Putting flat screen on wall

[Mr. Longhorn]

I've got a 52" Sony LCD that might need to go on the wall soon. I'm getting more and more nervous when our 2 year old gets near it with anything. Best Buy sent me a gift card so I'm thinking about using it for a nice wall mount. What do I need to get for this to happen. I know that I need to get longer HDMI cords.

I am just thinking about running all the cords through the wall up to the tv. I know some people who have said that they have done this with no problem. My only concern is that the tv is pretty heavy. Any particular size of bolt I need? Thanks.

 

[Luke Duke]

It is a code violation to run a regular power cord inside your wall.

 

[Mr. Longhorn]

I was afraid of running the power cord behind the wall, but I hear people say that they do it all the time. I just think it would be too much work to run another outlet up the wall, when I could just run the cord.

 

[RichUT]

Really not that hard to put an outlet further up the wall, assuming there is one down below. Just some Romex, a single gang in wall junction box and a power outlet.

Assuming you don't have fire blocks in your wall (mainly an issue with exterior wall) it really isn't hard.

Why risk burning down your house over something so simple?

 

[Hornin Hong Kong]

One thing I found is that you can get a universal bracket very cheap - the wall bracket that fujitsu sells was something lik 600 USD!!!

The dudes that installed mine

A) but the power cord behind the wall
B) used an aftermarket universal mount that cost like 120 bucks

 

[Luke Duke]

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[CelisHorn]

I've got a 42" and one 50" I installed in my house. I used the monoprice.com brackets and hdmi cables. You should be able to get a wall mount for a 52" for $25-$30 at monoprice.

 

[madscientist]

or

either way, billy is the guy to see.

 

[immtex]

Keep in mind that running the power cord in the wall is a code violation as mentioned above. If you want to risk it, so be it but if you do have a fire your insurance won't pay off.

Too much of a gamble for me. If you aren't comfortable doing it yourself up to code, than an electrician can do it pretty cheaply...at least in comparison to the cost of your fire insurance not paying.

 

[Texas Jack]

The chances of an electrical cord, used for the installation of a home mounted tv, whose connection ends are on the outside of the wall, catching fire are virtually none.

To say that you might drive a nail or screw through it later is to ignore the fact the preinstalled electrical wires offer the same pitfalls. A wise do-it-yourself installer would drop the cord in after the mount has been put on the wall, avoiding this problem. Installing an electrical box by an unlicensed electrician is also in violation of building code. In reality an unlicensed electrician installing a box would cause more of a fire hazard, due to inexperience, than running an electrical cord through drywall that is surrounded in standard fiberglass insulation(which is naturally fire retardant).

The amperage needed to overload even the flimsiest of extension cords would be stopped easily by the standard circuit breakers in almost every house.

Paying an electrician to the work and them having is professionally mounted is the best way, but this is the real world.


Buy a mount, drill it into studs with the supplied screws and punch a hole in the wall for the power and HDMI.

Done.

 

[Luke Duke]

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[_e.]

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[LITNIN HORN]

References would be:

National Electrical Code 2008
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
City of Austin(or other) Code Enforcement


Now...as a home owner with a legal Homestead on your residence, you may pull a home owner's permit and go through the proper inspection process with the jurisdiction where you live.

As a licensed Master Electrician, I would definitely recommend you NOT run any type of power/extension cord in wall, under carpet, in attic space or crawl space. There are many reasons this is not a good idea. Also, the information stated by the above poster about your circuit breaker tripping if there is a problem, is not good information. Circuit Breakers are designed to trip when there is a short circuit or when stressed by higher amperage than they are rated for. If an extension cord overheats because of improper use, the insulation can melt down, exposing live wires to flammable items and start a fire long before the breaker would have any reason to trip. Though wall insulation is fire retardant, the wood studs are not, the paper backing on sheetrock is not, and if the problem happens where you penetrate the wall, any number of things could happen.

You could hire a licensed electrician to properly install an outlet for you for $150.00 or less, or if you are so inclined, there are numerous self help manuals available, which would provide the information for you to do the job yourself...the right way, not the easy way.