As a designer, raceways are the No. 1 way to mess up a great channel letter design. Why? Well, mostly it’s aesthetics.  It ever complements the design of a channel letter set to add a 7”x7”x 10’ long rectangular box to the back of a letterset. However, when it comes to wireways, they offer a bit more flexibility in the aesthetics department because wireways become part of the overall design, and are not purely utilitarian.

Same old raceway, same old methods … (yawn!)
Some fabricators build their raceways from scratch using everything from .063 all the way up to .125, depending on the structural requirements of the race way. In talking with these folks, they all claim that building a raceway from scratch is more cost effective than purchasing a pre-fabricated unit.  Considering the labor involved, these folks have carefully weighed the costs to fabricate a raceway from scratch and feel it’s their best option.

One advantage of building a raceway from scratch is that you are not limited by anything. You build it to whatever specification is required to match the other existing raceways. It also can be a hassle to keep 12’ sections of pre-fabricated raceways in stock. The space they can take up in a crowded shop can be significant, and just-in-time materials handling isn’t always doable. Let’s not forget about the cost of the pre-fabricated raceway. Although it may seem like a significant expense, the labor savings and skill set required is something that should be considered. A fabricated raceway requires that an experienced technician who is well-versed in running a break and shear be used to fabricate the raceway, and then cap the ends shut via welding or attachment of an end plate. A prefabricated race way only requires the skill set of running a chop saw. In most cases, the ends are fitted and attached mechanically with extruded elements that fit perfectly for a clean, finished look.

Installation – Aesthetics vs Ease
When it comes to installing a traditional stick-built 7”x7” raceway, options for attaching it to the wall include tabs and/or steel angle welded to the top and bottom of the raceway. It’s big, unsightly and typically visible from the ground. For the designer, visible attachments (unless intended to be part of the design) completely take away from the design much like a photographer inserting a picture of a drunken college guy photobombing the bride and groom during the big kiss. In my humble opinion, visible attachments that are not part of the design can actually cheapen the appearance of a very well-designed and fabricated channel letter set. The huge benefit of installing on a raceway is the fewer number of holes that are required to be drilled into the building compared to letters mounted directly onto the building. Aside from that, the time savings is only substantial when drilling through concrete or masonry. Otherwise, in both wall mount and raceway-mounted letter sets, the letters must still be mounted to something, regardless of what they are mounted to, so there is still time involved in each scenario.

Saving time during installation is key to keeping the bottom line within margin. How you speed up your installation is up to you; however, a few extrusion companies today have reinvented this wheel with some very well-planned raceway products. The old ways of installing a race way are just that, the old ways. With a little research, you may find that just like everything out there, somebody has built a better mousetrap.

Wireways - The Designers Best Friend
The wireway is much different than the raceway. Raceways can seem like a bit of an afterthought, where as a wireway is designed to be part of the overall design of the sign. In many cases, the wireway becomes a feature of the sign, and is therefore much more aesthetically refined and easier on the eye.

Wrench Room – The Installers’ Code of Access
Wireways are smaller, but more shallow would be the better way to say it. They are typically only 3” or 4” deep and provide limited access to the backs of the letters. In most cases, servicing a letter set with a wireway requires that the entire sign be removed from the wall and serviced on the ground where everything can be accessed.

No Time Savings on Installation
With wireways, the time saving benefits must be left on the shop floor as wireways are usually part of the entire sign, and therefore offer no time savings during the installation process.  However, when looking at the sign from the ground, the aesthetics of a wireway far exceed the bulky and more prominent raceway. 

In closing
Whether it’s a raceway or a custom wireway, the idea that all of the wiring is usually accessible at the sign is benefit enough. Being forced to run wires through a wall and into a cramped sign area is never much fun for the installer, so for that sake alone, wireways and raceways offer one of the easiest ways to install a sign.