I just bought an LCD tv and plan on mounting it on the wall. I wanted to run the wires behind the tv, through the wall, and have them come out below the tv so they won't be seen. I've read numerous articles online that say not to do this because the power cord is a fire hazard. While that makes sense, is that an overly paranoid statement? Has anyone ran their tv wires in the wall?

 

Wrong forum. Try the A/V forum.

 

I did it this way and it wasn't a problem. It probably doesn't meet your electrical code and if it was a cause of a fire your insurance most likely wouldn't cover it.

I believe the real cause of concern is having a dangling high voltage wire in the wall that some unsuspecting person could hit with a drill.

 

^

Like doopstr says the dangling wire can cause a problem if hit with a drill. The wire itself shouldn't be a fire hazard, but I wouldn't run the power supply through the wall and leave it in there as that box can heat up.

 

:ibis300eater:

 

x2

 

I ran an outlet up to my TV, on a dedicated circuit along with the rest of my A/V system. This may not be an option for you.

If you want to run the power cord through the wall the hazards are relatively small, just don't run the power wire through the same set of holes as your audio/video signal cables or you may get some unwanted 60Hz crosstalk.

 

I use PowerBridge's for my TV's...

http://www.powerbridgesolution.com/

Benefit over a standard outlet is it allows me to get power from my power conditioner / surge protector to my TV.

Don't run power cords through your walls. It's just a dumb thing to do.

 

isnt this essentially the same thing, it just creates a "bridge" (so clever) using compliant parts?

Either way, I might look into this when I mount mine in the new place.

 

Seems to me that anywhere plastic boxes and Romex are code compliant, that you could do it cheaper using bits from your local Home Depot or Lowes.

Where code requires hard conduit, the power bridge wouldn't be compliant either.

 

you are right, it is the same damn thing....its a half asses solution...the only TRUE solution is to have a dedicated outlet/circuit mounted at the height you want it behind the TV....

 

An outlet on a dedicated circuit does not give you the protection and conditioning of your power that Soopa is talking about with his setup.

 

I'm convined this is the way to go. The only other option is tap off the current outlet and have a dedicated one behind the TV...great, cept I want the TV on a surge protector. This provides that.

My new debate is whether I was a plate to allow for a couple different cables, or if I want a HDMI bridge plate to go behind the TV as well. There is really only the HDMI going to the receiver, but there is also the Wii sensor bar, but I can always get a wireless one.

 

I prefer not to use those bridge plates. There are enough compatibility issues with HDMI as it is, as well as just another thing that has the ability to break. Once your tv is up, you will not see anything anyway. I would just use a blank nylon plate and drill out the center with a unibit for a nice clean hole, and run whatever wires you want. I recommend you run a minimum of 3 cat5 wires IF you are not just running the wires straight down the wall (i.e. into a closet or something). That would allow you to use a variety of different baluns later on to convert the cat5 to a number of different types of connections.

 

Thanks.

It will will be a straight drop down 3-4ft. So, I'll just go back to my original idea, which you mentioned,of using the wall plates.

My condo, thankfully, is already prewired throughout with cat5. I have at least two connections in every room and one in the kitchen.

 

It's amazing how many places don't do that. It's so easy to prewire correctly during construction, and builders just cheap out. Also, if you really want to protect your tv (as has been discussed in some other threads), you could always get yourself a short piece of 14/2 romex, and a female, and a male cord cap. You can then run it out with your video wire (you shouldn't get any interference with the proper video wiring anyway) and then you can plug your tv directly into a power conditioner. Just a thought.

 

no money for a power conditioner at the moment. but I do want one eventually.

I'm already relegated to my friends getting together to get me a 5.1 set up from the Energy Reference line.

And it was pretty great they prewired everything. The wall plates have a cat5, a phone jack, and two coax. What wasnt great was the builder had no clue how to get it all hooked up and running, very simple just a pain to trace all the lines.

 

Also, so romex is what makes going inside the wall compliant? I can run across the street to home depot right now if I wanted and just make a romex cables to fish in the wall and I'm good?

 

Well code always depends on where you live. I wouldn't be too worried about code. The only possible problem you could ever have is if that wire caused a fire and it wasn't code. Very unlikely. Around here it is ok to run the romex with cord caps.

I wanna get a power conditioner too and for some reason, I just never actually pull the trigger on one.

 

I have other things to purchase first. like a nicer cabinet for my gear...got a temp one for thats work for the time being.

I should post a pic in home theater thread...though I wanted to wait til the wall mount....but thats going to have to wait til I have the proper time to do it...and who knows when that'll...

sigh, posting now in other thead now.

 

Hanging a tv really doesn't take all that long. It takes me about 30 minutes to an hour typically on a regular hand, start to finish. With no experience I would say UP TO maybe 4 times longer then that, so I'd figure in 2 to 4 hours at the most. Now motivation is a whole different story.

 

Thats not what worries me. I bought the exact same wall mount I used when I had it hanging in my old apt...My roommate bought it since I bought the TV, so he kept it for when he buys a new TV.

When I take the time to hang, I just want to make sure I don't fuck anything up. The condo is all new construction, and we painted the walls and everything. I Just have to go through and measure everything.

I'm going to be anal as hell because I want little to no "fuck up repair."

The thing with the mount I got is its a Sanus swivel and tilt. And so when the TV is flat against the wall its a little offset to the actual mount on the wall, so the mount wont be 100% centered to the wall and the room. You'll never see that behind the TV, but you do have to take it into account when you install it.

Either way, I'm going to take my sweet ass time.

 

Did you get the VMAA-26 or the VMAA18? I work almost exclusively with Sanus mounts, and I think they are the best. I've used most of the name brand ones out there, and none seem to compare in quality to the Sanus, so good job on getting that mount. Heading to bed now, if you have questions about your install, feel free to ask.

 

I got the VMAA18 in black. I liked it a lot when I used it at my other place. Feels really solid.

Thanks, night.

 

Sarlacc, I'd double-check what's being used in high end condo developments before you mount that thing on the wall. It'd be terrible to make a mistake and have to rip it right back down.

 

What do you mean?

 

^^^^^^ Wooden studs versus metal would be a question of mine...

 

It's definitely something to consider. Most residential buildings utilize wood studs, but you will of course find some that don't. All you really have to do is take a wall plate off an outlet, and grab a flashlight and look to either side of the box. You should be able to see if it's a metal or a wooden stud. If you can't see, you can cut the sheetrock a tiny bit, so that the wall plate still covers it, and you should definitely be able to see.

 

Oh, its wooden studs...Ive already installed a lot of other things