Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - Wiring inside drywall ?

Hi,

I would need to run electrical wiring between my ceiling light in the bedroom toward the walk-in ceiling - approx 5-6 feet.

Important: I don't have access to the attic.

Could I run wiring inside/within the drywall ceiling, making kind of a ditch in it ? and then fill in with mud.
Does the wiring need some kind of protection ?

Thanks for your help !

Regis

Cable added to existing drywall spaces (ceiling or walls) does not need additional protection. Just make a hole where you need to start, and feed the cable to the new location INSIDE the cavity.

No that won't pass code. You must have the cable at least 1.5 inches from the face of the drywall. You can just leave it loose in the cavity, but cutting a shallow groove and embedding the cabling in mud won't pass.

The 1.5" does not apply in the ceiling. You can snake the wire beneath the joists (provided the ceiling is strapped) to the new location. Buy a 1/8th" snake and some tape. That short distance should be easy.

Without seeing it, it's hard to say how many access holes you'll need to route the cable. You might be able to remove the existing ceiling box, route the new cable through the existing hole, and then install a new old-work box. Or maybe you can just push the cable through one of the knockouts on the box without removing it. How far you can go depends on whether the cable is going the same direction as the joists or perpendicular. Worst case is if the cable is going perpendicular, you may need an access hole at every joist to drill the joist and route the cable.

Drywall repair is scary the first time you do it, but isn't rocket science. If you first read a drywalling book first, and take your time, it's pretty easy to make an invisible repair. All those bad patch jobs you've seen in your life were done by somebody who didn't take the time to find out how to do it correctly. Patched holes will be less visible than your patched trench anyway.

If you don't want to touch the drywall, there's always Wiremold. You spouse probably won't like that though.

Buy a 1/8th" snake and some tape.

This is a peice of flexable steel. It is used to push in the hole to the next hole. Most hardware folks are familiar with the item and term.
Make a closed loop on the end and tape it so it will not get hooked on any thing in the ceiling.

When you reach the destination, pull it out of the hole. Tape on your wire,then pull the wire from hole to hole.

Check the ckt size (15 Amp/20Amp etc.) This will determine what size wire you need. #14 for 15A--#12 for 20A.