A can of worms

[indyblue]

Reminds me of some of the wiring in my house. It was that stupid non-grounded cloth wiring, where most of the junctions were strips and splices wrapped in a crap-ton of electrical tape. Tore all that stuff out and replaced it with proper Romex.

I have the same. Been trying to figure out how I can replace it with romex without tearing out my plaster over expanded metal walls. Most of the duplexes run through the bottom wall plate to the basement where I have easy access to wiring. Just can't figure out how I could run wire back through the existing holes and snake new wire 12" up to the duplexes with the existing wire being stapled to the studs. If it's loose enough I might be able to attach new wire to the end of existing wire and pull it back through since romex is thinner than the cloth wire.

 

[ZurokSlayer7X9]

I have the same. Been trying to figure out how I can replace it with romex without tearing out my plaster over expanded metal walls. Most of the duplexes run through the bottom wall plate to the basement where I have easy access to wiring. Just can't figure out how I could run wire back through the existing holes and snake new wire 12" up to the duplexes with the existing wire being stapled to the studs. If it's loose enough I might be able to attach new wire to the end of existing wire and pull it back through since romex is thinner than the cloth wire.

Couldn't help you there. I just bit the bullet and smashed my plaster up since it's currently in remodeling phase. At least for me, they stapled the cloth wiring so tight that even if I was able to pull out the cloth, the Romex wouldn't slide through without nicking the jacket anyways.

 

[Creedmoor]

I have the same. Been trying to figure out how I can replace it with romex without tearing out my plaster over expanded metal walls. Most of the duplexes run through the bottom wall plate to the basement where I have easy access to wiring. Just can't figure out how I could run wire back through the existing holes and snake new wire 12" up to the duplexes with the existing wire being stapled to the studs. If it's loose enough I might be able to attach new wire to the end of existing wire and pull it back through since romex is thinner than the cloth wire.

The last balloon frame I gutted had plaster with wood lath, that had coffered work with curves in the hips?
It also had tube and knob wiring. My dad suggested I snap lines where I could install chair rail and then I cut the walls with a circlular saw and left about a 2" cut and pulled out the plaster and a piece or two of lath. I drilled holes for my wiring with a Hole-Hog and used one of the add a box plastic templets and a drywall router to cut out my needed boxes and then fished my wire. It went back together with with Durabond 90. It worked well.
I hooked a vacuum up to the saw.
I miss you Dad.

Have ypu ever seen a Cable installers drill bit?

 

[littletommy]

I'm thinking GFGT meant to use purple for that comment.

Yeah, that post fooled me too, then I read it again and looked at the picture.

 

[tv1217]

My guess, there used to be something there, like a light or floodlight.
And the power continued through to somewhere else.

The light was removed, but the other room still needed power.

That's just a guess.



See this a lot when I was in the mill and equipment had been upgraded.
New cabinet installed.
Shut the building down.
Wire the new panel up, thru the old panel.
Years later, start to have problems, with the old equipment that for some reason was never removed.
Or removed, but wires spliced like that.

My crane started having electrical issues a couple months back. The crane repair guy opens a junction box in the cab to a rats nest that he has to trace through. Every time wiring went bad they disconnected it somewhere up top and ran a new one through the conduit. He has to run more new but he can't pull the old stuff because it's got asbestos. He wanted to shut the crane down until they could get an abatement crew out to pull all the dead crap but nothing happens fast around here so they zip tied a "temporary" run to the outside of the cab until the abatement company came out LAST WEEK

 

[Pepi]

You could make it illegal even using a junction box lol

 

[Jaybird1980]

I would guess the porch roof is an add on and there was a mercury vapor light mounted there years ago.

I've seen plenty worse.

 

[Old Dog]

All ya have to do is cut a slot in the siding, work the wiring behind the siding, fill slot with putty and paint it. Nobody will know, and it will be weatherproof. Just be sure to wipe down all of your fingerprints, you know... just in case.

 

[actaeon277]

My crane started having electrical issues a couple months back. The crane repair guy opens a junction box in the cab to a rats nest that he has to trace through. Every time wiring went bad they disconnected it somewhere up top and ran a new one through the conduit. He has to run more new but he can't pull the old stuff because it's got asbestos. He wanted to shut the crane down until they could get an abatement crew out to pull all the dead crap but nothing happens fast around here so they zip tied a "temporary" run to the outside of the cab until the abatement company came out LAST WEEK

I refused to do most "temporary" jobs. Because there is nothing more permanent than a temporary job.

 

[Hoosier Carry]

Looks like they stayed at a Holiday Inn

 

[Cameramonkey]

Reminds me of the romex I found buried at the corner of my house. it runs along the back of the foundation, and appears to keep going straight toward the edge of my property line. Toward the neighbor's house. There would be nothing over there to send power to. My mini barn is the opposite direction, and my fence corner is only 4' from where I dug up. Beyond that is an easement swail.

one if these days I need to dig it up again and trace it.

 

[klausm]

Reminds me of the romex I found buried at the corner of my house. it runs along the back of the foundation, and appears to keep going straight toward the edge of my property line. Toward the neighbor's house. There would be nothing over there to send power to. My mini barn is the opposite direction, and my fence corner is only 4' from where I dug up. Beyond that is an easement swail.

one if these days I need to dig it up again and trace it.

maybe they are stealing from the neighbor?

 

[Cameramonkey]

maybe they are stealing from the neighbor?

I dont think it was hot when I found it.

 

[tv1217]

I refused to do most "temporary" jobs. Because there is nothing more permanent than a temporary job.

He didn't want to do it for pretty much that exact reason/didn't want to add to the problem. He probably could have pulled the "stop card" on that one because strapping a cable to a ladder seems pretty damn unsafe, but like most stop card scenarios they would have just got a JUM involved who would have said "Oh its fine, run it"

I wonder why crane repair and electricians in general are so overrepresented in the damn Necronomicon they keep at the union hall?

 

[AndreusMaximus]

I refused to do most "temporary" jobs. Because there is nothing more permanent than a temporary job.

Boy, words of truth right there. I used to work with an engineer at a radio station who would tell me all kinds of stories about the "temporary" jobs he found when he took over, including alligator clips being used in the main audio chain going to the transmitter.