Hi everyone, I've only lurked sporadically for the last few years, but I'm hoping you can help me solve this problem.
I'm attempting to install a new cable jack on the shared wall of my townhouse. I've found the drywall to be particularly thick and a pain to cut compared to the other holes I've had to cut on other walls in the same room. My RG6 cabling was progressing slowly, but surely, when I came up against what appears to be a metal firestop roughly 20" from the finished floor. This cable is being pulled down from the ceiling and I'd like to get past the firestop to mount the new cable jack in the 12" - 16" height range, which would put it neatly behind my cabinets.
My stud finder had me prepared to encounter a wooden firestop and that led me to research the proper technique for drilling the smallest possible hole and properly refilling it to maintain the integrity of the firestop. The metal has now thrown me for a loop. Google seems to be surprisingly quiet on the topic of metal firestops, which leads me to worry that it might be more than just a firestop and that I shouldn't mess with it. Has anyone else tangled with a metal, horizontal beam between studs? How would you go about cabling through or around it?
Thanks for any help you can provide!
I'm attempting to install a new cable jack on the shared wall of my townhouse. I've found the drywall to be particularly thick and a pain to cut compared to the other holes I've had to cut on other walls in the same room. My RG6 cabling was progressing slowly, but surely, when I came up against what appears to be a metal firestop roughly 20" from the finished floor. This cable is being pulled down from the ceiling and I'd like to get past the firestop to mount the new cable jack in the 12" - 16" height range, which would put it neatly behind my cabinets.
My stud finder had me prepared to encounter a wooden firestop and that led me to research the proper technique for drilling the smallest possible hole and properly refilling it to maintain the integrity of the firestop. The metal has now thrown me for a loop. Google seems to be surprisingly quiet on the topic of metal firestops, which leads me to worry that it might be more than just a firestop and that I shouldn't mess with it. Has anyone else tangled with a metal, horizontal beam between studs? How would you go about cabling through or around it?
Thanks for any help you can provide!
