Questions about running speaker wires through wall

[mortizar]

I recently bought a house in which I want to run speaker cables through the walls. Some of the wall in question are exterior walls which makes me wonder if it is safe to run speaker wires between the drywall and insulation. The walls in the house also contain fire blocks which I will need to be drilled through to run the wires. In another thread on this topic it stated that you can’t do this because it makes your house unsellable, I guess this would be because of code violations. Is this true? Or is this something I can do?

 

[Swerd]

I recently bought a house in which I want to run speaker cables through the walls. Some of the wall in question are exterior walls which makes me wonder if it is safe to run speaker wires between the drywall and insulation. The walls in the house also contain fire blocks which I will need to be drilled through to run the wires. In another thread on this topic it stated that you can’t do this because it makes your house unsellable, I guess this would be because of code violations. Is this true? Or is this something I can do?

If you follow the code standards in your state with regard to installing wires in walls you should be OK. I'm not aware of any issues specific to exterior walls.

In my state, Maryland, the code considers speaker wires as low voltage as opposed to high voltage wires that carry 120 volt AC. Speaker wires get treated like phone lines or doorbell wires. Use in-wall wire with plastic insulated jackets that are UL approved CL-rated (CL-2 or CL-3). Wires with these types of insulation resist abrasion, nicks, or cuts encountered when pulling them through holes.