Running wires through wall - samsung ultra-slim mount

[Yousuf Abbasi]

Im using the samsung ultra slim wall mount kit to mount my 46" 7000 series onto my dry-wall. I will hide the wires in such a way: cut a hole in the wall behind where the tv is mounted and run all the wires through and take them out of another hole at the bottom of the wall.

To save myself any future hassle, I only want to run the wires thru the wall once, therefore I will run all 4 hdmi, all usb, and optimal wires thru even though I am currently not using all of those ports. So when I do decide to use hdmi #2 on the tv, the wire is already run thru.

Now, I am also planning on running the power wire through as well. Im a little concerned here about running a power wire through the wall - is that safe?

Yes I could get an electrician's opinion which I probably will, but in case I try to do this myself, am i totally overseeing something?

Thanks.

 

[David Rasberry]

Running a power cable through the wall is fine as long as either or both ends can be disconnected quickly in an emergency. You do want to maintain at least 6" separation between the power cable and your signal cables though to avoid any potential noise issues Running them through separate holes on opposite sides of a stud is one way to insure separation. The standard modular power cord that comes with most TV's is fine or buy a longer one of the same type if you need to. This may not meet local codes depending on where you live though. The alternative is to cut in a back box with standard power outlet and wire with romex to the nearest existing AC outlet. A little more work, but meets code.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Technically, running the power wire through is not going to meet any conventional building code requirements, but in reality it's not going to be an issue for your intended use. If it's a crappy power cord, you could potentially get some interference if it's running parallel to the signal cables the whole way. IMO, most power cords are shielded better than your standard in-wal "romex" type wire. If you do need to meet code requirements, if you have a landlord that cares or whatnot, then you may want to consult an electrician. If there's an electrical outlet on the wall (either side) below where you're hanging the TV, you should have no trouble adding another outlet to plug the TV into and it would all be code-compliant. The signal wires don't matter. Technically they should all be CL2 rated for in-wall use, but for low-voltage, most don't care and most building codes are indifferent to LV cable and shielding composition for short runs, especially if they don't cross floors or drill through head-plates, etc..

EDIT> What David said above about placing signal and power on opposite sides of a stud is good advice. Also be sure you securely mount your TV's wall mount into the studs too. Some crappy mounts will come with toggle bolts or other types of garbage anchors, don't use them.

4xHDMI is going to be your biggest challenge to pull through with the connectors. Protect the connectors well -- if they ship with end caps, leave them on, tape them in place, etc.. I've screwed up a few HDMI by pulling them through walls/insulation.

I would also recommend running at least two CAT-6 or CAT-6E along with them. If you have 3G+ rated coaxial cable, that's a plus too... Run some of those and then you'll also be set for connecting via SDI if that comes up in the future.

It sounds like a really short run anyway, so future cable changes shouldn't be that big of deal... Just more of an inconvenience of having to do it.

 

[John Saunders]

Although it might not (actually probably won't) work with the ultra slim mount (those things are a pain) these are pretty cool for just running your power from the floor up to a tv through the wall and still meet code.

http://www.furmansound.com/product.php?div=02&id=MIW-XT

 

[Travis Moulton]

Run a few pieces of thick string as well. Then if you need to add another cable, you can tie one end of the string to the new cable and pull it through.

 

[Vince Doran]

if you are hanging it higher then 1200mm remember there should be a row of noggings running horizontal in the wall that will be difficult to get a hole through

 

[Gavin Greenwalt]

My question would be: why run 4 HDMIs? Don't you have a receiver for HDMI switching?

 

[Alex Kiritz]

You could try using this for the data cables: http://www.taperwire.com/. You might be able to use their speaker cable tape for power but I'd keep a fire extinguisher next to your TV just in case.