and the other is the same top plate from inside the kitchen, with the simple caveat already noted of being certain there's nothing else hidden where your drill's going to go, it surely appears that's what should've been done in the first place.

Looks like inept previous homeowner addition? If so, I'd recommend checking sizes of wiring re: breakers and for proper connection of neutrals vis a vis grounds and hots and also ensure no other faux pas like intermediary junctions or the like.

What's on these circuits and are they separate circuits and if so, why? It's possible that perhaps the even better solution would be to simply extend an existing circuit if they're just additional outlets altho need to ensure what the loading/count/locations are. Likely in the kitchen they also need GFCI now even though may not have when originally down.

So, likely the answer to the specific question asked is "yes" but there's also likely more to the question than asked to have a complete answer.

Based on those pictures it looks like you could drill the necessary holes through the top plate and sill plate (beam) to reroute the wires without a problem. I am assuming your "beam" is wood. As long as your drywall is going to need some work anyway it would be best to enlarge the holes in the drywall so you can get a better look around the area you're going to be drilling into to make sure there are no other wires, plumbing, phone lines, satellite cable or dead animal carcasses you could damage.

Gordon is on the right track. I assume you can get the wires loose on the end in that room. Cut out a pretty good size rectangle in the wall and ceiling, drill up through the top plate once you see you are not going to hit anything else, reroute the wire and do your drywall patch. A big hole is usually easier to fix than a small hole (spanning stud to stud, tape and mud like a regular joint).,

The other possibility is to cut them and pull them up into the attic and install an accessible junction box. Then fish down new wires from the newly installed accessible junction box through the top plate. Leave the old wires in the wall if you can't get them out.

BTW there is no way I would be trying to do any of that from the attic. You have finished sheet rock to do. Make you a big work hole.

If you cut the sheet rock to half of the stud, it makes things much easier to put back.

(16 inch work hole)

If you look in the attic and choose the spot wisely you may get by with one hole.

I gotta quit drinking so much coffee.

(Centered on 2 studs for easy reassembly.)

Do yourself a favor and run new wires - or re-fish those wires. Don't drill anything but plaster.