Best Method to install coax through brick/cinder block wall?

[e_identity]

I've been reading lots in these forums and appreciate all the help!

I will become a new Direct TV subscriber next week. I expect the dish to be mounted on the roof. I have an older brick cape (below the roof line, the walls are cinderblock w/ a layer of brick on the exterior side, above the roof line, the walls are wood with asbestos shingles). Inside the house, I have run RG6 coax from my two tvs (one SD TV will get an SD Receiver and one HD TV will get an HD DVR) to a central location in the basement.

My question is: what is the best method installing the coax from the dish through the exterior wall? I am hoping all the coax from the dish will enter the house at one location. Is the best method to drill a large hole in the brick wall at basement level, feed the cable through, and apply lots of caulk? Or is there some method using conduit and or something analogous to the telephone companies NID? Is there any reason to consider having the coax enter the house through the wood/asbestos shingled wall, and feed cables through the attic to the basement (I have routed cables this way, but it is challenging). I’d like as clean an install as possible.

Related question: to hang cable including drip loops–how should the cable be attached to the brick wall–nails don’t seem like quite the thing!

Thanks,

e_identity

[B Newt]

You can buy a long masonary drill bit that is 1/4" in dia. After you drill the hole through the wall poke a coat hanger through the hole, bend the end of the coat hanger make a little loop that will fit in the hole. Then strip about 3 to 4 inches of the cable so you have just the center conductor exposed, wrap that through the coathanger loop you made earlyer and gently pull the coathanger back inside, the cable will come through. When your done a small amount of caulk will finish the job. A large hole is not required.

[jefbal99]

You'll want a high powered drill to get through the brick and blocks, however, only drill a hole large enough to get your cabling through.

[Carl Spock]

And probably not a cordless drill. Get a corded high power one with a lot of torque. It will still take you a while to get through the wall with a masonry bit but it can be done without too much difficulty.

The once you run the cable through, the hole can be closed off with silicone sealant.

[dshu82]

Hammer Drill. If yours does not have enough juice, can rent one at Home Depot for a few bucks per day.

[Elephanthead]

if your only drilling one hole, anydrill will work, I bought a 10 buck foot long bit and drilled with a cordless drill, took about 6 minutes, charge it up before you start. new bits work good, remove the bit and shake the dust off every so often.

[e_identity]

I appreciate the responses. I have a cheap plug-in hammer drill and bit that I can use to drill the holes, so that's no problem.

Is drilling a 1/4" hole the best method even where I have 3 or 4 coax cables entering the house at the same location? If so, I'd drill one hole for each cable and try to space them out a little.

Thanks again,

E_IDENTITY

[houskamp]

I would drill 4 holes.. cables will lay nicer.. also don't put the ends on till the cable is thru the holes..

[e_identity]

Ok, four separate holes, one cable per hole, apply caulk.

Followup question: I know that there will be a grounding block placed outside the house where the coax goes through the wall. I understand that the lines from the dish will be terminated w/ F connectors, screwed into the grounding block, and a new piece of coax will be attached to the other side of the grounding block. I could take the coax from the tv location, push it through the wall, terminate with an F connector, and connect directly to the grounding block. Or (as I have seen w/ an earlier cable install) I could have a second grounding block inside the house, do a short run from the exterior grounding block to the interior grounding block, and connect the coax from the TV locations to the interior grounding block. Is there any advantage/disadvantage to either approach?

Thanks again,

e_identity

[RobertE]

Are all the cables going into the house in one location? If so, I'd make one bigger hole instead of 4 little ones.

Depending on the exact routing of the cable from the roof to your distribution point, you could put it in conduit to make it look better. If you go the conduit route, then you can get various bits and pieces at your home center/electrical supply that you can run the cable inside with. Would look a lot better IMHO.

[carl6]

In theory, the fewer connections the better as each connector has some amount of loss and is a potential future source of problems.

In practial use in your scenario, it probably doesn't matter. Whatever makes for the easiest installation and future maintenance/expansion.

Carl

[rdiedrich]

I usually use a 3/8" masonry bit and go through the mortar joist. Make another hole next to that and chisel out mortar. I can put two duals through this way laying flat. I use a long 3/8" wood bit once I get through the mortar to get through the interior wall. I usually try to get it into a utility closet or similar area where the home's existing coax are normally run.

Randy

[digital223]

Best Method to install coax through brick/cinder block wall?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've been reading lots in these forums and appreciate all the help!

I will become a new Direct TV subscriber next week. I expect the dish to be mounted on the roof. I have an older brick cape (below the roof line, the walls are cinderblock w/ a layer of brick on the exterior side, above the roof line, the walls are wood with asbestos shingles). Inside the house, I have run RG6 coax from my two tvs (one SD TV will get an SD Receiver and one HD TV will get an HD DVR) to a central location in the basement.

My question is: what is the best method installing the coax from the dish through the exterior wall? I am hoping all the coax from the dish will enter the house at one location. Is the best method to drill a large hole in the brick wall at basement level, feed the cable through, and apply lots of caulk? Or is there some method using conduit and or something analogous to the telephone companies NID? Is there any reason to consider having the coax enter the house through the wood/asbestos shingled wall, and feed cables through the attic to the basement (I have routed cables this way, but it is challenging). I’d like as clean an install as possible.


Thanks,

e_identity

First, I hope you have run quality cable such as quad rg6. It is required for HD installs and better for long runs with out loss.
However I think D* would have allowed enough downlead cable from the roof to the receiver. And I also believe D* only uses quad cabling for HD installs.

I am not a D* sub, but my E* installer ran 1, 3ghz twin cable with a piggy back ground. Don't let the installer leave without connecting a ground to all dishes and ground blocks. That being said:

The twin downlead was for 1 VIP 722 HD receiver, and two existing downleads for sd receiver and ota antenna. The 4 cables with out connectors were fed through a 3/4" masonary I had previously drilled. Once inside he installed quad compression connectors on all the cables. If the cables were already made up with the connectors they would not have fit through a 3/4" hole.
After he left I worked Moretite [a non hardening type putty] into the masonary opening to seal it.

Related question: to hang cable including drip loops–how should the cable be attached to the brick wall–nails don’t seem like quite the thing!

Use plastic anchors and screws.
You can use a elcetrical plastic "Zip box" where the cables enter you basement if you choose. But I would just run the cables to the receiver, because cutting a nice clean rectangular opening into cinder block isn't going to happen. You will most likely destroy the cinder block. If they are, and I expect they are, concrete block,
you will have a better chance of cutting the opening for the zip box . Scribe an outine of the zip box, use a sharp masonary drill bit with a regular drill, not a hammer drill.
Drill holes in the corners of the scribed lines and then drill most of the masonary away. Finally use a sharp masonary chisel and gentle blows with a hammer to cut a nice clean opening.

Good luck and enjoy your new HD setup.

[e_identity]

I appreciate the very helpful response and wanted to post an update:

First, I hope you have run quality cable such as quad rg6.

Thanks, I ran quad shield, solid copper conductor, RG6. Seems to work fine.

The 4 cables with out connectors were fed through a 3/4" masonary I had previously drilled. Once inside he installed quad compression connectors on all the cables. If the cables were already made up with the connectors they would not have fit through a 3/4" hole.

Just so! I used my hammer drill, started w/ a 1/4" bit, then a 1/2" bit, then 3/4" (don't know if the first two steps were needed). I drilled from inside to outside, and turned off the hammer for the last inch. The bit emerged cleanly w/o damaging/chipping the exterior brick. The four quad shield RG6 cables just fit through the hole. Very clean.

Related question: to hang cable including drip loops–how should the cable be attached to the brick wall–nails don’t seem like quite the thing!

Use plastic anchors and screws.

The installer hammered nails into the mortar to attach the grounding block and drip loops. The good: no permanent holes in the bricks themselves. The bad: nails in mortar don't work. For various reasons, I need to redo a few things and will install plastic anchors and screws at that time.

thanks again!

E_Identity