We have a wall in between our garage nad our living room. We have vaulted ceilings in the living room, and an attic above the garage. We were told that the wall between the garge and the l.r. was not a load bearing wall, but a fire wall.

We are now interested in framing in part of the wall between the garage and the lr to sink our components, then we will be mounting a flat screen on the wall. We were told that we could do this, but that we could njot have an open cabinet in the back (in the garage) to access the back end of the components due to this wall being a "fire wall"

this seems silly to me, that we would open the wall, frame it in, install the components, but then have to close in the back and never have access to the rear of the components.

Is this correct information that we are getting?

 

I won't comment as to whether this a load bearing wall or not.

But it is certainly a fire wall. No, you cannot have an open cabinet on the garage side to allow access to the components. The garage side of that wall has be be sheetrocked with 5/8" (Type X) 'rock and the joints have to be taped, from the floor to the bottom of the roof sheathing (unless the garage has a 5/8" 'rock ceiling in it). NO OPENINGS are allowed in that wall. All electrical boxes have to be metal as well.

 

So....
There is a recessed space in the garage on the other side of the wall in question. We were going to extend the wall into this space about a foot or so. There is a closet on the right hand side of the wall on the inside of the house.
Would it be feasible to say that we could extend the wall, tape it up and leave no openings in the garage side of it, but then leave some sort of crawlspace in between to access the back of the components?

 

I don't see a problem with leaving a 2ft. to 3ft. wide "crawlspace" behind the components so that you have access to them. You're thinking of going thrugh the wall of the closet to access that "crawlspace", I take it.

As long as the garage side of the wall is sheetrocked like I described, you're fine.

 

Now one last thing.
I know that the wiring has to be different than ordinary component wiring. We already have arranged to purchase that, but do we need to run the cables and wiring through anything?
I have heard people use pvc pipe and things like that.

 

Why would the wiring have to be different?

I can see where using wire clamps, or short sections of PVC pipe, or wire ties, or some similar system to keep the wires neat and orderly, as well as somewhat protected would certainly be a big plus. You probably won't have a lot of manuverering room in the crawl space, and keeping the wiring organized and as out-of-the-way as possible will certainly help that.

But just being backed up to a firewall won't require any different type of wiring to be used between the components, if that's what you are asking.

 

Thank you so much!

 

You should ask your local inspector's if a self closing fire rated access pannel could be used.