1

I have power and coax cables for my internet coming in through a little utility closet and I would like to pass those cables out of the closet through a grommet. The path that I would like to use has a stud and a furring entirely too close to each other to be able to even pass the plugs, let alone a grommet. It is my common sense DIY-grade opinion that the stud is not load-bearing, and consequently that I could use a hole saw to cut through the stud and install my grommet. The closet is roughly 1' x 3' in a corner on the lower level of a three story townhouse, and the ceiling joists run perpendicular to the wide edge of the closet.

View of the utility closet.

enter image description here

View of the ceiling joists in the opposite corner of the house, an unfinished part of the same basement.

enter image description here

View of the ceiling joists directly above the utility closet.

enter image description here

Approximate location where I would cut to install the grommet. (Actual hole would be smaller than shown.) Most of the hole would be cut out of the stud, with about 1/2" taken from the gap between the stud and the furring.

enter image description here

And the grommet I was planning to use.

enter image description here enter image description here

I understand that after cutting through a large portion of a stud, one would normally use stud shoes to reinforce the load-bearing capacity of the stud, but the adjacent furring is less than 1/2" away, so I wouldn't be able to get a stud shoe in place.

From the context and images, can I be pretty certain that the stud is not load-bearing? And if that is the case, can I just use a hole saw to cut out the hole that I need, and possibly reinforce it from inside, just because it seems like the right thing to do? Can anybody suggest a better way to pass my power and coax cables out of the utility closet?

Please let me know if I need to supply additional images or details.

Neil Steiner
  • 209
  • 2
  • 9

1 Answers1

1

If the stud in question is the one circled you have in the picture, and it is on the short wall on the left side, My rule of thumb is even on a bearing wall, when studs are that close together, especially at a corner, which is the strongest part of any wall with exceptions, of course, I would not hesitate to remove what is needed to get the part in you needed. The studs are already closer than 16" center to center, which is a code requirement for stud spacing on bearing walls. You are keeping the studs in each corner intact, the one in the center is just filler, in my opinion.

Jack
  • 38,117
  • 2
  • 30
  • 66