Interview between host Scott Branscom and Robert Sexton from FlatWire.
SCOTT: As a builder and remodeler always interested in new, innovative ways to do things, tell me a little bit about FlatWire... What you guys do?
ROBERT: Well, FlatWire is based on a pretty simple premise. That premise is once you finish a structure, you have a wiring problem. Meaning, that if I want to change something, going into the wall and rewiring is very difficult, costly, both for the consumer and for the builder. So what we have is a wiring system that's designed to go on the surface of the wall or ceiling with a layer of compound, concealing compound. Sand it, paint it, you don't know it exists. So you don't have to enter the wall whatsoever. This shows some of the range of the products, and there's three main categories. And the first one is called a coplane or wire. And this we use for our low-voltage systems, our loudspeakers... You use a transformer. You can go up to three sconces, and put lighting anywhere you choose. The FlatWire goes on the surface, and it's also designed to do right-angle bends or bend to go any direction you need to go. So, it's very flexible, very easy to put lighting where you choose. We have an adhesive. So, you spray the adhesive on, put the FlatWire down, mud it... Lightweight joint compound, concealing compound, whatever you want to use. Now this is also nice since it's a low-voltage system. Uses a twenty-watt halogen instead of an incandescent. So you use a third-less energy. And one of the other interesting things is when you do rewiring, you have to destroy, which means we're putting drywall in landfills, and we're destroying. With FlatWire, it's all on the surface.
SCOTT: So we have some green aspects of FlatWire also. Cause you've... The drywall always takes up tons of space in the dumpsters and stuff like that. Uh, and the other thing I like about this cause, I guess you were telling me, it's low-voltage. I don't have to worry about somebody digging into this later and getting shocked.
ROBERT: But we also at Southwire--and you know Southwire's the largest manufacturer of wiring in North America, the makers of Romex. We also, just this year, we have one-twenty-volt, fifteen amp FlatWire approved in the Two-Thousand-Eight national electric code. Which means you're also on the surface, just with mud and paint between you, so we not only had to create a safe FlatWire system we created the safest FlatWire system. And we actually as a demo, drive nails through live fifteen-amp wires to prove safety. And if you've ever driven... touched a hot neutral together, you know what happens. The reason is it's safe is this looks like one wide conductor. It's actually a sandwich of five layers. So we have the browns on the outside, two neutrals as the next two layers, and the hot's in the middle, which means that if I ever drive a nail through it, I hit brown first, neutral second, and by the time I hit the hot, I have the perfect short, and I'll trip a breaker every time. It's literally the safest wiring system ever done. Now along with that, we had to create some very high-tech wires. We know that devices are moving to the surface. Flatpanel TVs... lighting... Surround sound. So we bag data. So we actually have created a line of flatcat six data, flat coax, flat HDMI... So literally, if there's a conventional wire, we're going to do a FlatWire variant. Now the other piece for builders is that one of the problems builders have is if you want to install this as you're building, and you're wrong or the consumer wants to change where it is, how do you do that? Do you pay the cost of it or does the homeowner? So, with FlatWire, you can actually get to the point of final punch-out before you do final paint and walk the homeowner through and, where would you like lighting? Where would you like a flat panel? So, it's a great way to really add value to the home at the point of not having to open the wall.
From a professional-installer's standpoint, if I can do something in twenty minutes that took me two weeks to finish up, that's a big difference. We think it's going to be a big... big solver for the professional builder.
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