Power in wall

[darien87]

Hey guys,

I bought some wall plates for wires from Monoprice to mount a TV on the bedroom wall.

Unfortunately I didn't know that you aren't supposed to run power cables in the wall.

Is it really that big of a deal to put a power cord in the wall? I was looking at something like this to fix my issue.

For only $43.69 each when QTY 50+ purchased - Recessed Pro Power Kit w/Straight Blade Inlet White | Recessed Low Voltage Cable Wall Plates w/ Power

But I'm a little unsure how to use this. Does the cord that it comes with go in the wall or do I need to buy some Romex from Home Depot? Do I need to turn the power off in the room? I don't think so.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hey guys,

I bought some wall plates for wires from Monoprice to mount a TV on the bedroom wall.

Unfortunately I didn't know that you aren't supposed to run power cables in the wall.

Is it really that big of a deal to put a power cord in the wall? I was looking at something like this to fix my issue.

For only $43.69 each when QTY 50+ purchased - Recessed Pro Power Kit w/Straight Blade Inlet White | Recessed Low Voltage Cable Wall Plates w/ Power

But I'm a little unsure how to use this. Does the cord that it comes with go in the wall or do I need to buy some Romex from Home Depot? Do I need to turn the power off in the room? I don't think so.

If it is not in conduit, it is a huge code violation, and cold easily make your home owners insurance null and void.

You do need Romex, and no butt joints. You need an approved junction box behind the wall where you are picking the power up from or pick up the power from another wall outlet. Then you need a power receptacle where you intend to plug in your device.

You will need to turn the power off to do this safely.

It sounds as if you may need an electrician so as not to violate code.

 

[lsiberian]

If you are unsure just hire an electrician. You could also look at running it out of the wall in some sort of cover.

 

[darien87]

If it is not in conduit, it is a huge code violation, and cold easily make your home owners insurance null and void.

You do need Romex, and no butt joints. You need an approved junction box behind the wall where you are picking the power up from or pick up the power from another wall outlet. Then you need a power receptacle where you intend to plug in your device.

You will need to turn the power off to do this safely.

It sounds as if you may need an electrician so as not to violate code.

Take another look at the wall plate. The guy at Datacomm, (the company that makes the plate) told me that I only need the Romex cable to go from the back of the female terminal wall plate to the back of the male terminal wall plate. The extension cord supplied goes from my existing power socket to the new male terminal plate. I shouldn't need to turn the power off because I'm only running the supplied extension cord to the new plate. The power is coming from the power socket that is already in the wall.

Here's the description from the Monoprice website:

WHY DO I NEED THIS?
Most local fire codes do not allow high voltage stranded power cables to be run behind a wall. Therefore it is a violation to simply run your standard power cords through the wall. Power cables for in-wall application should be solid core specifically designed for that purpose. Having an electrician come out and tap your electrical system to install an additional output behind your wall mounted display can be costly. This kit allows you to utilize an existing electrical outlet and bridge the power to your desired location. One plate is installed behind your equipment and the other along side an existing outlet. You connect the two plates together with some solid core power cabling you can find at your local hardware store. Then you plug your equipment into the extended outlet and use the included patch cable to connect the plate near your pre-existing outlet into the powered outlet.

 

[TLS Guy]

Take another look at the wall plate. The guy at Datacomm, (the company that makes the plate) told me that I only need the Romex cable to go from the back of the female terminal wall plate to the back of the male terminal wall plate. The extension cord supplied goes from my existing power socket to the new male terminal plate. I shouldn't need to turn the power off because I'm only running the supplied extension cord to the new plate. The power is coming from the power socket that is already in the wall.

Here's the description from the Monoprice website:

WHY DO I NEED THIS?
Most local fire codes do not allow high voltage stranded power cables to be run behind a wall. Therefore it is a violation to simply run your standard power cords through the wall. Power cables for in-wall application should be solid core specifically designed for that purpose. Having an electrician come out and tap your electrical system to install an additional output behind your wall mounted display can be costly. This kit allows you to utilize an existing electrical outlet and bridge the power to your desired location. One plate is installed behind your equipment and the other along side an existing outlet. You connect the two plates together with some solid core power cabling you can find at your local hardware store. Then you plug your equipment into the extended outlet and use the included patch cable to connect the plate near your pre-existing outlet into the powered outlet.

I see how it works, and it would not be a code violation. However I don't see the point.

What is the big deal about shutting the power off?

I would take Romex from the socket that you plan to plug the extension cord into and place a standard outlet where you plan to put the female monoprice plate. That is the proper way to do it.

 

[darien87]

I see how it works, and it would not be a code violation. However I don't see the point.

What is the big deal about shutting the power off?

I would take Romex from the socket that you plan to plug the extension cord into and place a standard outlet where you plan to put the female monoprice plate. That is the proper way to do it.

Honestly I was just freaked out about messing with the existing electrical.

But I see your point. I guess I could do it that way.

 

[annunaki]

The best way to handle this is to run from an existing power outlet via the proper gauge romex to a new outlet. It is easy surprisingly. What one MUST account for is to ensure that overloading of the specific circuit will NOT occur once the new outlet is added. Most home circuits are 15 Amp capacity utilizing a 14/2 romex. Calculation of the draw on the circuit is relatively easy once one understands what outlets are on said circuit. One simply needs to add up the amperage draw of all devices plugged into said circuit.

However, if one is not familiar with electrical wiring I highly recommend consulting/hiring an electrician. Electrical installation is actually rather simple for most outlets. Switches become more difficult as many do not know how the home was wired originally, especially in situations where 3-way and 4-way wiring schemes are utilized.

 

[Rickster71]

I'm scratching my head on this one. Charging $43. for something that can be done for at least half of that.
Looks like they're marketing this to home owners that are uncomfortable working with electricity.
You could probably pick up a basic electricity book from the depot or search the net and do this yourself without that kit.
I certainly understand if you aren't comfortable with doing it yourself though.

 

[baniels]

I have one of those and used romex per the instructions. It was a simple job. There are other ways to do it, but that product with a little romex is clean and follows code.

 

[darien87]

I'm scratching my head on this one. Charging $43. for something that can be done for at least half of that.
Looks like they're marketing this to home owners that are uncomfortable working with electricity.
You could probably pick up a basic electricity book from the depot or search the net and do this yourself without that kit.
I certainly understand if you aren't comfortable with doing it yourself though.

That's exactly who they are marketing it to, and I fall squarely in that category.

Funny thing is I have no problem working on electrical in my cars. I don't know why home electricity freaks me out. I installed a light over my mother's dining room table but my hands were shaking the whole time. I've got some weird irrational fear.

But I ended up calling a local electrician and he's going to install an outlet and mount my TV for $200. Not too shabby.

 

[Nestor]

I'm assuming you want to hide your power cable hanging from a wall mount tv.

I can see one application for this. If your outlet isn't below the tv, this allows you to run an extension cord along the floor, where it would usually be hidden, and then you can snake some romex straight up.

 

[Alex2507]

But I ended up calling a local electrician and he's going to install an outlet and mount my TV for $200. Not too shabby.

You should hire a carpenter to supervise the electrician while he wall mounts the TV. There's a reason they work with electricity ... they're not wrapped too tight and don't mind taking the occasional jolt. Don't leave the sparky alone with your wife either.

 

[darien87]

So here's how things ended up today.

Guy was quick and professional. Looks great. He made $200 for about an hour's work. Must be nice.

 

[96cobra10101]

So here's how things ended up today

Guy was quick and professional. Looks great. He made $200 for about an hour's work. Must be nice.

$200 doesn't go far when you throw in work truck, tools, insurance, fuel, time to and from your home, and beer. Looks good though.

 

[TLS Guy]

So here's how things ended up today.

Guy was quick and professional. Looks great. He made $200 for about an hour's work. Must be nice.

Looks nice! Usually people who know what they are doing are cheapest. You could have had a guy bumble about for a few hours and it would have cost you $800. Knowledge and skill are worth money and and generally save the customer money.

 

[darien87]

Looks nice! Usually people who know what they are doing are cheapest. You could have had a guy bumble about for a few hours and it would have cost you $800. Knowledge and skill are worth money and and generally save the customer money.

Yeah the guy was real cool. He hung around and chatted for 20 minutes or so after he was done. If I need anything else done I'll definitely give him a call. We might want to put a ceiling fan in the bedroom. Wouldn't hesitate to give this guy the job.