CCTV wallplate

[rory 0]

Back on topic, went to the local hardware store tonight before they closed looking for a double gang plate or something with a big circular hole in it, or anything like that - not a thing, all single plates with small holes etc. Will check more tomorrow as there are a whopping 4-5 more electric and hardware stores I can check here (closed 1/2 day on Saturdays) ... this might be something that needs to be special ordered. Though the local plastic company here could make up something probably for $50 - In this case doing it mostly to cover the drywall edges and cut back on that dust, as the hole is behind the rack anyway.

 

47 Siamese cables pretty much covers most of the hole, but larger than a single gang plate, I kept it tight though. And before you ask, they ran the Siamese before I got there, used old cheap cable they had at their main store to cut back on cost (i later found it to be copper clad!) - I just snaked it through the wall to hide it - i actually wanted cat5/multipair on this job! But a job is a job. I spent 3 weeks RE running the cable though, as their in house electrician had run it in and out of high voltage (and being copper clad and all), it was a nightmare waiting to happen. Well it was a nightmare to pull it all back and run it again also, for free no less.

[excableguy 0]

Sometimes it's easier to take it in the shorts to do the job rather than make the customer eat it. I know how that goes..

 

In a residential application cost can really mean a lot to the consumer. Using bulk cable wall plates are nice indeed, however to the energy smart consumer it creates a bit of a problem. On one of my many home wiring jobs I encountered a customer who brought something to my attention and it didn't really make much sense to me. After I was all done mounting the keystone jacks for the ethernet I ran all over his house, he went behind me and placed foam gaskets behind the wall plates. Hear me out here.. in colder climates and hotter climates (I.E. southern latitudes) electricity bills can become high trying to heat and cool the home. Open spaces in the dry wall like that wall plate creates allows heated or air conditioned air to escape into the wall, and it doesn't just lose some air.. it loses a lot! I couldn't believe how much air could be lost until I removed a wall plate on one of my walls. I could literally feel the air escaping out of the hole.

 

So to satisfy my curiosity I started to do a little research on the topic and found that this can actually save a home owner a bit of money in their home by sealing up the area behind wall plates among other things. I live in Arizona so air conditioning can get expensive. Having been in catv and the cabling business for a few years, I guess I could understand why I had a few missing wall plates around the house. I suppose it's like a mechanics car that never quite runs right because at the end of the day his last wish is to work on his own car. After patching them up and placing those cheap gaskets behind them, putting insulation around my hot water heater and installing a timer that I already had made quite the difference on my power bill. I made my money back on those things in less than 3 months.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Gasket-Covers-Electrical-Stopper-Gaskets/dp/B002TIHKZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329590064&sr=8-1

 

 

 

And speaking of copper clad - Haha :

 

http://www.cablinginstall.com/index/display/article-display.articles.cabling-installation-maintenance.slideshow-articles.1-Copper-clad-aluminum-cable-passed-off-as-legitimate.html

 

 

 

 

Back on topic, went to the local hardware store tonight before they closed looking for a double gang plate or something with a big circular hole in it, or anything like that - not a thing, all single plates with small holes etc. Will check more tomorrow as there are a whopping 4-5 more electric and hardware stores I can check here (closed 1/2 day on Saturdays) ... this might be something that needs to be special ordered. Though the local plastic company here could make up something probably for $50 - In this case doing it mostly to cover the drywall edges and cut back on that dust, as the hole is behind the rack anyway.

 

47 Siamese cables pretty much covers most of the hole, but larger than a single gang plate, I kept it tight though. And before you ask, they ran the Siamese before I got there, used old cheap cable they had at their main store to cut back on cost (i later found it to be copper clad!) - I just snaked it through the wall to hide it - i actually wanted cat5/multipair on this job! But a job is a job. I spent 3 weeks RE running the cable though, as their in house electrician had run it in and out of high voltage (and being copper clad and all), it was a nightmare waiting to happen. Well it was a nightmare to pull it all back and run it again also, for free no less.

Edited February 18, 2012 by Guest

[Soundy 1]

There have to be studs somewhere, whether wood or steel. I'd try to align the thing so screws on one side go into a stud, then use EZ-anchors to secure the other side.

 

If you need more support than that, put a piece of plywood across the studs, and mount to that.

 

At about half way down the wall there is a piece of 1x6 or similar going horizontally across inside the wall, it is just flat against the drywall though, thats what they mounted the drywall too I imagine. From the ceiling I can see the metal grids every 16 inches or so across, instead of wood studs. It looks like they used this metal instead, in fact this is everywhere. Its thin sheet metal though, in a U shape. I guess I can mount to that, or like you said, put a piece of plywood and then mount to that instead. Thanks

Steel studs. Very common in commercial construction in N.A. Obviously not used for load-bearing walls, but with the drywall attached, it forms a very solid structure. Use a fine-thread drywall screw and it will tap itself right into the stud, no pre-drilling required. And yes, standard spacing should be 16", center-to-center.

[excableguy 0]

Those have worked for me in the past.

 

 

There have to be studs somewhere, whether wood or steel. I'd try to align the thing so screws on one side go into a stud, then use EZ-anchors to secure the other side.

 

If you need more support than that, put a piece of plywood across the studs, and mount to that.

 

At about half way down the wall there is a piece of 1x6 or similar going horizontally across inside the wall, it is just flat against the drywall though, thats what they mounted the drywall too I imagine. From the ceiling I can see the metal grids every 16 inches or so across, instead of wood studs. It looks like they used this metal instead, in fact this is everywhere. Its thin sheet metal though, in a U shape. I guess I can mount to that, or like you said, put a piece of plywood and then mount to that instead. Thanks

Steel studs. Very common in commercial construction in N.A. Obviously not used for load-bearing walls, but with the drywall attached, it forms a very solid structure. Use a fine-thread drywall screw and it will tap itself right into the stud, no pre-drilling required. And yes, standard spacing should be 16", center-to-center.