On Sunday, June 1, 2014 1:43:56 PM UTC-4, dpb wrote:
On 6/1/2014 9:22 AM, trader_4 wrote:

On Saturday, May 31, 2014 9:41:28 PM UTC-4, wrote:

On Sat, 31 May 2014 07:03:38 -0700 (PDT), wrote:



Is it OK to drill round holes in the flooring where house wiring

crosses the joists so that there is no pressure on the wires at

those points?



Between the joists the wires would be pushed slightly below the flooring.



Thank you for advice.



No it is not. Wires must be 2 inches below the top of the joist.-



IDK where that is coming from. You can't get 2" inside typical

interior 2x4 framed walls because the it's only 3 1/2 inches wide.





US NEC requires if edge of hole in stud/beam is 1-1/4" from edge, then

it needs must have the 1/16" T steel cover plate over the location for

protection. I'd suspect Canadian Code to be very close to same if not

identical.



Aither drill the joists or strap the floor with minimum 2 inch

strapping to space the floor above the wiring, which would then need

to be strapped to the joists.



In unfinished attics, open cable across top of must have guard strips of

minimum height height/thickness of cable and if running across top,

can _NOT_ be unsupported, _MUST_ be on a running board, not suspended.

This is allowed if thru bored holes 4-1/2ft or less span (how they got

that one, I don't know... ).



The flooring either side of a cutout could serve as the guard strip but

I'd suggest covering the openings. I _think_ once the floor is in place

the "no hanging" requirement is removed as it then is protected from

having anything pulling it down or from being stepped on, etc., ...



--

That's where I was at too. The flooring protects it except where the
cable crosses a joist, where he's proposing to cut a hole in the
flooring. If he does that, the cable is recessed and I'd cover it with a
metal nailing plate that are readily available in the building supply section of HD, etc. I would think most inspectors would pass that.

I think CLaire's argument is that once you cover it up, someone could
potentially drive a nail into the attic floor between joists and hit
the cable. I think that's unlikely though and the cable probably has
enough give in between that a nail would just move it, not pierce the cable anyway.

I guess if the OP wants the definitive answer, he could ask the local
inspector. The other factor here is with 2x6's you don't have much
insulation. If the OP is in most of the USA, and it's an unheated
attic, it would be a better idea to add some height, add more insulation
and that solves the problem too. That's what I'd be looking at, if
possible.