Electrical code question: I have just installed a new flat panel plasma TV on the wall. I want to run the power cord through a wall into a large, accessible space behind the wall and thence to a receptacle in that space. can I do it? I would have to add the receptacle, since it doesn’t exist now.
Don
Don Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
“If it scratches, I etch it!”
The Glass Masterworks
“If it scratches, I etch it!”
Replies
I think it's legal so long as the cord doesn't become "built in" -- it must be removable without having to tear apart drywall, rip off wood trim, etc.
I have to ask though, wouldn't it be nice to do something a little more "professional" (for lack of a better term).
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
Scott: I greatly simplified the issue to get to the point of the discussion - can I run a power cord through a wall & not violate code? I plan to put a desk top wiring ring in the wall behind the set to allow access by all the other cables. etc necessary to feed a TV set. There is sheet rock only on one side of the wall. The rear is a large space between the wall the TV set hangs on and my roof - it is a Mansard type roof. I already have receptacles in the wall to service the room, so the backs of them are available. I would just add a box in the space. The space has large access panels that can be easily removed to access the space.Immediately below the TV set is a "Cubby hole" storage space (42"W X 45" H) that is finished w/ sheet rock. There is also an outlet in this cubby hole to allow an old style picture tube TV set be placed there. That space will now hold a small cart for VCR, cable box etc.DonDon Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"
Ahhh.. that all sounds cool. I was just thinking about the future... if it's a logical place to hang a new TV, you might as well do it right.Scott.Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
Oddly enough, the NEC specifically says NO to this idea. No cords through walls, etc.
Mind you, walls are not the same thing as, say, a desktop. A desk is not part of the building.
There are two reasons for this rule: damage to the cord from wall edges, and the difficulty in disconnecting something whose plug is in another room.
What you are telling me, then, is that the only solution to not having a power cord dangling down the wall is to put another outlet in the wall behind the TV set?I can do that as easily as I can put another outlet in the space behind the knee wall. It's just the thought that if I ever want to move the TV set, I have an electrical outlet 5 ft up in the middle of a wall.DonDon Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"
Just remember to unplug it before the "building department" SWAT team comes in on a raid.
That's correct ... put the new receptacle on the same wall as the TV. Not to worry .... there are plenty of receptacles going in walls, even five feet up, these days. Chances are, the next guy will want a TV there as well. The same applies to the connection to the cable system.
It would certainly be legit to build a niche in the wall for the outlets.
Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be! --Miguel de Cervantes
What really rots my socks at this point is that I already have 20 individual outlets accessible on this side of our bedroom (4 quad boxes & 2 dual boxes) that are all down at standard level above the floor. We even placed an outlet at the head of our stairwell for the day we needed a power chair up the stairs. I thought I'd planned for every eventuality. They just hadn't invented the flat screen TV when we designed our house.I am resigned to my fate!DonDon Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"
You may not need this. But I think that they are real cool.Here is a recess power box.http://www.aifittings.com/whnew100.htmAnd this is recess combo box that you can configure for power, and all of the low voltage cables.http://www.aifittings.com/whnew98.htm.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.