1

I am looking for advice on safety precautions to take while mounting a TV to an interior wall with multiple light switches and outlets.

The wall is standard wood/drywall and I have located two studs 16" apart that the mounting plate will be secured to.

My concern is that on the other side of the wall there are two light switch boxes (secured to each of the studs I need to mount to). There are also two floor outlet boxes in the middle of the studs (one on the TV side of the wall, one opposite on the other side).

The TV is 49" and weighs 29 pounds. The mounting kit I purchased contains 2 1/4" long lag bolts meant for securing the wall plate to studs.

If I have identified the centre stud locations correctly, am I right to assume there is little chance of hitting wire running vertically (which would be stapled to side of the stud)?

Similarly, am I right to assume that, if using these bolts, there is a chance of hitting live wire running horizontally through the studs (which would be at minimum 1 1/4" into the stud + 1/2" drywall = 1 3/4" deep)?

In this case, would it be OK to use a shorter bolt (1 1/2" long or 1 3/4" long) for this size/weight TV? That way I don't have to worry as much about the longer bolts hitting horizontal wire.

Any other safety precautions to take? I plan on shutting all power off at the breaker prior to any drilling.

Thanks

EDIT: I found a photo of the house during renos which shows the wall framed & wired. After this photo was taken we did have our contractor extend the wall by another couple feet, but I doubt that would have changed the existing wiring configuration. From the photo, I see horizontal wiring running roughly a foot above the floor outlet. There doesn't appear to be any metal plates on studs with horizontal wires (unless they were added at a later date...)

enter image description here

Improve this question
1

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

I'd get a stud finder with electrical finder. They come in handy and give a general idea if there is wire running horizontally/vertically.

I'd stay with the longer screws. The horizontal wire from what I've seen is generally ran a foot or 2 off the floor for receptacles so I don't think you'll have to worry about it unless behind the wall is a kitchen and then it runs between upper/lower cabinets. Hopefully the electrician put on nail plates so if you did go where a wire was you'd know it when you can't screw beyond the dry wall.

Improve this answer
2
  • Thanks! Yes I have a stud finder with electrical. It seems a bit erratic and is going off anytime I get near the studs, which is what got my attention/concern up in the first place. No kitchen behind the wall (it's our front entryway). The house was recently renovated including full re-wire, so I would hope the electrician did things to code as well!
    – Bryan
    Commented Jan 10, 2019 at 18:25
  • If it goes off at the studs, I would guess there is wire running vertically but if nothing in between on either side of the studs then I think you are fine.
    – Micah Montoya
    Commented Jan 10, 2019 at 18:29

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.