Hi Larry and all,

The subject of power to the hanging plasma surfaces regularly. I know some put the power cord inside the wall but it is against code.

My question is, what if I made up an extension cord of romex or armored cable that could run thru the wall? How does that measure up to code?

Some clients could save the time in getting an electrician out from Richmond, VA (ha) to California and they would save a little cash as well.

use a panamax in wall - call sparky

I second the recommendation of oex. Use the Max in wall by Panamax and use an electrician.

Depends on local code. Romex is no go here in Chicago, fine elsewhere. Armored cable is OK up to 3' whips here, but I've seen some very long 3' whips in use. Getting an electrician is good advice; they will know the code.

Please correct me as I'm thinking this as I post, but isn't the whole point of not running power cables in wall is so you can unplug them if in a hurry? This works on most equipment, but not plasmas when they are 1" off the wall. And besides, you can unplug the cable from the bottom of every plasma I've ever worked with. I know you're not supposed to run them in-wall, but what is the reasoning?

Safety. An unprotected power cord in a wall can have its ground and neutral open and potentially shock a user. The hot and neutral or ground can short and cause a fire. Unplugging quickly only happens when someone is in the room, sees or smells a problem, and has the presence (sp?) of mind to unplug a component.

How is this different than Romex, it can short as well. With today's circuit breakers any short will pop the breaker. I just see the risks as the same.....or am I missing something?

The National Electrical Code governs wiring in homes. These are their rules. The whole thing is about safety with redundency.

A breaker is typically 15 amps, could be a little less or a great deal more. A short could have enough resistance to only draw half that, 7.5 amps. 7.5 amps at 120 volts is a huge amount of energy, really; 900 watts (?). 900 watts in a trapped space inside a wall will start things burning pretty quickly. 7.5 amps at that voltage is enough to ruin your evening if it comes into contact with your skin. It could kill a child or pet. All of that with only 1/2 the current needed to pop the breaker.

I've found that in order to play this game (and you do in fact need to play the game, 'cause it's their bat and ball) one needs think the code, be the code, live the code.....

Agreed....but sometimes their rules suck!!!

the plug is the means of service disconnect -

OK, Theaterworks, beam me up, get me inside the code.

Understood, we don't want a cheesy power cord inside the wall. Done.

What I am asking, to save the trouble of calling sparky, is to use the right cable...romex, armored, whatever. Except, instead of wire nutting at both ends, one to an existing outlet let's say, now we have put a plug on one end and receptacle on the other. Now, we are plugging in at both ends, like the cheap power cord would, except we have good cable, code cable, running inside the few feet of wall cavity.

I guess the last question is, can I be trusted to put a plug and receptacle on each end without causing a fire.

Maybe I can prebuild a few and take them to the city and have them preinspected :)

That's not even really the issue... even if you get caught by an inspector, you get a fine and a stern talking to.

The REAL reason you should not be screwing with this is that if that circuit is deemed the cause of a fire, and the install of this circuit is attributed to anyone other than a licensed and insured electrician, then insurance companies get weird, and you could be liable for the damages. The client's homeowners insurance company will make your life hell, and your own contractor's insurance won't be much help, because you're not covered to perform work where specific licensing is required. You are usually allowed to work on your own home without a license, but not anyone else's... especially not for money.

Hire it out, or send one of your guys down to pick up an application to take the test to get licensed. It should only cost a $100 or so to get it all done with, including the book.
When he passes, give him a token raise for the effort and his new revenue potential for you.
Every HVAC contractor, sign installer, etc. has at least one guy that has a high voltage license to wire up their products legitimately, why not an a/v contractor?
Your not going to be bidding on the high voltage for any of your houses, and keep spec'ing the known AC requirements to the onsite sparky if there is one, but if you need to install a Grafik Eye or wire in a clock hanger outlet for a plasma or a projector, then you can keep it in house and on your own schedule.

Also, be sure to send the info to your insurance guy to get the license on file if they want it and make sure your covered to do what you plan to do.

there is a sign in my local code office stating a NJ electrical license is required for anythin over 8 volts. Where does that leave everyone???

That must really bum out the guys at Pep Boys! Not to mention the car stereo installers. Not to mention the phone installers: when on hook, the phone line runs some 45 to 60 volts.

I think that sign is trying to make a point, and is not literally correct.

So you are not even allowed to charge your own cell phone??