[lottathought]

Recently, I purchased an LCD TV and I am now working to get it set up.

It will be going above the vent less, gas fireplace.


I already have worked out a good way to mount the TV over the hole.

What I have not been able to figure out is how to run the wires behind the fireplace down to the crawl space under the house.

I need to run them here because the actual stereo equip and DVD player is in my office. I have a Dinky-Link IR to control the equip from the living room.

This might be an easy job…..might also be a hard job.

I have no idea since I have never seen anybody run a cable behind a fireplace.

I am guessing that since a gas fireplace is fairly common, that there is some standard to getting wires run behind it.

I already have the power outlet in the niche. What I need to run is some fiber, an Ethernet cable, some coax and my HDMI cables.


I have searched everywhere I know and I can not get a good how-to on this.

I know it is possible because they ran some wires for me right before I moved in and after the house was built.


If it helps..this is a ranch style house.

The fireplace is on an outer-wall and that section of the wall sits farther out than the rest of the wall when you look at it from outside.


And yes, I have heard all about the viewing angle and the heat from the fireplace.

As an answer to this…

My house is 4 years old. My fireplace has never been lit.

Due to the fact that they do not run gas in my area and the tank seller in the area is insane, I do not know if it ever will be lit while I live there.

As for the viewing angle……due to windows and piano, this is the only possible place in the room to put this TV.

 

[pennektj]

I have done this recently and so has a few other members in the forum... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1088265 . It is very straight forward. simply find the underneath corner of the fireplace, make sure you don't hit electric or gas and drill a small hole... enough to fit a wire fish in... then go cut a box hole in the drywall behind your tv... (small, but enough to see with a flashlight and stick your hand in. Have a buddy wiggle the wire fish until you can grab it from inside. pull the fish through the hole and you now have your link between behind your tv and the crawl space under the fireplace.


run your wires conduit, or whatever through there... then seal everything back up.

everyone recommends conduit... or at least a couple pull stings in case you need them in the future.

 

[greg_mitch]

I have a similar situation, but my basement is finished, so I went up. Placed a "media cabinet" next to my couch and against the wall. Routed all of my cables up to the attic, over the vaulted ceiling and down inside the "bump out" that contains the fireplace. Pretty straightforward and relatively easy to do.


Downstairs is definitely shorter and easier if you have access.

 

[lottathought]

Thanks guys..

Looks like my weekend is planned.

 

[Apollyon]

Make sure you take plenty of pictures! It's always cool to have documentation of your project...fun to look back at and it helps others who are attempting a similar project.

 

[lottathought]

Well..the TV is wired in.

I decided to trace the wiring from the contractors to figure out how this was done.

For those who are looking to do this...this was actually pretty easy.

At least the way my wall is run it was.


Pop off the strip of siding where the wire will be poked through the wall.

Drill the hole to the Niche from the outside and run one end of the cable into it with a Fish tape.

(Make sure you leave enough slack on the inside so that the cables can be connected with the TV off the wall)


Then, once one end of all the cables are run into the TV niche, from the outside, run the cables sideways until you get to the corner that is holding the vinyl siding ends down.. (It turns out that the corner strips are hollow and have a lot of room. )

Fish the cables down the hollow corner with the fish tape.)

Next.....take out the bottom pieces of vinyl siding from under the wall extension for the fireplace. They should be pretty easy to get out.

You will now see the floorjoice and insulation sitting on top of the brick foundation. That entire area between the floorjoice is just open space.

Just run the cables under the house via this space...

Crawl under the house and run the cables the rest of the way.


Pop the strips of vinyl siding back on.....pretty easy to do as there is a pretty good amount of space in between the vinyl and wall.


I have not yet had a chance to take the pics off the camera.....sorry.