is this a fire hazard?
 

I recently replaced my old low-voltage thermostat with an electronic thermostat. During the process of removing the old thermostat, the common wire, the one that supplies power to the old thermostat, fell into the wall. Right now the only option I think I have to retrieve the wire is to open up another hole in the wall which I wish I could avoid. If I just left the wire in the wall, would it have the potential to spark a fire? The end of the wire hasn't been taped up or anything.

jantonio wrote:
I recently replaced my old low-voltage thermostat with an electronic
thermostat. During the process of removing the old thermostat, the
common wire, the one that supplies power to the old thermostat, fell
into the wall. Right now the only option I think I have to retrieve
the wire is to open up another hole in the wall which I wish I could
avoid. If I just left the wire in the wall, would it have the
potential to spark a fire? The end of the wire hasn't been taped up
or anything.

Likely no need to open up the wall. You still have at least one wire,
right? Try going down to the other end where the wires connect to your
furnace. Record where they are connected and disconnect them. Attach a new
cable to the old wire(s). Use the old wires to pull the new ones. Of
course this will not work if the wires have been stapled inside the wall but
more often than not they are not.

Before even doing that, I would try to capture it from the access you
already have, maybe enlarging the hole slightly as long as the new fixture
will cover it. There are lots of tricks depending on the situation; I like a
hooked stiff wire myself.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

If it is a series 80 system, two wire 24 volt and the wire contacted the
other wire, you'd get a tiny spark, nothing to be concerned about.
"jantonio" wrote in message
...

I recently replaced my old low-voltage thermostat with an electronic
thermostat. During the process of removing the old thermostat, the
common wire, the one that supplies power to the old thermostat, fell
into the wall. Right now the only option I think I have to retrieve the
wire is to open up another hole in the wall which I wish I could avoid.
If I just left the wire in the wall, would it have the potential to
spark a fire? The end of the wire hasn't been taped up or anything.


--
jantonio

Are there just two wires goyng to the thermostat? If there is a cable,
often there are spare wires in the cable. (The electrons don't care
what color the wire is, the colors are there to make it easy to
remember what wire is connected to which terminal.) Use one of them
and connect it at both ends, abamdon the other wire in the wall.
Otherwise use one of the remaining wires to pull a whole new cable up.

Stretch

jantonio wrote:
I recently replaced my old low-voltage thermostat with an electronic
thermostat. During the process of removing the old thermostat, the
common wire, the one that supplies power to the old thermostat, fell
into the wall. Right now the only option I think I have to retrieve the
wire is to open up another hole in the wall which I wish I could avoid.
If I just left the wire in the wall, would it have the potential to
spark a fire? The end of the wire hasn't been taped up or anything.



If I read you correctly and you don't need and are willing to abandon
that wire, then why didn't you just disconnect it at the other end and
fughedid?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

I've had good results pulling a wire down from the living room to the
cellar. Do you pull up from down?

Riddle: What goes up the chimney down, but won't go down the chimney up?

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"stretch" wrote in message
oups.com...
Are there just two wires goyng to the thermostat? If there is a cable,
often there are spare wires in the cable. (The electrons don't care
what color the wire is, the colors are there to make it easy to
remember what wire is connected to which terminal.) Use one of them
and connect it at both ends, abamdon the other wire in the wall.
Otherwise use one of the remaining wires to pull a whole new cable up.

Stretch

Sounded like two individual wires, and both needed for operation of the
device.

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...

If I read you correctly and you don't need and are willing to abandon
that wire, then why didn't you just disconnect it at the other end and
fughedid?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

Umbrella.

RJ

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
I've had good results pulling a wire down from the living room to the
cellar. Do you pull up from down?

Riddle: What goes up the chimney down, but won't go down the chimney up?

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"stretch" wrote in message
oups.com...
Are there just two wires goyng to the thermostat? If there is a cable,
often there are spare wires in the cable. (The electrons don't care
what color the wire is, the colors are there to make it easy to
remember what wire is connected to which terminal.) Use one of them
and connect it at both ends, abamdon the other wire in the wall.
Otherwise use one of the remaining wires to pull a whole new cable up.

Stretch