We’ve had our plasma over the fireplace for close to a year now, but we’ve always just had the trail of cords running across the mantel and down to the media rack. I decided it’s time to correct this oversight (okay, actually my wife has scheduled a dinner party, so she bumped this to the top of the honey-do list :) ).

I thought I would install a pipe conduit in the wall to run the cabling from A/V rack to TV, as well as wiring up an electrical outlet behind the TV, but I’m coming across a few questions:

1. I'm running through an outside wall. Several of the studs are double 2x6's, and several are less than 16" apart. Is it dangerous to drill a 2" hole through these if they might be load bearing?

2. Where can I find a box to terminate at each end? Is there some sort of in-wall gang box that has a big round hole at the top? I was envisioning something like the water supply/return box that feeds my washing machine, but 1/4 the size. I saw another post that mentioned a “snorkel wall plate”, but I can’t seem to find anything online like this. All I can find are wall plates that have specific connections on them.

3. I read somewhere that it is not a good idea to have your electricity and A/V wiring running next to each other, but I’m not sure what option I have unless I tear out the whole wall. Is this a real issue? Can I shield the electric so it doesn’t interfere?

The best bet is if you have attic access above the room, then you can run a/v cable and BX (romex isn't allowed in Aurora, unless the rest of your house has been done with romex, which isn't likely, and BX can only be used for a max of 6 feet, IIRC) for power down from above without having to drill through your 2x6s, which are load-bearing. If you can't, your best bet is to hire somebody as you're looking at some significant wall surgery based on your description.

Unfortunately, there is a second floor above us, so I don't think going to the attic is an option for the A/V.

As far as electrical goes, we are actually in Wisconsin now, and I believe the whole house is in romex.

As far as electrical goes, we are actually in Wisconsin now, and I believe the whole house is in romex.

Romex makes things easier, as you may be able to notch the studs (check with a local inspector as your local code might not let you do this for a load-bearing wall) for the romex and cover it with a nail plate-- a 2" hole won't be allowed, though. And I'm not personally comfortable with having romex against the drywall inbetween the studs, which you'd have to do with an outside wall (but that could just be because I'm used to conduit). And you're still going to have drywall surgery.

The easy way to shield your line power from a/v cabling is to run your power inside grounded conduit, but that's a bit difficult in a retro-fit. You'll have to run the a/v stuff at least 6 inches away from the romex, and try not to run it parallel to the romex. If you can run power from one side of the fireplace and a/v from the other side, that'd probably work best.

There are recessed boxes called clock outlets that you can use for power. Parts Express may have a/v counterparts to clock outlets.

Following up on my own post, I found the following on another forum:

* Holes in bearing wall studs (exterior and interior walls that bear the weight of the roof and/or other stories above) may not exceed 40 percent of the width of the stud.
* Notches in bearing wall studs may not exceed 25 percent of the stud’s width.
* Holes in non-bearing walls can’t exceed 60 percent of their width.
* Notches in non-bearing walls can’t exceed 40 percent of their width.
* The edge of a hole must be at least 5/8 in. from the edge of a stud.

A 2 inch hole in the center of a 2x6 sounds okay according to these guidelines.