David Preston
Supporting Actor
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2003
- Messages
- 698
What is the danger of having speaker wire ran in the wall if it is not the proper kind? What is the proper kind? Is it a fire hazard? Thanks
...improper in-wall wiring was installed which acted like a 'fuse' to accelerate the spread of the fire. Without this, the fire department could have arrived in time to save the building/reduce loss. Claim Denied!So while there is no intrensic fire hazard from ordinary speaker wire, the soft, rubber insulation spreading a fire is the issue.
(Insurance companies are NOT in the business of paying claims. They invest your money and fight to pay any back.)
In-Wall rated speaker wire has something ordinary speaker wire does not: Pull Strength. The outer insulation is thick, stiff, and hard to work with. But it is designed to be pulled with lots of force through small holes, corners, against bundles of itself. The rubbery, glove-soft indoor speaker wire is not designed to handle this type of abuse.
Here is my advice:
- Look for CL rated, fire-resistant speaker wire.
- Try to find 12 ga, or pairs of 14 ga (thicker the better for long runs).
- Make sure to run 3 sets of speaker wires to the rears (for that rear-center speaker).
- I suggest running everything through plastic electrical outlet box's.
- Pull enough wire and leave enough slack to create an un-broken path from receiver to speakers. Buy blank outlet covers and thread the wire through them after drilling holes for the wires. Later you can cut the wires off near the walls and install plates with binding posts, but dont do this to start.
Hope this helps.