Having power outlet and data cables in same metal box?

I know it’s best practice to have a separation of the boxes for electrical and data (cat5, cat6, coaxial, etc), but is it up to code if I run it like the picture? Both electrical and data in same 4-gang metal box? I want to keep the number of holes in the drywall to a minimum for sound transmission issues. Thx.

CookieCutterBrownstone

in Electricians 9 years and 2 months ago

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arch111 | 9 years and 2 months ago

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Definite NO

thetinkerswagon | 9 years and 2 months ago

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not sure about the code. I would be afraid that running 120 ac so close to data could cause interference on the data. that is slight, i know, at low amperage. but we did have a pretty heavy feed line running in a riser to a top floor of a building and somebody put a pc next to it and the electromagnetic interference wreaked havoc on his monitor. Steve

neweco | 9 years and 2 months ago

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I wouldn’t put them in the same box

CookieCutterBrownstone | 9 years and 2 months ago

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Thx for the replies, it confirms that combining high and low voltage wires in the same box is a big no. I was trying to do the least messy/repair/match paint route but it looks like I will just go with two seperate boxes/wall plates. nyc_sport: the pic of your link was most probably used with the wall plate setup pic that I posted. Makes much more sense. Though, using that is a bigger job than what dorkofwindsor suggested. I was hesitant to use the open back data boxes because of the sound transmission into the next room. I guess it can’t be helped–I’ll try to pack more insulation to fill the open air space. Hopefully, that will help somewhat.

nyc_sport | 9 years and 2 months ago

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I am not speaking of codes, but this can be done provided the high and low voltage sides are physically separated. There are products designed for this purpose that I have used in my weekend house, like so http://www.garvinindustries.com/low-voltage/low-voltage-boxes/dual-power-media-boxes/dpb-2f Again, I don’t know whether this meets code, but I believe it does so long as the low voltage side is data cables. Equally important, you need to separate the electrical wiring from the data wiring, or you may bet interference. Typically, the electric comes from one direction (i.e., from the ceiling down), and the data from the other direction (i.e., from the floor, up).

dorkofwindsor | 9 years and 2 months ago

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in the same metal box? i am not an electrician but i would bet the farm that the answer is “no way”. you could potentially have thin, live 120v on a thin copper wire… heat buildup, fire behind your walls, ruin your equipment and shock someone to death handling their consumer electronics. But here is a tip: you don’t really need a box for low voltage wiring such as cat5 or 6 (or 7). Preferably keep it away from electrical to avoid interference and the possibility of picking up a stray live that shouldn’t be in your wiring. If you want to be thorough you can use a plastic retrofit box – like the blue plastic ones at big box stores. Personally i don’t use a box for video and wifi etc. Just gang recessed covers or what you showed in the pic.