dnoel Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Hello All, New to the forum - pleased to be here. I would like to share this photo from my house. This is three #10 wire being spliced to three + ground #10 wire. What makes this situation amusing is that it was completely encased in the ceiling behind drywall and literally 3 feet away from a metal junction box (sans cover) which was also encased in the ceiling. So this run is spliced twice and both splices wrong. [:-sour] Click to Enlarge 46 KB Click to Enlarge 32.49 KB[:-wiltel] Obviously, there's more things wrong.... can you see them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Hi, I guess I'll be the first to comment; I've tried but I can't see any spliced #10 wiring there anywhere; the wiring in that lower photo looks like it's larger than #10. Where is it - could you label the photo for electrically-challenged folks like me that can't figure it out? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Moore Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 I like the staples into the heating duct. Can't say I've seen that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnoel Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Hi, I guess I'll be the first to comment; I've tried but I can't see any spliced #10 wiring there anywhere; the wiring in that lower photo looks like it's larger than #10. Where is it - could you label the photo for electrically-challenged folks like me that can't figure it out? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Aha! Good catch - yes, indeed, it is #8 stove wire. I pulled down the ceiling and found these gems. There is two stove wires tight up against a heating pipe and stapled to the heating duct and supported by bent nails. Because of the duct and other wire, there was a magnetic field being created making three different makes of voltage detectors go nuts anywhere within 5 feet of this alcove. Anyone ever see that before? ---- Apparently, our previous owners were very industrious and very drunk and hid all the problems in the house before the sale (which was still a decent price to our market). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I like the staples into the heating duct. Can't say I've seen that before. That's panned joist - a duct made by applying sheet metal across the bottoms of two adjacent joists. The staples are going into the wood on the side and through the metal and into the wood on the bottom. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I must be getting jaded. I see stuff like that one or two times a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnoel Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I like the staples into the heating duct. Can't say I've seen that before. That's panned joist - a duct made by applying sheet metal across the bottoms of two adjacent joists. The staples are going into the wood on the side and through the metal and into the wood on the bottom. - Jim Katen, Oregon Somehow though, that entire panel seemed electrified. If you brought the voltage sensor anywhere along it.... BEEEP!!!! [:-bigeyes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Moore Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I like the staples into the heating duct. Can't say I've seen that before. That's panned joist - a duct made by applying sheet metal across the bottoms of two adjacent joists. The staples are going into the wood on the side and through the metal and into the wood on the bottom. - Jim Katen, Oregon Doh!!! Thanks Jim. Time to get my eyes checked again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I like the staples into the heating duct. Can't say I've seen that before. That's panned joist - a duct made by applying sheet metal across the bottoms of two adjacent joists. The staples are going into the wood on the side and through the metal and into the wood on the bottom. - Jim Katen, Oregon Somehow though, that entire panel seemed electrified. If you brought the voltage sensor anywhere along it.... BEEEP!!!! [:-bigeyes If you're talking about those non-contact volt sticks, it might not have been telling you that the entire panel was electrified. Those testers aren't really voltage detectors, they're electric field detectors. The ungrounded circuit was probably inducing a field in the nearby metal. It's very common. On the other hand, maybe it was all electrified. The only way to know for sure (safely) is to use a real tester on it. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnoel Posted June 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 I like the staples into the heating duct. Can't say I've seen that before. That's panned joist - a duct made by applying sheet metal across the bottoms of two adjacent joists. The staples are going into the wood on the side and through the metal and into the wood on the bottom. - Jim Katen, Oregon Somehow though, that entire panel seemed electrified. If you brought the voltage sensor anywhere along it.... BEEEP!!!! [:-bigeyes If you're talking about those non-contact volt sticks, it might not have been telling you that the entire panel was electrified. Those testers aren't really voltage detectors, they're electric field detectors. The ungrounded circuit was probably inducing a field in the nearby metal. It's very common. On the other hand, maybe it was all electrified. The only way to know for sure (safely) is to use a real tester on it. - Jim Katen, Oregon Oh yes, 3 different voltage/electric field sticks. Mind you, with an electric field 5 feet away from the actual circuit you get an idea that something is not quite right in bubbatown. It seems like we have the whole houses amperage coming through that hole behind a heating pipe, stapled to a metal duct - ungrounded going from 3 to 4 wire, beside a septic line that was duct taped at the vent, spliced twice, held up by bent nails, spliced without a box, spliced in a box without a cover and all hidden behind drywall. The same owner also his oven hood wired with the hot energizing the ground. Had 40 amps #10/3 (yes - 10# going to a light socket (with a 13w bulb in it), an outdoor light that didnt match the box so he just screwed it onto the soffit, #10 wire going to a single outlet in the kitchen -(not on the counter - but not necessarily unreasonable)- also 40 amp - buried junction boxes and a bunch of other crazy stuff. Needless to say, I have to rewire my house when I can afford to. I've done my best to get it all closer to code. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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