Electrical – Get electricity to outlet behind wall mounted TV

electrical

I want to install a recessed outlet behind my TV but I am not sure how to get electricity to the outlet. There is an outlet at the bottom of the wall, below the TV.

Can I run a Romex 14/2 wire from that outlet up the wall to the newly installed outlet behind the TV?

I ordered a Arlington Industries Inc. TVBR255KGC-1 but after taking it out of the box I realized how big it is and does not fit in the middle opening of my wall mount hardware. I could put it below, or above the hardware, if I have to. But it's big and ugly.

EDIT: My breaker box is in a tight spot but I was able to get my camera in there and take some pictures. It's a 15 amp break that controls the outlet at the bottom of the wall.

Picture of the breaker where you can see (barely) that's a 15 amp breaker (third one down from the top):

image

Picture of left side of receptacle:

image

Picture of right side of receptacle:

image

The wires attached to the receptacle are not color coated, but the screws are. Which is white, and which is black?

Can I attach my 14/2 wire to those screws and run it up the wall to the outlet I install behind the TV?

Best Answer

If it's a 15 ampere circuit (the breaker protecting the circuit is 15 amp), then you can use 14/2 with ground between the boxes. If it's a 20 ampere circuit, you'll have to use 12/2 with ground.

Aside from that, it's a fairly simply install.

  1. Run appropriately sized cable between the upper and lower box.
  2. Connect the wires at the existing box (black to black, white to white, green/bare to green/bare).
  3. Connect the wires in the new box to the receptacle (black to brass, white to silver, and green/bare to ground).

If you didn't already buy a receptacle for the new box, surge receptacles are available. Installing a surge receptacle behind the TV, would mean you don't have to try and fit a surge strip back there.

The side of the new box that's not enclosed, can be used to route data/AV cables down to cable boxes and such.

Update

The insulation on the wires appears to be old and worn, but it is clear that one is white and one is not. Not to mention, the white is attached to the silver colored screw, while the not white is attached to the brass colored screw.

Since there's no grounding conductor. You should replace the old receptacle with a GFCI receptacle. To do this:

  1. Connect the white wire from the old receptacle (the one attached to the silver screw), to the silver LINE terminal on the new GFCI receptacle.
  2. Connect the not white wire from the old receptacle (the one attached to the brass screw), to the brass LINE terminal on the new GFCI receptacle.
  3. Connect the white wire leading to the new upper receptacle, to the silver LOAD terminal on the GFCI.
  4. Connect the black wire leading to the new upper receptacle, to the brass LOAD terminal on the GFCI.
  5. Place the "No Equipment Ground" sticker on the GFCI receptacle cover plate.
  6. Place the "GFCI Protected", and "No Equipment Ground" stickers on the cover plate of the upper receptacle.
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