Future Proof Media Duct

BarneyMc

I'll be soon plastering the walls, installing suspended metal ceiling and then slabbing. To be able to run cables in future from my utility room (media hub) to a far living room, I was going to install a 1.5 inch black plastic duct in the suspended ceiling.

Has anyone ever done this and are there any tips? Is there a chance of noise coming from one room to another and if so I assume taping the ends would help somewhat?

I will have a boxed in area in the utility room so it should be easy to get at this duct in future. At the other end, in the living room it may not be so easy and might mean cutting into the ceiling slab to get at that end. Then there's the problem of trying to hide the cable - perhaps now's the time to put a duct from the top of the wall down to where the telly will be?

For 2 other areas on the ground floor I'll just run a 3" (or less) duct in the floor so it will be easy to bring any cables UP to where they're needed.

rampantbunny

BarneyMc wrote: »

I'll be soon plastering the walls, installing suspended metal ceiling and then slabbing. To be able to run cables in future from my utility room (media hub) to a far living room, I was going to install a 1.5 inch black plastic duct in the suspended ceiling.

Has anyone ever done this and are there any tips? Is there a chance of noise coming from one room to another and if so I assume taping the ends would help somewhat?

I will have a boxed in area in the utility room so it should be easy to get at this duct in future. At the other end, in the living room it may not be so easy and might mean cutting into the ceiling slab to get at that end. Then there's the problem of trying to hide the cable - perhaps now's the time to put a duct from the top of the wall down to where the telly will be?

For 2 other areas on the ground floor I'll just run a 3" (or less) duct in the floor so it will be easy to bring any cables UP to where they're needed.

For my main TV area I've run a 40mm waste pipe from attic space to the ground floor, across ceiling and down to my main TV location. I have a stud wall to hide the vertical run of pipe. This run of pipe is complete with 45 & 90 degree bends etc.
I've all main cables already run outside of this i.e. 4 CAT6 and 4 Sat, therefore the waste pipe might never be used or might be needed if I want to run some HDMI cables etc.
If I was doing it again, I'd run some 75mm flexible MHRV ducting or similar instead of the waste pipe. No need for joiners/bends at all.


In another TV location I only have a 4" block wall to work with so it would have been hassle to hide the vertical duct to the ceiling. Therefore I'm not running any ducts to future proof that area. But I was able to embed a 32mm waste pipe into the wall from behind the TV to floor level. This will allow me hide cables coming from media cabinet near floor going to TV which is mounted higher up on the wall.

I suppose my point is that you could run a 32mm waste pipe embedded in your block work to the ceiling if you needed. No need to dig ceiling again.
Alternatively, put a false vent/grill in the ceiling at this point. It will be immediately accessible and still look finished. The thought of ripping through a good skim coat doesn't sound right to me. Plus you still have the problem of bringing the cable from the ceiling down.


Re. sound between rooms. I'd just plug the ends of the ducts with a few inches of expanding foam. Dig it out again in future if you have to.

BarneyMc

rampantbunny wrote: »

For my main TV area I've run a 40mm waste pipe from attic space to the ground floor, across ceiling and down to my main TV location. I have a stud wall to hide the vertical run of pipe. This run of pipe is complete with 45 & 90 degree bends etc.
I've all main cables already run outside of this i.e. 4 CAT6 and 4 Sat, therefore the waste pipe might never be used or might be needed if I want to run some HDMI cables etc.
If I was doing it again, I'd run some 75mm flexible MHRV ducting or similar instead of the waste pipe. No need for joiners/bends at all.

Clever! I've no stud walls so can't go that route.

rampantbunny wrote: »

In another TV location I only have a 4" block wall to work with so it would have been hassle to hide the vertical duct to the ceiling. Therefore I'm not running any ducts to future proof that area. But I was able to embed a 32mm waste pipe into the wall from behind the TV to floor level. This will allow me hide cables coming from media cabinet near floor going to TV which is mounted higher up on the wall.

Spot on with the waste pipe. I've done this throughout and it will leave it so handy to run cables up and down between the tv and DVD player, media boxes, etc.

rampantbunny wrote: »

I suppose my point is that you could run a 32mm waste pipe embedded in your block work to the ceiling if you needed. No need to dig ceiling again.
Alternatively, put a false vent/grill in the ceiling at this point. It will be immediately accessible and still look finished. The thought of ripping through a good skim coat doesn't sound right to me. Plus you still have the problem of bringing the cable from the ceiling down.

OK, first option you mention (waste pipe in wall) sounds like the best one here. Alternatively I could run a waste pipe in the floor insulation level. Big advantage of having the opening come up and out of the floor and not the ceiling.

rampantbunny wrote: »

Re. sound between rooms. I'd just plug the ends of the ducts with a few inches of expanding foam. Dig it out again in future if you have to.

'Sounds' good!

rampantbunny

Make sure to put a pull-string into the duct. The alternative is to use a vacuum to pull a string through later but not so effective if you have holes in the duct work.

BarneyMc

False grill/vent - are these the best way to tidy up areas in the ceiling that you may want access to later, e.g. area in utility ceiling where ducts end, access to first floor, etc.? Are they readily available in hardware stores?

rampantbunny

BarneyMc wrote: »

False grill/vent - are these the best way to tidy up areas in the ceiling that you may want access to later, e.g. area in utility ceiling where ducts end, access to first floor, etc.? Are they readily available in hardware stores?

I had a very quick look online for cable boxes for in-ceiling installation..found nothing but that's not to say there is nothing available. Hard to know what the correct search terms to use are. Couldn't find anything in electrical/hardware stores either.

BarneyMc

rampantbunny wrote: »

Make sure to put a pull-string into the duct. The alternative is to use a vacuum to pull a string through later but not so effective if you have holes in the duct work.

Sort of a 'how do you get the figs in the roll' question but.... how do you fish the string through the duct? Do you need to use some sort of wire?

rampantbunny

BarneyMc wrote: »

Sort of a 'how do you get the figs in the roll' question but.... how do you fish the string through the duct? Do you need to use some sort of wire?

Light string with a bit of cork at the end or something similar. Put a vacuum at the end you want to draw the string to. I pulled builders line through approx. 70m of ESB ducting with this method, and used this to then pull heavier gauge rope which will in turn be used to pull the ESB cable.

Principal is the same for ducting internally, but if you have holes in the ducting there won't be much of a vacuum.

BarneyMc

rampantbunny wrote: »

Light string with a bit of cork at the end or something similar. Put a vacuum at the end you want to draw the string to. I pulled builders line through approx. 70m of ESB ducting with this method, and used this to then pull heavier gauge rope which will in turn be used to pull the ESB cable.

Principal is the same for ducting internally, but if you have holes in the ducting there won't be much of a vacuum.

Thanks! I'll not ask the about the figs!

BarneyMc

Suspended ceiling is in and will be slabbed in about a week - it's deadline time!

The ceilings are nice and tight but it leaves just 50-60mm to run a duct to the back room tv point. I could try a 40mm waste pipe and hope there are no wires reducing it down further from 50mm or just run a duct in the floor insulation like I'll be doing for the other 2 tv points on the ground floor. What do others do - ceiling or floor or just ignore it as you'll probably never use it?

rampantbunny

rampantbunny wrote: »

I pulled builders line through approx. 70m of ESB ducting with this method, and used this to then pull heavier gauge rope which will in turn be used to pull the ESB cable.

The fairy tale about the princess in the tower letting down her hair...wasn't wasted on you!

BarneyMc

Had another look at this and there's no way I'll be able to put a 40mm duct into the ceiling void, especially as it comes in 4m lengths. So it's either give it a miss or put it in the floor insulation. Panic over... for now!

rampantbunny

Deleted User wrote: »

The fairy tale about the princess in the tower letting down her hair...wasn't wasted on you!

Jesus...you have gone and used the word fairytale around fella's that are in the middle of self-builds. Can you find no nightmare analogy?