Install Meta Raceways

Intro

If you need a new receptacle or a new light and switch, the usual procedure is to run cable inside walls. That is a complicated, messy job. Cutting and patching walls takes much more time than the wiring. Wall-mounted raceway wiring eliminates that trouble and is available in plastic or metal.

Planning the job
Metal raceway can be painted. Have a salesperson help you assemble all the raceway parts you need: a starter box, channel, clips, cover plates, and elbows if you need to turn a corner. You need black, white, and green wire for the length of your run. Use 14-gauge wire for a 15-amp circuit and 12-gauge for a 20-amp circuit.

Checklist

Time
About 3 hours to install two new receptacles

Tools
Drill, screwdriver, level, rubber mallet, strippers, side cutters, hacksaw, lineman's pliers

Skills
Stripping, splicing, and connecting wires to a terminal; cutting metal channel; driving screws into a wall

Prep
Spread drop cloths on the floor

Materials
Raceway components, wire nuts, electrician's tape, screws

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Step 1

Turn off the power and test to make sure it is off. Take the cover off an outlet and pull out the receptacle. Screw a raceway starter box, which has a large opening in the back, over the box in the wall.

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Step 2

Position a flat elbow onto the end of the raceway channel and hold it over a stud. Have someone help you hold the channel in place, and level it. Mark where to cut the channel -- when installed the channel extends into the box by about 3/8 inch. Cut the channel with a hacksaw.

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Step 3

Position the channel temporarily in place. Level it and trace along it. Find the studs with a stud finder and drill pilot holes into them for screws that hold the channel clips in place. Attach the clips.

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