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I’ve seen a lot of questions on the internet about running wire along the length of steel beams in basements. I have a little different of a situation.

I have installed a steel beam in my kitchen to replace a load-bearing wall. I have modified this steel beam so that I can hang the floor joists on it. This means I’m unable to use steel beam clips that I have seen online to adhere wire or conduit to it (see image)

I’m beginning to run 14-3 wire into the ceiling for my lighting, but would love to cross my beam in order to avoid going around or into the basement with the wire (feels excessive and messy). Ideally the wire and whatever I use to secure it remain above the bottom of the floor joists, since the whole reason I put a steel beam in was to have a flush ceiling between the rooms. The joists hang about 1/2" below the bottom of the beam.

Any ideas for how I could protect and attach the wire to this beam?

NOTE: Any concerns or questions about the joist hangers can be discussed here. Worth noting I have since drilled new holes in the few hangers that had questionable nail placements and drove new nails in.

modified steel I beam

Korey K
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2 Answers2

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For a 14awg wiring you may consider running the connections that cross the beam using metal jacketed cabling that extends fully between junction boxes on each end. This type cable is often referred to as "BX electrical cable".

BX cable for lighting is typically small enough in diameter that it could be routed under your steel beam but you may need to consider additional shield protection to remain code compliant due to the cable running just over the lower ceiling covering you may use on the bottom of the joists.

I see from your photo that you have already drilled holes through your steel beam and the ledger joist that you bolted to the side of the beam.

enter image description here

Picture snipped from question.

Maybe you can drill similar hole through the beam to allow passing the BX type metal sheathed type cable through the beam instead of trying to sneak it under the beam.

Michael Karas
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Since running through existing joist holes, or even boring new ones, seems the best way to run cable parallel to the beam, it seems OP's question could be reduced to how to achieve perpendicular runs over the beam. I have this image to suggest how this could be done.

enter image description here

AdamO
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