Take the 2-minute tour ×

As it is now, the coax comes off the pole and is anchored under the eave with a coax grounding block. From there, the local cable company stapled the coax down the siding, then horizontally around a corner for 30 or 40ft, and finally just drilled a hole through the side of the house and into a room.

This looks trashy and annoys me to no end.

I have a wall chosen for a structured media panel, and the house has a crawlspace that should allow me to bring RG-6 to the panel from the exterior wall to that point.

However, I have just realized that I have no clue how to connect the eave to some low point on the wall at all. It occurs to me that I might want or need a network interface device (NID) box (and it looks as if these are cheap enough on ebay), but still... do I just leave the grounding block screwed to the underside of the eave? Do I just have cable stapled to the siding all the way down to where I can get it into the crawl space?

enter image description here

Not the best picture in the world, but you can see it as the line that comes in low and attaches to the eave. There are no gutters yet (something I intend to fix this year, we just purchased the house). I've only just now realized that this will get in the way too, so there's even more to change. It can't just be bolted to the side of the eave.

We'll also remove the parabolic once I can figure out how to do that without causing the roof to leak.

enter image description here

Here it enters the side of the house. It seems that this is the only live coax in our home, though there are at least a half dozen ones coming up at the edge of the carpet in various rooms.

share|improve this question
Pictures would help a lot. –  DMoore Jul 7 '13 at 4:13
I'll add pictures in the morning, it's a little late where I am to take them. –  John O Jul 7 '13 at 4:14
I'd set up your media cabinet, then call the telco company to come and reroute their service cable. –  Tester101 Jul 7 '13 at 12:52
add comment

2 Answers

Cable companies should not be penetrating the building with cables like the way you describe. Water can flow down this wire and into the building if it's not sealed properly. And if it is sealed properly, if the wire is able to be moved in and out because it's not securely anchored then it will eventually be able to leak should water get around it.

Have they also put a bend in the wire below the entry point to prevent water flowing into the house? Have they anchored the wire so it can't move in and out ?

Several easy ways I've found to put wire into the building without drilling unsightly holes and that won't cause leaks.

1) Go under a flashing. On my house we have an old iron roof with lead flashing. I've been able to put a wire up under the flashing. I just lifted the edge of it slightly and pushed it in. Then I bent the lead flashing back down over the wire. As the antenna was downhill of the flashing, water couldn't go up the wire in any way and enter the house.

2) Bring the wire down to the guttering, and poke the wire up under the edge of the roof. Usually there is a gap to allow ventilation. This allows you to get the wire into the attic space and you'll then be able to put it into any room you desire.

3) Bring the wire down one of the downpipes. Then if you happen to have a raised foundation like my house, put it through one of the ventilation ducts at ground level. I then bring it up into a wall cavity from below.

4) You could also bring the wire in through a hole in the sofit and then into the ceiling space where you could then bring it down into the house through an internal wall. Not as tidy or as easy as just ducking in under the iron though.

Important: Water can flow down a bent wire through surface tension. So wherever it enters, make sure it can't do that by putting a sharp bend in the wire just below the entry point. That way any water will run off on the outside and not into your home!

Update: I see that they have anchored it and added the loop at the bottom. And there does appear to be some sealant around the entry point. It should be OK, but it is really ugly and doesn't pass any tests for beauty.

Update2: Since you want to enter from below this is what I suggest. Re-route the cable down the down pipe that I see running down the wall.
Clip the cable to it using appropriate UV rated cable ties. It appears to me that your house is raised on some concrete or wood piles. It looks similar in construction to my house where there is a concrete foundation around the outside of the house and probably concrete or wooden piles within. If that's the case then if there are vents in this (there really should be) you can poke your wire through one. If not, drill a hole through that outer foundation. It'll require a long bit and a powerful hammer drill - take your time. Then once you are through, poke your cable through and you can then bring it into whichever room you wish.

share|improve this answer
I have never known cable companies to do anything other than this. I suppose it's possible that they do it correctly when working with new construction, but only because the housebuilder does most of the work properly. –  John O Jul 7 '13 at 21:50
Matt says it, but just to emphasize - you need a drip loop, that is a bend of wire that carries the entering wire below and then up to the point of entry. Any water dripping down the line will fall off the low point and not enter the house. –  bib Jul 8 '13 at 2:08
@bib I really don't want it brought in that way at all. I want the entry point to somehow get to the crawlspace, so I can bring it to an interior wall. It would probably be ideal if it came straight down from where it is now, and somehow entered. –  John O Jul 8 '13 at 2:14
The cable in my house is attached below the eave and runs down near the ground. It then loops up (anchored to the brick) so gravity takes care of runoff. It is also sealed with silicone caulk and does not budge - it is anchored both inside and outside and bends to get through the wall. On the inside I have the splitter, modem, etc. on the same plywood panel where the electric is anchored. Works well for me. Also, I have a pipe through the bathroom's wetwall (2x6 studs) going up to the attic, where I can easily drop coax to any wall in the (one story) house. –  John Gaughan Jul 8 '13 at 2:18
Drip loop! that was the term I was trying to recall :) –  Matt Jul 8 '13 at 3:44
show 1 more comment

I dug a ditch through my whole yard 1 foot deep to bury my cables. My cable company required this before they came out to move the wires. I would really think about going through your yard if you can. The only reason cables should be in the air is if the area between the box and the house is not diggable.

Once you get the wire to your house I like going in the basement and if I have my choice I would pick close to the main electrical panel. That way you can copy their runs to your rooms.

share|improve this answer
No basement here. Just a crawl space. The trench is a no-go, the former owner put down a concrete slab across the back of the lot adjacent to the alley. It's nice if I have some car work to do, but I can't dig a trench all the way to the pole. Also, while this is close to the electrical panel, I'm only going to wire the incoming coax to my panel for now. I'm not sure there's any point in putting coax to all the rooms, though I'll be doing cat6 for gigabit. –  John O Jul 8 '13 at 1:59
Is there a place you can go in your yard and then dig from there. Really most of the issue is that everything sits on top of your house. –  DMoore Jul 8 '13 at 2:02
I know, but I just don't think underground is an option here, not unless I get a jackhammer. If you think this is bad, you should see the wall where they brought the phone line in (we don't get POTS service though). –  John O Jul 8 '13 at 2:15
I don't know the whole layout of your yard but where the coax is going in on the picture is dirt. Get the cable running to a pole, go down inside it, and dig the rest. I am not suggesting digging up a patio. –  DMoore Jul 8 '13 at 2:17
add comment

Your Answer


