Is it ok to staple romex to a length of wood frame that makes a cold air return?

Question

I want to use the wood at the cold air return as a running board.
I understand the basics of running boards, I just want to make sure that I can use the wood that makes a cold air return. Older house here in which the cold air returns on the basement celing are made of wood frames with sheet metal nailed to them making the duct.

Answer 1

Yes that is allowed by the national code. No problem. Staple every 4 1/2 feet or less. Use romex staples.

Answer 2

You can do this but I would not place the romex inside of the return duct because of the "pinching" you will get where the romex enters the return. I guess you could avoid the pinching by notching out a piece of the sheet metal and then sealing it with a silicone caulk to limit leakage. However, do you want to see the romex inside of the return? Also, you have to consider if you have small kids that the exposed romex would be easily accessible to them.



The cold air return simply functions as an exchanger for the air in your home, it is not really heated or cooled. If you decide to do this you should check your local code to make sure that you are in compliance, there are generally rules to how long a length of romex can be.



Finally, the best option, obviously, is to run the wiring inside of conduit but as a do it yourselfer I know that this is not always economical. However, as a rule I always think of overall safety and risk when making a decision about a project around the house especially if electricity is concerned.

Answer 3

as long as the cold air return is structurally stable