Thanks for taking the time to make the video. Exactly the perfect how to I needed to start the electrical in my first ICF construction basement. Much appreciated!
How do you handle 40 cables for say electric oven, etc. Your horizontal cut is so straight. Do you make two evenly spaced horizontal cuts for larger cables? How do you fill the foam afterwards? Is it required to cover installed wires w/ foam or glue before inspections or not because sheetrock would cover it? To maintain R ratings It would make sense to fill in cut insulations?
My electric oven require 3-10+ground (which is a large cable). I ran the chainsaw a second time right next to the first cut. I fill the cut in the ICF with canned spray foam (minimal expanding door and window version works well). I had Nudura spray foam left over from gluing the block together that I used for part of it. As long as the romex size matched the cut size snugly enough that the romex wasn't loose, the inspector passed it. If it could move easily, he wanted it secured into the cut with spray foam. I like the idea of securing it and , like you said filling the gap in the insulating envelope. As far as cutting a straight line, the key for me is having a visual guide. I usually cut directly on a seam in the ICF. If not, I make a line with a marker to follow.
Use a Weller 100 soldering iron with a 3/8 " tip to open the electrical channels. It melts easily cheap and no mess. Wire slips in the goove perfectly.
@@bucmeister7713 I used #10 copper and it was OK. Probably would have been better to use #8 copper, does not bend as easily as the gun hit a piece of concrete in the back of the wall. Also depends on what size your gun will accommodate.
Great video brotha! Thanks so much....we're getting ready to start a home build project for our dream home...I have an electrician background and was curious about installation of wiring in ICF walls
thank you for the video. Really appreciate it . Question, what do you use to protect the Romex once the drywall is installed, studs use nail plates what is proposed for ICF?
Some good ideas thank you for the video I am hoping to use ICF blocks but I am looking for another State to build in after being told I can not have a basement under the home in TN and the builder does not like ICF blocks.
@@RJM1011 I can see that if buying in a builder's subdivision. Kinda like other customers will see and want it also. Not smart in my opinion, could be a money maker for the builder. Did you find a place to build?
@@charlesarmstrong3536 Yes thank you I have found a place to build but thanks to being messed about by the US Gov I will now be building in The Bahamas. Thank you
Just a question, when the sheet rock goes on , do they use screws to secure the sheets to the ICF? And if so what happens when they screw into the cabel. The cable needs mechanical protection. what has been your experiences?
love that sodering gun idea! ive done electric in this stuff .used router.what a mess it made.and there should be loops at the box incase drywallers cut a wire.what a nightmare to repair in the box
Como learn facts first before posting "If the heat gets high enough to ignite the foam the entire room will be ablaze in a matter of seconds" Will the foam add fuel to the fire? The foams in ICFs are manufactured with flame-retardant additives. These prevent the foams from burning by themselves. If you hold a match to the material, it will melt away. www.forms.org/index.cfm/fireresistance
is "lumex/ romex" jacket OK for spray foam. I've heard that it can make the jacket brittle over time. also inspectors want to see a loop before going into the JB, ( here in Canada) have you had that come up? BTW great video
cdnbacon2001 turn the soldering gun wire vertically and whittle an opening for the loop, leave an inch before the box, one the flange side you have to move the whittled area a bit away from the box....inspectors want to see the loop within 6 inches of the box. This also helps in case more wire is need in the box.
Here in the USA, I had an inspector have us remove the romex because we were installing the wires in a concrete styrofoam block. Had to replace the wire with an underground rated wire. Inspector said it was due to the lime in the block and nothing about the foam. No issues with foam on regular romex.
Thanks for sharing. Easy and cost effective approach, but I have a question. Is is not a safety hazard to do it that way? For what I understand house wires can get hot under load. In the Caribbean the concrete houses (not ICF) tubing is inserted in walls prior to pour the concrete, and electrical goes in there.
Yes and no is what I found in my research. Some will use absolute minimum on wire, which can be overloaded by a home owner. This can cause the wire to get hot. A good electrician ,in this situation, will put more circuits in or upsize the wire so it is at 75 percent or less operating rating under normal use. Wire should always be in conduit when in concrete. It is a good idea to install conduit for water lines also when in concrete.
Interesting ideas. However there are a couple of code violations in doing it this way. 300.4 requires protection against physical damage - the intent being to prevent nails or screws from being driven into the cable when it is hidden. 334.30 requires that cable be secured within 12" of every outlet box - the intent is to prevent anything from pulling on other connections.
Kolby, depends on your electrical inspector and how relaxed he/she is with the codes. I have worked on projects that were different forms of ICF. My inspectors wanted to see if the cut channels were deep enough to meet code, then we had to secure the wire with 2" long staples since normal wire staples did not hold in the ICF, then low expanding foam was used to fill the gaps. The chain saw with a wheel for a depth gauge is a great idea.
Code is going to be different from location to location. His video wasn't about addressing all the codes. You can do that yourself in different ways using conduit, anchor plates etc.
If my inspector said it wasn't secured, I'd challenge him to pull it lengthwise through the foam...good luck with that! As for protected, a hanging wire between studs is no better protected. If the inspector insists, put 1" metal strapping into the grove to deflect any nails.
Hah, that's cool. I'm by no means a safety Nazi, but please, make some sort of guard for that chainsaw. And the soldering iron is cool, but it seems a tad bit slow. But still. Great ideas
What kind of router bit do you use? I put in a 1/4" drill bit and that can cut deep enough, but it can't cut through the plastic "studs". The chainsaw is perfect for this and the solder/hot knife is a great idea too.
Looks like an environmental disaster to me...Shocking this ICF system can't be ordered based on plans so the system installs ready for wiring and plumbing and you don't have synthetic debris polluting the site...I'll pass.
Next week will be my first time working on a Foam Block wall. This certainly gives me an idea, Thanks.
That soldering iron trick with the #9 wire is brilliant!
Great home made tools
Best icf tutorial I've come across so far! Thank you!
Thank you for the time and effort to make this video. This is helpful.
Thanks for taking the time to make the video. Exactly the perfect how to I needed to start the electrical in my first ICF construction basement. Much appreciated!
I love what you did and shared in this video. Much thanks.
How do you handle 40 cables for say electric oven, etc. Your horizontal cut is so straight. Do you make two evenly spaced horizontal cuts for larger cables? How do you fill the foam afterwards? Is it required to cover installed wires w/ foam or glue before inspections or not because sheetrock would cover it? To maintain R ratings It would make sense to fill in cut insulations?
Glad to help!
My electric oven require 3-10+ground (which is a large cable). I ran the chainsaw a second time right next to the first cut. I fill the cut in the ICF with canned spray foam (minimal expanding door and window version works well). I had Nudura spray foam left over from gluing the block together that I used for part of it. As long as the romex size matched the cut size snugly enough that the romex wasn't loose, the inspector passed it. If it could move easily, he wanted it secured into the cut with spray foam. I like the idea of securing it and , like you said filling the gap in the insulating envelope. As far as cutting a straight line, the key for me is having a visual guide. I usually cut directly on a seam in the ICF. If not, I make a line with a marker to follow.
Much cleaner presentation and performance then the instruction video on the build block site. Nicely done. 👍
Thanks. Absolutely excellent. Made my install so much easier. High five.
Very Very cool ideas and certainly works and saves time. Love the video.
Mike
Thanks for your effort. Realy worthwhile ideas!
Excellent presentation. Have wondered about these particular installation processes for several years. Beautiful, man!
Awesome video. I don't think I'll ever use ICF but I LIKE your ideas. God Bless!!!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Getting ready to finish my basement and was wondering the most efficient way to do this. Thank you!
Use a Weller 100 soldering iron with a 3/8 " tip to open the electrical channels. It melts easily cheap and no mess. Wire slips in the goove perfectly.
Thanks I'm in Australia and will use your suggestions.
Great video, thanks for the tips.
Great video! You saved me a bunch of money and time. Thanks
Great ideas. I would suggest you strip your cables before you insert the box.
John F good point. Especially on thicker gauge cable, can be a paint to muscle about.
Great ideas, thanks. Im a electrican but haven't worked with ICF yet.
Well done sir.
Nice! Great ingenuity.
Super helpful! Thank you!
Well done. Very smart!
Great training for rough-in electrical on ICF, thanks for sharing. Yankee Ingenuity at it's best.
Love the converted soldering gun, just ordered one and will replicate your idea. Thx!
He mentioned a #9 wire and lost me. Copper, steel, nichrome? I've heard of gauge numbered wire, but it is most always even numbers above #1.
@@bucmeister7713 I used #10 copper and it was OK. Probably would have been better to use #8 copper, does not bend as easily as the gun hit a piece of concrete in the back of the wall. Also depends on what size your gun will accommodate.
Great Video!~!! I sent this to my electricians, and they loved it! (Didn’t cut their cost though (lol)
Great video brotha! Thanks so much....we're getting ready to start a home build project for our dream home...I have an electrician background and was curious about installation of wiring in ICF walls
Thanks for the video. If you get a chance, please let me know where can you get those specific electrical boxes at? Thanks!
Nice demo. Thanks.
Pretty clever stuff !
thanks! great tips. last job, I bought about 10 rolls of 250 ft. of wire. I coulda got a spool.
Thank you, fantastic ideas!!
Great ideas, Nice work!
Great video!
some good ideas there thanks.
Pretty slick brother! Thanks
Excellent thank you.
thank you for the video. Really appreciate it . Question, what do you use to protect the Romex once the drywall is installed, studs use nail plates what is proposed for ICF?
Good question.
Never seen a IFC wall before
slick ideas though
Thanks very much. 👍🏻🇨🇦
Great video
Some good ideas thank you for the video I am hoping to use ICF blocks but I am looking for another State to build in after being told I can not have a basement under the home in TN and the builder does not like ICF blocks.
No basements, WOW, that's a new one for sure.
@@bucmeister7713 Yes well I still hope to build with ICF and put my log home on top of them. Thank you.
@@RJM1011
I can see that if buying in a builder's subdivision. Kinda like other customers will see and want it also.
Not smart in my opinion, could be a money maker for the builder.
Did you find a place to build?
@@charlesarmstrong3536 Yes thank you I have found a place to build but thanks to being messed about by the US Gov I will now be building in The Bahamas. Thank you
Thanks! really helpful
ICF is a great product
Sweet!
Just a question, when the sheet rock goes on , do they use screws to secure the sheets to the ICF? And if so what happens when they screw into the cabel.
The cable needs mechanical protection. what has been your experiences?
Electrical forces as long as the wire is an inch and a half deep the screws won't hit it
is it safe to have the wires exposed to the foam?
love that sodering gun idea! ive done electric in this stuff .used router.what a mess it made.and there should be loops at the box incase drywallers cut a wire.what a nightmare to repair in the box
Como learn facts first before posting "If the heat gets high enough to ignite the foam the entire room will be ablaze in a matter of seconds"
Will the foam add fuel to the fire?
The foams in ICFs are manufactured with flame-retardant additives. These prevent the foams from burning by themselves. If you hold a match to the material, it will melt away.
www.forms.org/index.cfm/fireresistance
I like it alot
is "lumex/ romex" jacket OK for spray foam. I've heard that it can make the jacket brittle over time. also inspectors want to see a loop before going into the JB, ( here in Canada) have you had that come up? BTW great video
cdnbacon2001 turn the soldering gun wire vertically and whittle an opening for the loop, leave an inch before the box, one the flange side you have to move the whittled area a bit away from the box....inspectors want to see the loop within 6 inches of the box. This also helps in case more wire is need in the box.
Here in the USA, I had an inspector have us remove the romex because we were installing the wires in a concrete styrofoam block. Had to replace the wire with an underground rated wire. Inspector said it was due to the lime in the block and nothing about the foam. No issues with foam on regular romex.
Spray foam insulation passes inspection everywhere.
If you choose to you can use commercial grade wire that comes in flexible metal conduit.
Refreshing to see guys that are creative and know what they are doing and not doing a Jessy with every project....
where did you get your electrical boxes from?
Menards
Thanks for sharing. Easy and cost effective approach, but I have a question. Is is not a safety hazard to do it that way? For what I understand house wires can get hot under load. In the Caribbean the concrete houses (not ICF) tubing is inserted in walls prior to pour the concrete, and electrical goes in there.
Yes and no is what I found in my research.
Some will use absolute minimum on wire, which can be overloaded by a home owner. This can cause the wire to get hot.
A good electrician ,in this situation, will put more circuits in or upsize the wire so it is at 75 percent or less operating rating under normal use.
Wire should always be in conduit when in concrete. It is a good idea to install conduit for water lines also when in concrete.
Dude THANK YOU, just saved me hundreds of dollars, and gave me an excuse to buy another chainsaw!
Did anyone go to sleep watching a little hole cut in styrofoam?
Interesting ideas. However there are a couple of code violations in doing it this way. 300.4 requires protection against physical damage - the intent being to prevent nails or screws from being driven into the cable when it is hidden. 334.30 requires that cable be secured within 12" of every outlet box - the intent is to prevent anything from pulling on other connections.
Would foam work as a fastener? And you could still use nailing plates to protect studs, could you not?
Kolby, depends on your electrical inspector and how relaxed he/she is with the codes.
I have worked on projects that were different forms of ICF. My inspectors wanted to see if the cut channels were deep enough to meet code, then we had to secure the wire with 2" long staples since normal wire staples did not hold in the ICF, then low expanding foam was used to fill the gaps.
The chain saw with a wheel for a depth gauge is a great idea.
Code is going to be different from location to location. His video wasn't about addressing all the codes. You can do that yourself in different ways using conduit, anchor plates etc.
yes. it would. as it secures it from movement.
If my inspector said it wasn't secured, I'd challenge him to pull it lengthwise through the foam...good luck with that! As for protected, a hanging wire between studs is no better protected. If the inspector insists, put 1" metal strapping into the grove to deflect any nails.
Hah, that's cool. I'm by no means a safety Nazi, but please, make some sort of guard for that chainsaw. And the soldering iron is cool, but it seems a tad bit slow. But still. Great ideas
A router works faster and cheaper.
What kind of router bit do you use? I put in a 1/4" drill bit and that can cut deep enough, but it can't cut through the plastic "studs". The chainsaw is perfect for this and the solder/hot knife is a great idea too.
Looks like an environmental disaster to me...Shocking this ICF system can't be ordered based on plans so the system installs ready for wiring and plumbing and you don't have synthetic debris polluting the site...I'll pass.
You sweep and vacuum after. Disaster averted.
Hope you don’t catch the cement truck cleaning his truck out at the end of the driveway before he leaves
Impressive technique.Thanks