On 2/14/2010 12:38 AM, terry wrote:
On Feb 14, 2:26 am, wrote:
On Feb 13, 11:03 pm, wrote:
On Feb 13, 9:57 pm, wrote:
On Feb 13, 9:54 pm, wrote:
hibb wrote:
I have gutted out a small room upstairs with the purpose of remodeling
it for a home recording studio. The room already had three electric
outlets so tonight I was in the process of replacing them and adding a
couple more. One of the outlet boxes had a newer set of wires and a
very old set of wires attached to it.
I puled the outlet out of it's box and was surprised that it had only
one set of wires hooked to it. I removed the wires expecting to find
that the two wires had been spiced together but no. The old wire was
just a dead end. Just cut off and still attached to the outlet box.
So I sat there and thought about it for a second and wondered if the
old wire was still hot. So I trimmed a bit of insulation off so I
could get the tester on it and sure enough it was.
So tomorrow I get to start switching breakers off to see what else
that wire is hooked to. it disappears behind the wallboard in the next
room that I have junked up with stuff I emptied out of the room I am
working on. It would be nice to have two circuits for the outlets in
that room. One for the computer and other stuff and one for the mixer.
The old wire is just two wires with no ground wire. If I can find out
where it's next junction is maybe I can pull it through and replace it
with new wire.
Wish me luck, I need it.
David
Good example of why anyone who opens up any wiring device should have
one of those pen-style power detectors in their shirt pocket, and get in
the habit of using it every time, even when you 'know' the power is off.
In fussing with old work, you never know what some idiot previous owner
did 20 years ago.
--
aem sends...
Yep, I tend to test thing in every way possible before risking my
hide.
David- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
I've got a 1952 house with countless undocumented improvements, I've
found junction box's with 4 breakers worth of wires running through
it. always use your pen tester
Our house turns 100 this year. A great deal had been updated in the
30+ years we have lived here.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
Another idea, if working alone, is to not only test as recommended but
also plug in a radio tuned to something you can hear from the circuit
breaker panel location. Then, flipping off breakers one can tell if
you have found the one to deaden that circuit. A friend found 'two'
circuit breakers were in contact with the same circuit by doing that!
Flipping off and then each single pole breakers, one at a time, the
circuit remained energized. But he finally found the two that did!
That saved a few trips up and down stairs!
yikes! that takes a special sort of electrician to create a mess like
that. At least whoever did that picked two circuits on the same phase!
nate
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