Speaker Wire Through an Exterior Wall: The Bushing

Quick answer / TL;DR: Speaker wire through an exterior wall takes the bushing the hole's pass is dressed with and the seal the weather's entry is closed at – the sleeve the wire runs through, the caulk or the foam the opening's edges take. The run crosses the wall's layers in order: the sheathing, the insulation, the vapor barrier and the drywall, and the vapor barrier's penetration is the figure the seal restores. The exterior's figures are the bushing, the seal and the barrier's repair, and the run's path is the hole the wall's assembly is closed at.

Running speaker wire through an exterior wall is the run that takes the outside path: the patio's pair, the porch's speakers, the garage's run – the wall the weather, the vapor and the insulation all meet. The exterior wall's figures are the ones the interior wall's does not take: the bushing the hole's pass is dressed with, the seal the weather's entry is closed at, the vapor barrier the run crosses, and the insulation the cavity holds. The run's path is the hole's pass through the wall's layers, and the figures are the ones the exterior's assembly states.

This is the exterior wall's view: the bushing and the sealing the hole needs, the vapor barrier the run crosses, the insulation the cavity holds, and the route the outside run takes between the wall's faces.

The Wall's Layers, and the Run's Crossing

The exterior wall is the assembly of layers, and the run's path crosses them in order. The drywall or the panel is the inside face, the vapor barrier behind it, the insulation the cavity's fill, the sheathing the structure's outer face, and the siding or the cladding the weather's skin. The hole the run takes through the wall's thickness passes every layer, and each layer's figure is one the run's path has to read: the barrier's continuity, the insulation's cavity, the sheathing's pass and the cladding's seal. The wall's assembly is the run's crossing, and the exterior's figures are the layers the path passes rather than the interior's two faces alone.

The table is the wall's layers and the run's reading at each, and the reading is the assembly the hole's pass crosses. The drywall is the face, the barrier is the moisture's figure, the insulation is the cavity's fill, and the sheathing and the cladding are the outer faces the weather meets. The run's crossing is the path through all of them, and the figures the exterior adds are the barrier's continuity and the cladding's seal – the two the interior wall's run does not read.

The Bushing, and the Hole's Pass

The bushing is the hole's pass's figure, and the job is the wire's protection at the wall's thickness. The sleeve the hole takes – the bushing, the short tube of plastic or the grommet the pass is lined with – holds the wire clear of the sheathing's cut edge and the cladding's ragged face, and the pass's diameter is the figure the bushing's size and the wire's bend together state. The bushing is the run's protection at the hole, the figure the wire's jacket reads against the edge the drill's cut leaves, and the sleeve is the pass's finish at the wall's outer face. The hole's pass is the run's crossing, and the bushing is the figure the wire's path is dressed with at the wall's thickness.

The sleeve's ends, and the drip

The sleeve's ends are the pass's figures, and the drip is the exterior's own. The sleeve runs the wall's thickness, and its outer end is the figure the weather's entry is closed at – the slope the water sheds from, the caulk's bead at the cladding's face, and the drip's loop the wire's run takes below the hole before it rises to the speaker. The drip loop is the exterior's figure the interior's run does not take: the water's path down the wire is broken at the loop's bottom, and the hole's seal is the bead the entry's edge is closed at. The sleeve and the drip are the exterior's figures at the hole, and the run's path is the one the weather's entry is dressed against.

The Vapor Barrier, and the Seal

The vapor barrier is the wall's moisture figure, and the run's crossing is the penetration the seal restores. The barrier's sheet is the continuous control the wall's assembly holds – the moisture's path the interior's air and the exterior's temperature make – and the hole's pass through it is the interruption the run's path opens. The seal is the figure that restores the barrier's continuity: the caulk or the tape the penetration's edges take, the sheet's repair the run's crossing is closed with. The barrier's figure is the wall's assembly's, and the run's hole is the penetration the seal's repair is read at – the continuity the sheet's control keeps, and the crossing's sealing is the figure the exterior wall's run restores.

The insulation, and the cavity's compression

The insulation is the cavity's fill, and the figure is the compression the wire's pass makes. The batt the cavity holds is the wall's thermal figure, and the wire's path through it is the compression the run's route leaves – the small figure the wire's thickness takes, and the larger the run's bunching makes. The insulation's figure is the wall's assembly's, and the run's path is the route the compression is kept small at – the wire's line through the fill rather than the bundle the cavity's corner gathers. The cavity's fill and the wire's pass are the exterior wall's figures, and the run's route is the one the fill's figure is kept at through the wall's thickness.

The Outside Run, and the Speaker's End

The outside run is the exterior's figure after the wall, and the speaker's end is the run's destination. The path from the wall's cladding to the patio's or the porch's speaker is the outside's route – the conduit or the clips the wire's dress takes, the sun's and the weather's figures the jacket's material reads – and the speaker's end is the terminal the run's conductors seat at. The outside run's figures are the route's exposure and the jacket's material, and the wall's crossing is the figure the run's path is closed at before the outside's route begins. The run's path is the wall's thickness and the outside's route together, and the speaker's end is the figure the route's destination states.

The jacket, and the weather's figure

The jacket's material is the outside run's figure, and the weather's exposure is the one the run's path reads. The sun's ultraviolet and the temperature's cycle are the figures the exterior's jacket takes, and the inside's run is the one the wall's assembly protects from them. The outside run's jacket is the figure the exposure selects, and the wall's crossing is the point the interior's stock and the exterior's exposure meet. The run's path is the two figures' transition, and the wall's hole is the point the outside's route begins at the seal the exterior's assembly closes.

Speaker wire through an exterior wall is stocked as the CMR in wall line for the interior's stretch and the exterior-rated jacket for the outside's run, the gauge the length holds; the catalog lists the gauge, the rating and the length per roll, and the bushing and the seal are the hole's figures.

Real-World Applications

The patio's pair from the living room's wall: the hole through the assembly's layers, the bushing the pass, the seal the entry, and the drip loop the outside's route begins at. The porch's speakers from the garage: the wall's crossing at the barrier's penetration, the insulation's compression kept small, and the outside's jacket the weather's exposure. The shop's outside pair: the sleeve the wall's thickness, the caulk the cladding's bead, and the run's route the cladding's face is dressed at. In each the exterior wall's run is the hole's pass through the assembly's layers – the bushing, the seal, the barrier's repair and the drip – and the run's path is the one the wall's thickness is closed at before the outside's route begins.

Related reading: The interior route the exterior crossing extends: running speaker wire through wall — running-speaker-wire-through-wall

Related reading: The wall's end the run is dressed at: speaker wire wall jack — speaker-wire-wall-jack

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I run speaker wire through an exterior wall?

Through the wall's assembly's layers: the hole at the bay the studs' spacing holds, the bushing the pass is lined with, the seal the cladding's face and the vapor barrier's penetration take, and the drip loop the outside's route begins at. The run's figures are the sleeve, the seal, the barrier's repair and the drip, and the crossing is the path the wall's thickness is closed at before the outside's route starts.

Do I need a bushing for speaker wire through an exterior wall?

The bushing is the pass's protection – the sleeve that holds the wire clear of the sheathing's cut edge and the cladding's ragged face – and the exterior's hole is the figure the sleeve's protection is read at. The pass's diameter is the bushing's size and the wire's bend together, and the sleeve's ends are the figures the seal and the drip are dressed at. The bushing is the run's figure at the wall's thickness, and the hole without it is the jacket's edge the sheathing's cut leaves.

How do I seal speaker wire where it exits the house?

The seal is the figure the weather's entry is closed at – the caulk's bead at the cladding's face and the foam or the tape the barrier's penetration takes – and the drip is the loop the wire's run makes below the hole before it rises. The two figures are the exterior's: the seal closes the entry, and the drip breaks the water's path down the wire. The hole's edges and the barrier's sheet are the two penetrations the seal restores, and the run's path is the one the exterior's assembly is closed at.

Can I run speaker wire through the wall's insulation?

The cavity's fill is the wall's thermal figure, and the run's path through it is the compression the route leaves – the wire's line through the fill rather than the bundle the corner gathers. The insulation's figure is kept at the run's route, and the exterior's assembly is the one the wire's pass is dressed through. The compression is the figure the run's route reads, and the wire's line through the batt is the path the cavity's fill is kept at.

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