Planning for sockets in a tv wall

ey143 · 15 May 2021

As part of a home renovation, I have a solid wall around 6-8m long currently still brick faced and not rendered.
I’ll probably have a electrical socket 2m from floor level in the centre of the wall to power a wall hung TV.

More than likely there will be 400-600mm depth fitted cupboards or drawers fronting that wall with 3-4 double sockets at normal socket height on that wall inside the cupboards for A/V equipment etc.

my question is: do you think I should be putting some sockets above the cupboard height alongside that wall for surface mounted appliances or powering laptop via extension leads etc. If so, at what height and how many?

I ask only because I don’t want it to look funny and not sure if I’ve seen sockets at this height before. Typical cupboard height is 700mm so base of socket will start at about 750-800mm?

winston1 · 15 May 2021

You can never have too many sockets. Sockets above the cupboard would be useful and not look funny. 2 metres is too high for a TV socket. A TV should be at eye level, not so high you get a neck ache looking at it.

Don't forget an aerial socket, a satellite socket (or 2), an ethernet socket (or 2, 3, or 4), and a means (HDMI perhaps) of connecting your TV to the A/V equipment in the cupboard.

ey143 · 16 May 2021

Hi

don’t forget 2m height is the electrical socket level and not necessarily the TV level. If I went for a 65” or larger TV, without knowing where the cable will exit the tv (if from the top like my old 42” Samsung) I don’t want to be caught short of cable to plug it in.

regardless of the size of the TV, would you say the base of the TV should be perhaps 100mm above the cupboard height or thereabouts so 800mm from floor level? I made the mistake of hanging the TV on my mums living room wall so that the centre line of the TV was about 1.8m from the floor and reduced the height 10 years later to 1.4m which made a big difference. When walking past houses I have seen even more rediculous high heights.

agreed with respect to your last para. Have already run all those cables and more to that point.

winston1 · 16 May 2021

With a 65” TV with the bottom 800mm from the floor a 2m high socket will be visible above the top of the TV.

ey143 · 17 May 2021

Come to think of it, yeah you're right, 2m is too high. So 1m or 1.5m for socket?

Harry Bloomfield · 17 May 2021

ey143 said:
Come to think of it, yeah you're right, 2m is too high. So 1m or 1.5m for socket?

Personal preference perhaps, but I like wall mounted TV's at eye level, or maybe a little lower. Looking up towards a TV can cause a sore neck, so probably powered by a socket lower than 1m.

ey143 · 17 May 2021

I was working off the assumption that if people placed a TV on a stand on top of a unit e.g. living room sideboard cupboard, most units are 700mm height so my mums TV we put higher than this to factor that in. I just realised that not everyone will have a unit that high and in fact most TV stands are probably a lot lower (he says thinking back to the days when TVs on their own floor stands were probably half a metre off the floor).

Again, where the socket is located is irrelevant from where the eye level of the TV is. It's more about ensuring the socket is not visible wherever the TV is hung on the wall. If you bought a 100" TV, the "eye level" will never be the centre line of the TV.

So, I guess the question again, is what is eye level, seem to be about 800mm off the floor when sitting on my sofa, but are we saying that bottom of the TV or centre of the TV should be at that level?

Harry Bloomfield · 17 May 2021

ey143 said:
So, I guess the question again, is what is eye level, seem to be about 800mm off the floor when sitting on my sofa, but are we saying that bottom of the TV or centre of the TV should be at that level?

The centre of the TV, makes for comfortable viewing, or slight below.

ey143 · 17 May 2021

If I have exposed brick at the moment because of the renovation, can anyone recommend suitable trunking to carry lots of cables etc?

ey143 · 8 Jun 2021

Suggestions for any conduits or appropriate system to run A/V cables in the wall, if anyone knows, please?

Sureitsoff? · 8 Jun 2021

what do you consider lots of cables to be? 4? 8? more? rather than put in a large conduit which would mean a deep chase in the wall put in two or three smaller spaced slightly apart then rendered over. if you want to put hdmi cables in check that the plug will go in the conduit before fixing in wall. metal back boxes top and bottom with brush plates is the neatest solution. wall chases should nt really be deeper than half the brick thickness ie about 45 max.

thomp1983 · 8 Jun 2021

For the TV cables I use d line trunking chase into the wall and then use a seperate oval trunking for the power cable

BS3036 · 8 Jun 2021

Sureitsoff? said:
wall chases should nt really be deeper than half the brick thickness ie about 45 max.

They MUST not be deeper than 1/3rd of the wall thickness.

EFLImpudence · 9 Jun 2021

Horizontal chases are only allowed to be one sixth the thickness of the brick; one third vertical.

That is for a 4" brick - 17mm and 34mm.

diynot

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

Planning for sockets in a tv wall

Similar threads