Author Topic: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring  (Read 4447 times)
Bamaslamma1003
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Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « on: October 18, 2018, 10:53:48 PM » Author: Bamaslamma1003
While attempting to diagnose a non functioning range hood, I discovered some dangerous wiring powering it. I wiggled the Romex coming out of the wall powering the hood, it came to life. It also turned on and off. At first I thought the connections to the range hood were bad. As it turned out there was a break in the cable about 3 inches back from the end. I felt the cable. It felt unusually soft on one side. Why? Because one of the insulated conductors was missing. For those unfamiliar with US residential wiring practices, Romex aka nonmetallic sheathed cable typically has two insulated current-carrying conductors, black for hot, white for neutral, and a bare conductor for equipment grounding. That brings me to the dangerous wiring I discovered. The black wire was totally missing. The white and bare conductors were there. The black wire from the range hood was attached to the bare conductor and the white was attached to the white wire in the Romex. The “electrician” (and I use that term extremely loosely) who hooked up this range hood actually used the bare conductor as a current-carrying conductor. What amazes me is that this person intentionally did this. I don’t know (and didn’t bother to test) whether the bare was being used as hot or neutral. This easily qualifies as the worst, most Jerry rigged wiring job I’ve ever seen. I could use other terms to describe it; but I want to keep this post G rated.
« Last Edit: October 19, 2018, 08:54:57 PM by Bamaslamma1003 » Logged

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Rommie
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #1 on: October 19, 2018, 02:43:45 PM » Author: Rommie
That's impressive, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite that bad, although this old fuseboard springs to mind, this was in a place I used to work, just after the company moved out of the building:

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Ria (aka Rommie) in Aberdeen
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #2 on: October 20, 2018, 03:26:45 AM » Author: tolivac
the fuse panel shown looks just like is in the German AEG 500Kw transmitter at the plant!The fuses have to be special ordered from Germany.So we try to keep plenty of spares!
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #3 on: October 21, 2018, 04:37:51 AM » Author: Keyless
the fuse panel shown looks just like is in the German AEG 500Kw transmitter at the plant!The fuses have to be special ordered from Germany.So we try to keep plenty of spares!

Are they diazed fuses by chance?
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Rommie
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #4 on: October 21, 2018, 01:26:08 PM » Author: Rommie
Are they diazed fuses by chance?
I don't know, I didn't really look. They do look as though they might be, though.
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #5 on: October 22, 2018, 12:44:28 AM » Author: tolivac
The fuse panel in the transmitter is in the aux battery supply for the preset memories and 4160V breaker trip-close voltages-60VDC.Just sort of remember in the one fuse that blew the indicator in the fuse window changed to a different color.This was several years ago.
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Steele1992
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #6 on: November 09, 2018, 06:17:46 PM » Author: Steele1992
Also there is no grommet in that hole, the vibration from running the fan would rattle the fixture and over time little by little, saw into the decaying sheathing and energize the entire hood. It looks like dot-matrix printing on that cable, so it's at least from the 90's. Before that it was conventional printed ink.
« Last Edit: November 09, 2018, 06:19:31 PM by SeberHusky » Logged

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Bamaslamma1003
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #7 on: November 10, 2018, 01:41:54 PM » Author: Bamaslamma1003
I just disconnected it and capped off the ends. We hardly ever use the stove anyway. It’s a glass top with a cracked top. Eventually I’ll replace it with either a gas range or an electric one with traditional coil type elements. Of course I would prefer gas. The stove is directly across from the furnace, so I could tap into the line feeding the furnace. I’d just have to find a really skinny plumber to crawl in the attic and drop the line into the kitchen. And also rewire that circuit so it’s safe.
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #8 on: November 10, 2018, 04:15:06 PM » Author: Steele1992
I just disconnected it and capped off the ends. We hardly ever use the stove anyway. It’s a glass top with a cracked top. Eventually I’ll replace it with either a gas range or an electric one with traditional coil type elements. Of course I would prefer gas. The stove is directly across from the furnace, so I could tap into the line feeding the furnace. I’d just have to find a really skinny plumber to crawl in the attic and drop the line into the kitchen. And also rewire that circuit so it’s safe.

The only issue with that is that if you want to use the stove while the furnace is running you will be starving it for gas.
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Bamaslamma1003
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #9 on: November 11, 2018, 02:11:54 PM » Author: Bamaslamma1003
Good point. Right now the only gas appliances I have are the furnace and the hot water heater. The hot water heater is 40,000 btu’s. The furnace is probably 75,000. Total btu load of 115,000. I’d have to check with the gas company to see if I have enough spare capacity to add a gas range.
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #10 on: November 11, 2018, 03:03:33 PM » Author: Steele1992
Right. You'd need to check what size the incoming line to the house is from the meter and if it can be done. You can change the gas line to a larger diameter if your service load from the city can handle it, but it's not a job for a DIY.  My house is from 1949/1950 and every item (water heater, furnace, stove) has its own gas line branching off the main line. I don't know the diameter of the line but its all steel pipe, might be an inch or something like that. I painted it with yellow Rustoleum paint to mark it back in 2010 or 2011 because people kept using it as a clothesline. More modern homes use a narrower diameter pipe I do believe, so that's where the issue with the gas supply being choked off arises.
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I collect exit signs, preferably vintage ones.

I also have a little bit of a thing for light bulbs, too. Of course, hoarding them due to the incandescent bulb ban.

(Signature last updated October 27, 2011)

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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #11 on: November 11, 2018, 03:05:42 PM » Author: Rommie
You have to be really careful with gas. I don't know what it's like where you are, but here only registered contractors are allowed to work on gas installations.
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Ria (aka Rommie) in Aberdeen
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Bamaslamma1003
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #12 on: November 12, 2018, 03:17:59 PM » Author: Bamaslamma1003
I would definitely get the gas plumbing to the kitchen done professionally. The idea of a fire or explosion caused by a gas leak is not something I want to have happen. But once the new fuel line to the kitchen is there, hooking up the range is a cakewalk.
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #13 on: November 15, 2018, 09:27:10 PM » Author: ace100w120v
These posts about sketchy wiring and homeowner hack jobs sound like the place I'm about to move into.  It was built in 1941 and added onto/remodeled at least three different times over the decades.  Although it doesn't have anything gas the basement has its fair share of scary wiring and Mr. Handy Homeowner installations.  Arguably the best one so far is power going to the detached garage, an afterthought in 2003.  It's some 12/3 yellow Romex, coming out of a wall in the mud room, stapled to drywall and painted over, running across a wall and down the jamb of a pair of French doors (the ones serving as the front door, mind you) and out under the lesser-used one of the pair, then under what had been a deck (That has been since removed), runs across the dirt, eventually into some PVC pipe, then into the garage, where it is its own set of horror stories in terms of the things it powers. 

There's definitely some Loomex in the house but I don't know if it's live or abandoned.  The place would have flooded in 1967 and was remodeled after, as evidenced by the plywood plank paneling in the stairwells (Rest of the house was superficially redone inside in 2009 to a large extent, but they skipped on many of the underlying things).   I assume everything below about 3' from street level was definitely replaced, but ceiling lights in the original portion may still be fed by Loomex.  Attic was finished into living space but I think that was much later, probably after '67. 

Some of the best things aren't even electrical.   The exterior door in the bathroom and the front door right around the corner from the front door and the original front door glued shut (presumably to stop heat loss) are near the top of the list, but the icing on the cake is the bedroom which, when the house was re-sided in probably the '70s or '80s, had its window simply sided right over.  There's still a window in there, with fiberglass insulation pressed against the glass.  If we put egress windows in the place would count as probably six bedrooms! 
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Re: Discovered Some Dangerous Wiring « Reply #14 on: November 16, 2018, 12:32:35 AM » Author: Steele1992
These posts about sketchy wiring and homeowner hack jobs sound like the place I'm about to move into.  It was built in 1941 and added onto/remodeled at least three different times over the decades.

Make sure you focus on the roof, ceiling, and structure first and foremost before doing anything else there. Additions are the #1 place that a house can leak or collapse at, especially if they were done without a permit and by Bob and Jeff Six-Pack on the weekends. Also if there is structural issues, those will run your bank account dry in the time you can blink. So just start with sealing the house up for leaks and strengthening from collapse and sagging first before doing all the beauty work.  :inc:
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I collect exit signs, preferably vintage ones.

I also have a little bit of a thing for light bulbs, too. Of course, hoarding them due to the incandescent bulb ban.

(Signature last updated October 27, 2011)

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