50-ft coaxial cable recommendations?

[ts7]

For clarification, the cable will only go under the carpet (on top of a concrete slab) in my house, in order to run along the side of the walls to get to the other side of the room. The reason I'm doing this is so I can put all of my equipment into a small cabinet and hide it behind my sofa.

I will need to run 50-ft of coaxial cable, as well as a slim profile HDMI cable and left, right and center speaker wire. I ordered cables from mono price and am waiting for them to be delivered, and am hoping the cables fit between the tack strip and the wall. Is this just a bad idea? Here are some pics.

Thanks!<img src="http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=82485"/><img src="http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=82486"/>

It's hard to tell but it looks like the baseboard goes to the slab. If you try to keep the cable between the tack strips and the baseboard you will have difficulty and the cable could very well be damaged when the carpet is stretched. Getting around the corners will also be a problem. In the end, you may get it to work, at least sporadically, but I wouldn't try it. In this case I would probably use wiremold.

 

[dishcomm]

For clarification, the cable will only go under the carpet (on top of a concrete slab) in my house, in order to run along the side of the walls to get to the other side of the room. The reason I'm doing this is so I can put all of my equipment into a small cabinet and hide it behind my sofa.


I will need to run 50-ft of coaxial cable, as well as a slim profile HDMI cable and left, right and center speaker wire. I ordered cables from mono price and am waiting for them to be delivered, and am hoping the cables fit between the tack strip and the wall. Is this just a bad idea? Here are some pics.

Thanks!View attachment 82485View attachment 82486

I have an idea...If you are going to get new carpeting, take out the tack strips along the intended cable path. The carpet installer will nail down new strips.
just have them placed so that the cables are not at risk.

 

[bellbound]

It's hard to tell but it looks like the baseboard goes to the slab. If you try to keep the cable between the tack strips and the baseboard you will have difficulty and the cable could very well be damaged when the carpet is stretched. Getting around the corners will also be a problem. In the end, you may get it to work, at least sporadically, but I wouldn't try it. In this case I would probably use wiremold.

What is wiremold?

Thanks.

 

[bellbound]

I have an idea...If you are going to get new carpeting, take out the tack strips along the intended cable path. The carpet installer will nail down new strips.
just have them placed so that the cables are not at risk.

That is something I was thinking of asking the carpet installers.

Thanks.

 

[dishcomm]

That is something I was thinking of asking the carpet installers.

Thanks.

I think it will work like a charm...Have them leave small gaps about 4-6 inches from the wall at the corner through which you can pass through your cables. This way you'll not have to worry about a sharp curve at the corners.

 

[ts7]

What is wiremold?

Thanks.

A brand of surface mounted raceway. Pretty much any brand of surface mounted raceway solution would work - I've just had good luck with WireMold products and they are readily available at home improvement stores (I usually pick it up at Menards or Ace Hardware). Panduit also makes some great raceway products but it tends to be higher end and more expensive, though almost any electrical supplier carries it.

 

[Joe Diamond]

That is something I was thinking of asking the carpet installers.

Thanks.

Carpet to slab installations....I don't think carpet guys use tack strips. I have found they glue the perimeter of the carpet. No tack strip! (Pretty sure about that...they can't spike the tack strip into the slab).

Joe

 

[ts7]

I think it will work like a charm...Have them leave small gaps about 4-6 inches from the wall at the corner through which you can pass through your cables. This way you'll not have to worry about a sharp curve at the corners.

Yes, that would probably work but it means ripping up the carpet - at least in the corners - to make cable changes. I think you are also asking for trouble relying on the carpet installers to work around the cable (at least if they are anything like the installers around here!). I could see cable shifting and getting crushed or punctured from the stretchers and tackers.

Again, I have used this method successfully many times but not with the amount and type of cables the OP needs to run and not with the environment/conditions/routing shown in the pictures. It may work like a charm but there is a good amount of risk that something will go wrong which could end up being both a headache and costly to make right (especially if it involves ripping up the carpet).

 

[ts7]

Carpet to slab installations....I don't think carpet guys use tack strips. I have found they glue the perimeter of the carpet. No tack strip! (Pretty sure about that...they can't spike the tack strip into the slab).

Joe

That may be typical but the pics posted by the OP show pre-existing tack strips fastened to the slab in this case.

 

[dishcomm]

Carpet to slab installations....I don't think carpet guys use tack strips. I have found they glue the perimeter of the carpet. No tack strip! (Pretty sure about that...they can't spike the tack strip into the slab).

Joe

Nope. They use tack strips even on concrete slabs. I tear out wet carpet from water damaged homes every day. As of yet, in three years have I run into carpet not on a tack strip. The only type not used with these are the commercial building application carpet tiles. Those tend to be glued down. Not fun to remove either.

 

[dishcomm]

Yes, that would probably work but it means ripping up the carpet - at least in the corners - to make cable changes. I think you are also asking for trouble relying on the carpet installers to work around the cable (at least if they are anything like the installers around here!). I could see cable shifting and getting crushed or punctured from the stretchers and tackers.

Again, I have used this method successfully many times but not with the amount and type of cables the OP needs to run and not with the environment/conditions/routing shown in the pictures. It may work like a charm but there is a good amount of risk that something will go wrong which could end up being both a headache and costly to make right (especially if it involves ripping up the carpet).

Check his photos. He HAS torn out the carpet.

 

[dishcomm]

That may be typical but the pics posted by the OP show pre-existing tack strips fastened to the slab in this case.

They come up real easy with a flat bar or wonder bar. A whole living room full of tack strips can be removed in 15 minutes.. Just as easy to nail down news ones.

 

[bellbound]

Thanks everyone for all of the wonderful info! I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, I'm going to speak with the carpet installers tomorrow regarding the flexibility with where the tack strip goes, etc.

I bought some Monster Cable XPNW MS Navajo White (all that was available at the store) flat speaker wire and it doesn't even say what the gauge is, though I'm pretty sure it is 16. I need to run the cables about 50ft to get around the perimeter of the room. I also bought some Monster Cable Superflat Mini Ultra-Flexible, Compact, High Performance Cable, because it looks so flat, though I think this is 18 gauge and I will likely return this.

1. Is 16 gauge speaker wire ok for the rear speakers for 50-ft of distance?
2. What about for the front left, right and center at 50-ft of distance?

Thanks again!

 

[ts7]

1. Is 16 gauge speaker wire ok for the rear speakers for 50-ft of distance?
2. What about for the front left, right and center at 50-ft of distance?

Thanks again!

16 gauge is probably sufficient for most applications and will be fine for "comfortable" sound levels. However if you have a high powered audio system and you are going for "club" volumes for sustained periods 14 or
12 gauge might be necessary.

Years ago I used to work for a commercial audio company and I remember we always went for the shortest distance between amps and speakers. Any time we had to push high power (100W/channel or more) any significant distance such as from back-of-house to front-of-house we usually used 12 gauge. Of course copper was much cheaper then!

 

[Jimbo]

Carpet to slab installations....I don't think carpet guys use tack strips. I have found they glue the perimeter of the carpet. No tack strip! (Pretty sure about that...they can't spike the tack strip into the slab).

Joe

Sure they can and Yes they do.... use tack strips on a slab.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Sure they can and Yes they do.... use tack strips on a slab.

I'm not a carpet guy. I suspect their techniques and materials improve all the time. And my information is limited to a few carpet deals I did for CATV companies and their MDU clients. Nonethe less, any installer who screws around with carpet enough to see tack strip is in way too deep.
I have pushed single and double cable under baseboards / over carpet a few times. But this guy wants to run several cables, including a custom HDMI. I see a wall cut and stud drilling party in his future, followed by some sheet rock and paint work.

Joe