electricalwire
I have a relatively new house (built 2014) with circuit breakers etc. I just drilled a couple of holes at around the same level as the electrical outlets and I put 1 5/8 inch screws in them. I probably should have drilled the holes below or above the level where the electrical outlets are. If I use a stud finder (with electrical charge detector) I do see the detection.
I just want to make sure that I did not damage any electrical wires behind the wall. How can I do that?
If you're just using a regular outlet as you suggest behind the TV, then my suggestion would be to supply it like a regular outlet.
If there is another outlet nearby (directly below would be ideal), fish a wire to it, and attach it to that circuit.
If there is unfinished space below, you can get a wire down there (use a long "installer's drill bit") and then it should be relatively easy to find a circuit to attach it to (or just run it back to the panel).
I'd be nervous about any contraptions that attempt to get power to this circuit otherwise. You absolutely need to have a male end in the wall, as a male-to-male extension cable is dangerous to have.
The best thing I can think up totally as a DIY without requiring real hard-wiring would be to get a blank faceplate, and put a square hole in it, and then mount an IEC 320-C14 connector in it (eg. from digikey).
Then you can just use a standard C13 cord (like the kind used to connect most computers, TVs, etc) and plug it into a surge protector or UPS or whatever.
Yes, in general electrical outlets are installed directly next to a stud.
However, apartments may have some different things going on:
Do you actually need a stud? How heavy is this lamp? Certainly a stud is better, but you can always use a wall plug. Put a screw in where you suspect you have a stud and want to mount the light, and if you get it wrong, put in a plug.
If it's light enough, as you suggest, some of the adhesive-based hooks are probably good enough (assuming the light can be hung that way).
Best Answer
If it was built to code you are fine because there are nail plates covering any wire that is within 1 1/4" of the edge of the stud. Drywall adds 1/2" at least so you would be fine using 1 5/8" screws straight into the stud. The wire is already sitting at least the length of your screw away, or else is covered with 18 ga steel plate!