Many home projects involve electrical work and the running of wires through walls and floors. When doing so, you should take certain steps to protect wiring functions from eventual nailing and screw punctures that can penetrate and short out your work. To avoid problems, here's what to do. When drilling a wire passage through a stud, keep the edge of the hole at least 1-and-1-quarter inches away from the front edge of the stud. That way a misplaced drywall nail can't puncture the wire -- with electrifying results! With a floor joist, always drill through the center to avoid punctures. For both wall studs and floor joists (if for some reason you must drill through the edge), install a metal protector plate on the outer face over the area where the wire passes through. Protector plates of various sizes are sold at hardware stores and home centers. Once in place they'll protect your wiring. And that's the On The House Tip for today.