Fishing Wire in Exterior Wall

[Laker14]

I am going to put a TV on an exterior wall in a Gardenia (stucco).
Anyone with a Gardenia or Camellia will know where I'm talking, in the living room, between the windows , where 90% of the TVs wind up with this floor plan.

My house was built in 2006. I want to hide the cables of course, in that wall.
Can someone with experience doing this tell me what I'm likely to run into? I assume there is some insulation in there. What type of insulation?

Any tips on how to make the job easier and less messy (other than hiring it out?:)

Thanks,

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

Call Tom he’s the best in the villages 3523881677 he’s done my last3 homes the first time he came it was after 3 different people had given me bad ideas for hooking up a set , Tom figured it out in 10seconds , it’s easier to text him he will always get back to you

[villagetinker]

The other option is a wire mold type channel that mounts on top of the wall, paint to match and it can become hard to see, this type of channel is sold at the big box stores. If you are only going a short distance (`2 feet) you might get away with cutting two holes and fishing the wires between these. NOTE: I do not believe this is acceptable (legal) for 120 volt Romex wiring, but works well for audio, cable , and HDMI type cables. As for the installation, I think our Gardenia (2013) has foam sheet insulation and fishing the wires would be difficult to impossible.

[retiredguy123]

The other option is a wire mold type channel that mounts on top of the wall, paint to match and it can become hard to see, this type of channel is sold at the big box stores. If you are only going a short distance (`2 feet) you might get away with cutting two holes and fishing the wires between these. NOTE: I do not believe this is acceptable (legal) for 120 volt Romex wiring, but works well for audio, cable , and HDMI type cables. As for the installation, I think our Gardenia (2013) has foam sheet insulation and fishing the wires would be difficult to impossible.
Are you sure it is not legal to fish a 120 volt wire in the wall, as long as there is no splice inside the wall? I don't think that non-electricians, like Best Buy installers, will do it because they are not licensed. But, I don't see a problem if a homeowner or an electrician does it.

[metoo21]

This works well in walls that are open or have fiberglass insulation.

Powerbridge one-pro-kit (https://www.powerbridgesolution.com/product/one-pro-kit)

[villagetinker]

Are you sure it is not legal to fish a 120 volt wire in the wall, as long as there is no splice inside the wall? I don't think that non-electricians, like Best Buy installers, will do it because they are not licensed. But, I don't see a problem if a homeowner or an electrician does it.

There are actually requirements for having the wire anchored within a certain distance of a box, and probably others I am not familiar with, which is the reason that I do not do house wiring, even though I am a retired professional electrical engineer, unless I am doing under a permit with the associated inspections.

[griffija]

There is an outlet in wall between the windows. you can fish wall and add new outlet behind TV. If using Comcast, they have wireless cable boxes so no cable line is needed.

[thevillages2013]

I am going to put a TV on an exterior wall in a Gardenia (stucco).
Anyone with a Gardenia or Camellia will know where I'm talking, in the living room, between the windows , where 90% of the TVs wind up with this floor plan.

My house was built in 2006. I want to hide the cables of course, in that wall.
Can someone with experience doing this tell me what I'm likely to run into? I assume there is some insulation in there. What type of insulation?

Any tips on how to make the job easier and less messy (other than hiring it out?:)

Thanks,
Should be fairly easy assuming you have an outlet directly below where your tv location is planned. Most concrete block walls are stripped with 2xs so you should have 1-1/2” in there. Worst thing may be insulation. When I read the post it made me think of couch fishing with Bevis and Butthead :bigbow:

[dgammon6]

If your looking at the wall between the living area and bedroom, there isn’t any insulation. I’ve done this a couple of times. It’s very easy.

[jimbomaybe]

I am going to put a TV on an exterior wall in a Gardenia (stucco).
Anyone with a Gardenia or Camellia will know where I'm talking, in the living room, between the windows , where 90% of the TVs wind up with this floor plan.

My house was built in 2006. I want to hide the cables of course, in that wall.
Can someone with experience doing this tell me what I'm likely to run into? I assume there is some insulation in there. What type of insulation?

Any tips on how to make the job easier and less messy (other than hiring it out?:)

Thanks, I think on new construction they use foam board insulation with an air space between the drywall and foam board and thats where they run the power, I am not an electrician but mixing both power and signal in the same bay would call for carful consideration, last place I lived code required everything needed to be in EMT , metal conduit, good luck

[retiredguy123]

I think on new construction they use foam board insulation with an air space between the drywall and foam board and thats where they run the power, I am not an electrician but mixing both power and signal in the same bay would call for carful consideration, last place I lived code required everything needed to be in EMT , metal conduit, good luck
Electrical wires are not required to be in conduit.

[laboutj]

Here's a step by step for you:

Go on Amazon and look for 'Arlington TVL508-1'. That is the box you need to use.

Cut the power to the box that you are going to tap into. Move the wires out of the way and drill a hole in the top of the box, near the front and to one side, large enough for the romex to get through. Make sure the hole is not in the center of the box

Cut the opening for the new box that you are going to put behind the tv. Be sure to dry fit the box but don't install it yet.

Use a fish tape if you have one and work it up through the hole you made in the lower box, until you can see it in the opening you made for the upper box. There should be a gap between the drywall and hard foam insulation where you can pass the fish tape.

Attach the romex to the fish tape and pull it down until it feeds into the lower box.

[louisnet]

I suspect that year home will be similar from the homes built a few years after your date. The cement block is covered with foam insulation, then furring strips on top of that, and then sheet rock, so there is a 3/4 gap between the insulation and the back of the drywall. You never said what you are trying to add, is it ac power or the coax cable. most of the cables are run from the attic down and not the easiest thing to do since the attic is filled with insulation, and get tight towards the end. I have pictures from when my house was built and the wire is in the wall the ac wire is not in pipe just secured to the wall so it stays out f the way and the other cables are done the same way. There is a 1x4 running across the top so you have to drill thru that then snake the wire down the gap in between. Just depends on where your getting the source from if from the side there is a few inch gaps from the bottom they install a 1x4 on the bottom and do not start the furring strip about 4 inches above that so there is a path across.

[laboutj]

For attaching the television mount to the wall, use .25 x 3.25 inch Tapcon concrete screws. You have to pre-drill the holes to get the screws into the concrete. It's easier to buy a box of the screws that comes with the concrete bit. You also have to add small washers to the screws before screwing into the wall since the heads are too small for the television mount.

That is what I did for a bedroom television mounted to an outside wall.

[Proveone]

I am going to put a TV on an exterior wall in a Gardenia (stucco).
Anyone with a Gardenia or Camellia will know where I'm talking, in the living room, between the windows , where 90% of the TVs wind up with this floor plan.

My house was built in 2006. I want to hide the cables of course, in that wall.
Can someone with experience doing this tell me what I'm likely to run into? I assume there is some insulation in there. What type of insulation?

Any tips on how to make the job easier and less messy (other than hiring it out?:)

Thanks,
There is thin hardboard insulation on the block wall and thin furring strips to hang the drywall. Not much room to fish wires. Good Luck! I would hire someone who does that type of install. Maybe the Geek Squad.

[thebish]

we just bought a new t.v. and had it hung on an exterior wall....also bought a t.v. table to go under it. turned out, after we hung the t.v. it was only about 6-8 inches above the table so we put little decorations on the table in front of the couple of wires and you can't even see the wires. as it ended up we had no need to fish the wires nor to buy one of the molded pieces to go over the wires.
no visible wires at all.

[Malsua]

For attaching the television mount to the wall, use .25 x 3.25 inch Tapcon concrete screws. You have to pre-drill the holes to get the screws into the concrete. It's easier to buy a box of the screws that comes with the concrete bit. You also have to add small washers to the screws before screwing into the wall since the heads are too small for the television mount.

That is what I did for a bedroom television mounted to an outside wall.

Your tapcons need to be sized right, otherwise the unthreaded shank winds up in the block and the threaded portion protrudes into the void inside the block.

There is 1/2" of insulation, 1/2" of void/furring strip and 1/2" of sheetrock to the face of the block.

If you use a 3.25" tapcon on a mount that is directly on the face of the sheetrock, you'll end up with few threads in the block and most of your holding threads hanging in space inside of the block void. You could hit an end or middle section, but you'd be better served with a 2-3/4. Obviously, if you're going through a 1x4 you need to take that into account as well.

[DDToto41]

I believe that the anchoring of the wire before the box is in new construction homes and not in pre-existing homes. there is no way you can anchor a wire without damaging the wall.

[Laker14]

Follow up on my "fishing" expedition. The kit I ordered won't work because the receptacle boxes are too deep for the wall construction, and the wires to fish have a huge plug end, which won't fit between the drywall and the insulation board. So I considered an effort at doing it the old fashioned way, by fishing the Romex from a current receptacle. I dismantled the source receptacle, and a nearby non-functional (old) cable junction box. I couldn't figure out how to remove the boxes to get access. They are shallow boxes that must have been installed before the drywall was hung, and they extend beyond the edges of the drywall cut-outs for the boxes....hence...
I am aborting my DIY efforts on this one, and taking the advice of others to let a pro handle it.
The good news, for which I am awarding myself a Gold Star, is that I was able to determine that I was in over my head on this one by unscrewing two face plates, and before I started hacking into a the wall, so at least I didn't make anything any worse than what it was when I found it.
That's pretty good work for me.