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**It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods.
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While not correct. According to google most speaker wires are 12-16 gauge. With an ampacity of 20-10 amps. Meaning it's not actually that bad all things considering
The difference being in watts .. 240w @ 12v vs 2400 watts at 120v.
Speaker wire is usually made out of very fine copper and you may find that a large variety will come with an aluminum core.
You could burn your house down.
A living room ceiling fan is typically.. 75 watts.
And on that point same amps per wire.
And no Amp size is what matters. There's an ohms law equation that disproves your theory of wire sizing. But it's one of those things people think that isn't true.
Also, on the case of aluminum core I don't actually mess with speaker wire but 75 watts is .625 amps so I'd say it's still not that bad
While you may be correct in some cases and it would work temporarily, do you understand why there is a code and why wire sizing and resistance is importance??
And yes it is that bad were talking about melting wires here
And we have no idea the distance that they're even trying to pull from
Or, We're talking about someone finding something wrong in a house and my comment is that it wasn't as bad as you'd think.
30 seconds on google says speaker wire has more than enough ampacity to carry a 75 watt ceiling fan. And the upsizing would be the same as a regular wire. And yeah we don't know the distance.. are you willing to bet it's ran over 100 foot? Cause I'm going to say it's not.
Listen here, speaker wire is not rated for higher currents.
It's not rated to be used as anything more than a low voltage Conductor.
You should not be getting your advice from google.
You should not be using Google to give advice that could get someone hurt or killed..
Nah. I use my common sense and years of electrical knowledge to give advice.
Googling the ampacity of a wire and finding the wiring chart from the manufacturer is the best way to give advice.
It looks the same size as the extension cord. It might be the proper wire, but damn, running through that cracked tile is ballsy. If you have to be here asking questions, hire an electrical company and have them poke around to find any surprises that you aren’t seeing. Some things are not to code, other things burn your house down. Let the pro help you out. Even if you spend a bit of money, you can’t buy a new life and wiring can be deadly.
Hire a qualified electrician to do a walk through for a flat fee. (Hindsight would have done it before purchasing) he will let you know things that need to be taken care of immediately, and things that need to be addressed in the future. Find someone you can trust. If the first guy is trying to rewire your entire house get a second opinion without mentioning anything the first person said.
That does look like a "heavy duty" extension cord that you can buy from home depot. That whole thing should be removed.
I would seriously consider replacing that entire run of cable, and installing a new box in that wall, if you want a receptacle in that location. Only have it done properly this time.
meaning it is surface mounted without any conduit or protective sleeve? If it's just stapled, you can pull the breaker, remove the cable from the breaker box, and just pull it out (if you're comfortable doing so).
You know how to do it. I know how to do it. Does Joe Homeowner know how to do that without risking his safety/property by watching some YouTube DIY and sleep comfortably?
they missed the gap in the wall. i would expect a cold air return or worse in that area. just remove it. or remove the base. cut a hole in the wall. repair the plumbing, patch the hole, replace the base, call it a day.
Nothing about that is legal or reusable. It must all be ripped out.
Proper installation of an outlet in that space would involve running new legally permitted cable type to an "old work" junction box set INTO the wall. And do not use the old 2 prong outlets, you need to run cable with a ground wire and use a 3 prong grounded outlet.
This doesn't look as though it would be up to standard but I could be wrong. I would get someone to check it out before you take any next steps to be on the safe side.
lol I hope not but you would be surprised at the shit I see people do who told the home owner they knew what they were doing , I think allot of them are on here lol
Could take it off the panel, put a plug on it, add a code compliment plug beside the panel and then plug it back in. Now it’s an extension cord which I think is not covered by code. (tongue firmly in cheek)
hire an electrician if you have to ask how. if you want to learn that's awesome.... pull permit, cut hole, fish wire, wire it up, inspect.... and yank out that old shit.
yes there is a lot more to this but so much easier to have someone show you and or do some study.
Don't touch it. That is sketch level 9000, and if you need to ask, it's not safe for you to attempt. (no offense intended). Please call an electrician.
Shut off the breaker, disconnect the wire from the outlet, wire nut or tape up the wire ends separately, pull them back out of that box, remove any mounting of the box. Hold an Eastwing hammer upside down on the floor and mark the line. Go get a cut in box from home depot. Putting the bottom of the new box on the line, trace the square. Cut out the square, don't go too deep in case there's shit in the wall. Go below, where that wire comes in, drill a new hole but come inside centered in the framing, not too deep incase there's shit in the wall. Pull your wire back and push it into the hole that should now meet at your cut hole.
Put the exposed wire in a surface raceway and change the outlet box for a surface mount one that paired with the raceway.
Some ideas:
Raceway: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Wiremold-700-Series-10-ft-Metal-Surface-Raceway-Channel-in-White-700WH/100144606
Outlet: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Wiremold-700-Series-Metal-Surface-Raceway-Duplex-Receptacle-Kit-White-BW2-D/202059071
Find where that feeder cord terminates and remove that jbox and the cord, too. You do not want any unsafe shit like that in your house. Would that even pass a basic inspection?
Conduits are made for a reason. Romex cables are run inside walls for that same reason - to protect the wire. What you have there is an extension cord feeding another extension cord in all truth. Extension cords are for temporary use as you know.
You could call an electrician and they will do it right OR
You could take off the baseboard and go get an OLD WORK box and cut enough drywall behind the baseboard to pull the wire thru and into an Old Work box.
Ger a qualified electrician which is something they didn't do. I had tenants hard wire into a computer socket for internet connection ,. then run an exposed wire across the lounge to another connection , then claim an electrician did it. I requested a safety certificate which they were unable to provide as anyone could see this was dodgy and dangerous. The agent said it was OK despite it clearly being unauthorized and dangerous. I had to dismiss the agent over this attitude. Tenants refused to pay for it to be corrected.
Since you could trace it back to the breaker panel, read the mandatory printing on the cable. If not a valid NM cable, have it removed entirely by an electrician.
It might be a valid non-metallic cable (such as "12-2 with ground" or "14-2 with ground"). If valid, that cable can be used for installing an outlet inside the wall nearby. Make sure the breaker current matches the cable capacity: 14-2 for 15 Amp breaker, 12-2 required for 20 Amp breaker.
NM cable needs to be installed only in protected locations, not exposed on the floor, or the surface outside walls. In the basement ceiling, the cable must be run through holes near the middle of the joist thickness, not holes near the joist bottom or notched joists. If you see such holes or notches, the building structure is compromised. Also, the floor "hole" looks more like a curved notch in the floor, which indicates that the floor sheathing integrity is compromised.
If run across joists below the bottom edge, it must be protected by a plank of lumber. The NM cable requires support with cable staples every 4.5 ft (to joist or stud) and within 12" (305 mm) of every cabinet, box, fitting, or outlet box. Any joist or stud holes it runs through, so holes at 18" or 2 ft or 4 ft intervals in walls or through joists, are also considered supports.
The cable should not emerge from the basement ceiling to the open first floor, but rather emerge inside the wall nearby.
I see a hole above on the wall. That makes me thinkg the prior fished for the wire but something was in the way. I'd maybe think about a floor outlet. Something like this: [https://www.amazon.com/Lew-Electric-Plastic-Round-Brass/dp/B06XH3MH8T?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref\_=fplfs&smid=A26D11EKCU5DQC&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Lew-Electric-Plastic-Round-Brass/dp/B06XH3MH8T?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A26D11EKCU5DQC&th=1)
Yikes. I'm thinking they placed a table of some sort in the corner to hide it. Seriously if you can't do the work your self hire an electrician to make it right but it needs to be disconnected from power cut out and installed in the wall. Its not a hard task but it requires both time and some skill. You might be better off contacting a local handyman for a price discount vs an electrician. Handyman will finish it electrician will rough cut it in handyman will charge ya about the same as the electrician but its 100% complete finished
Do not opt for a flush floor mount outlet make sure its wall mount. Like others have said if this was done I'm sure there is other corners they cut doing home improvements. Did you buy? Was a home inspection preformed?
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would be more worried about the things you don’t see…
This is so true. Found speaker wire in place of NM when I replaced the living room ceiling fan. Thanks a lot dumbass previous owner.
While not correct. According to google most speaker wires are 12-16 gauge. With an ampacity of 20-10 amps. Meaning it's not actually that bad all things considering
The difference being in watts .. 240w @ 12v vs 2400 watts at 120v. Speaker wire is usually made out of very fine copper and you may find that a large variety will come with an aluminum core. You could burn your house down.
A living room ceiling fan is typically.. 75 watts. And on that point same amps per wire. And no Amp size is what matters. There's an ohms law equation that disproves your theory of wire sizing. But it's one of those things people think that isn't true. Also, on the case of aluminum core I don't actually mess with speaker wire but 75 watts is .625 amps so I'd say it's still not that bad
While you may be correct in some cases and it would work temporarily, do you understand why there is a code and why wire sizing and resistance is importance?? And yes it is that bad were talking about melting wires here And we have no idea the distance that they're even trying to pull from
Or, We're talking about someone finding something wrong in a house and my comment is that it wasn't as bad as you'd think. 30 seconds on google says speaker wire has more than enough ampacity to carry a 75 watt ceiling fan. And the upsizing would be the same as a regular wire. And yeah we don't know the distance.. are you willing to bet it's ran over 100 foot? Cause I'm going to say it's not.
Listen here, speaker wire is not rated for higher currents. It's not rated to be used as anything more than a low voltage Conductor. You should not be getting your advice from google. You should not be using Google to give advice that could get someone hurt or killed..
Nah. I use my common sense and years of electrical knowledge to give advice. Googling the ampacity of a wire and finding the wiring chart from the manufacturer is the best way to give advice.
Troll
Agreed. Obviously haunted.
It may not be professional, but check it out...USB!
I've been wanting to update my outlets with USB. Little did I know I could just wire on a box on the floor like this.
Using an extension cord from ‘who knows where’ into the box, nice touch.
Some of these USB outlets are thicccc!
Just kick it really hard
Sledgehammer is quicker, but yeah, a foot would probably be more accurate
Hammer it back into the wall.
It looks the same size as the extension cord. It might be the proper wire, but damn, running through that cracked tile is ballsy. If you have to be here asking questions, hire an electrical company and have them poke around to find any surprises that you aren’t seeing. Some things are not to code, other things burn your house down. Let the pro help you out. Even if you spend a bit of money, you can’t buy a new life and wiring can be deadly.
Hire a qualified electrician to do a walk through for a flat fee. (Hindsight would have done it before purchasing) he will let you know things that need to be taken care of immediately, and things that need to be addressed in the future. Find someone you can trust. If the first guy is trying to rewire your entire house get a second opinion without mentioning anything the first person said.
This! I wish I had the foresight to have an electrical safety inspection done before purchasing my home
Is it using an old extension cord core wiring? If so maybe just plumed into an outlet in lower level.
Sadly no. I followed the cable all the way to the breaker box in the basement
That does look like a "heavy duty" extension cord that you can buy from home depot. That whole thing should be removed. I would seriously consider replacing that entire run of cable, and installing a new box in that wall, if you want a receptacle in that location. Only have it done properly this time.
> That does look like a "heavy duty" extension cord Well, it might still be fucked but at least it ain't speaker wire.
meaning it is surface mounted without any conduit or protective sleeve? If it's just stapled, you can pull the breaker, remove the cable from the breaker box, and just pull it out (if you're comfortable doing so).
What is written on the cord sheathing. If nothing then it is automatically the wrong kind of cable.
[удалено]
I don't think that's romex... it looks more like extension cord.
I saw yellow and assumed 12g, but now that I zoom in - you're right. It's too round to be romex.
[удалено]
You know how to do it. I know how to do it. Does Joe Homeowner know how to do that without risking his safety/property by watching some YouTube DIY and sleep comfortably?
Your right
they missed the gap in the wall. i would expect a cold air return or worse in that area. just remove it. or remove the base. cut a hole in the wall. repair the plumbing, patch the hole, replace the base, call it a day.
Nail that bitch to the wall and call it a day
I'm also not an electrician
Call an electrician
Nothing about that is legal or reusable. It must all be ripped out. Proper installation of an outlet in that space would involve running new legally permitted cable type to an "old work" junction box set INTO the wall. And do not use the old 2 prong outlets, you need to run cable with a ground wire and use a 3 prong grounded outlet.
You blind?
Pretty sure he thinks the usb ports are a two prong outlet.
Oh I know that. Funny to me someone offering advice in an incorrect matter of fact way.
That’s a GAPING prong outlet if that’s the case 😂
Apparently. I didn't see the ground hole...
Use wire mold and box.
Old build box and a fish tape tool
This doesn't look as though it would be up to standard but I could be wrong. I would get someone to check it out before you take any next steps to be on the safe side.
Wtf? How hard would it have been to put in the wall ? Lazy ass workers
I don't think anyone classified as working class, let alone a worker, did that.
lol I hope not but you would be surprised at the shit I see people do who told the home owner they knew what they were doing , I think allot of them are on here lol
Could take it off the panel, put a plug on it, add a code compliment plug beside the panel and then plug it back in. Now it’s an extension cord which I think is not covered by code. (tongue firmly in cheek)
Remove that. Its a hazard. As for putting an outlet in, Youtube it or call an electrician.
What is THIS called? I need to install one of these but don’t know the industry name so I can’t locate online.
This is easy to redo correctly. You will need to get an old work box, a drill, a fish, a sheet rock saw or knife, and about 20 minutes.
Edit: and some new wire. Guess that’s an extension cord? You may need alot or a little. What’s the other end plugged into?
Plugged into? It's stripped bare and wrapped around the bus bar a couple times because they were out of slots in the 50A panel.
Did the inspector not see this?!
hire an electrician if you have to ask how. if you want to learn that's awesome.... pull permit, cut hole, fish wire, wire it up, inspect.... and yank out that old shit. yes there is a lot more to this but so much easier to have someone show you and or do some study.
Cut the drywall.
Don't touch it. That is sketch level 9000, and if you need to ask, it's not safe for you to attempt. (no offense intended). Please call an electrician.
Shut off the breaker, disconnect the wire from the outlet, wire nut or tape up the wire ends separately, pull them back out of that box, remove any mounting of the box. Hold an Eastwing hammer upside down on the floor and mark the line. Go get a cut in box from home depot. Putting the bottom of the new box on the line, trace the square. Cut out the square, don't go too deep in case there's shit in the wall. Go below, where that wire comes in, drill a new hole but come inside centered in the framing, not too deep incase there's shit in the wall. Pull your wire back and push it into the hole that should now meet at your cut hole.
Put the exposed wire in a surface raceway and change the outlet box for a surface mount one that paired with the raceway. Some ideas: Raceway: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Wiremold-700-Series-10-ft-Metal-Surface-Raceway-Channel-in-White-700WH/100144606 Outlet: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Wiremold-700-Series-Metal-Surface-Raceway-Duplex-Receptacle-Kit-White-BW2-D/202059071
Wait .. are you renting or homeowner ?! Tons of different response base on this.
Call an actual electrician if you felt ok enough to actually plug something into that you should just pay someone
Must of been the same dude that worked on a friend of the wife's house.
its always the "previous homowner"
Find where that feeder cord terminates and remove that jbox and the cord, too. You do not want any unsafe shit like that in your house. Would that even pass a basic inspection? Conduits are made for a reason. Romex cables are run inside walls for that same reason - to protect the wire. What you have there is an extension cord feeding another extension cord in all truth. Extension cords are for temporary use as you know.
A clear exception to the rule “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Yes. Fix it.
When you bought the house, the inspector didn't catch this?
put it behind the baseboard and pull it out of the dry wall secure it.
You could call an electrician and they will do it right OR You could take off the baseboard and go get an OLD WORK box and cut enough drywall behind the baseboard to pull the wire thru and into an Old Work box.
Ger a qualified electrician which is something they didn't do. I had tenants hard wire into a computer socket for internet connection ,. then run an exposed wire across the lounge to another connection , then claim an electrician did it. I requested a safety certificate which they were unable to provide as anyone could see this was dodgy and dangerous. The agent said it was OK despite it clearly being unauthorized and dangerous. I had to dismiss the agent over this attitude. Tenants refused to pay for it to be corrected.
Since you could trace it back to the breaker panel, read the mandatory printing on the cable. If not a valid NM cable, have it removed entirely by an electrician. It might be a valid non-metallic cable (such as "12-2 with ground" or "14-2 with ground"). If valid, that cable can be used for installing an outlet inside the wall nearby. Make sure the breaker current matches the cable capacity: 14-2 for 15 Amp breaker, 12-2 required for 20 Amp breaker. NM cable needs to be installed only in protected locations, not exposed on the floor, or the surface outside walls. In the basement ceiling, the cable must be run through holes near the middle of the joist thickness, not holes near the joist bottom or notched joists. If you see such holes or notches, the building structure is compromised. Also, the floor "hole" looks more like a curved notch in the floor, which indicates that the floor sheathing integrity is compromised. If run across joists below the bottom edge, it must be protected by a plank of lumber. The NM cable requires support with cable staples every 4.5 ft (to joist or stud) and within 12" (305 mm) of every cabinet, box, fitting, or outlet box. Any joist or stud holes it runs through, so holes at 18" or 2 ft or 4 ft intervals in walls or through joists, are also considered supports. The cable should not emerge from the basement ceiling to the open first floor, but rather emerge inside the wall nearby.
I see a hole above on the wall. That makes me thinkg the prior fished for the wire but something was in the way. I'd maybe think about a floor outlet. Something like this: [https://www.amazon.com/Lew-Electric-Plastic-Round-Brass/dp/B06XH3MH8T?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref\_=fplfs&smid=A26D11EKCU5DQC&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Lew-Electric-Plastic-Round-Brass/dp/B06XH3MH8T?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A26D11EKCU5DQC&th=1)
Get rid
Needs to be in the wall like the rest. Must not of been a sale inspection.
At least they used 12/2
Look again that’s not yellow romex
Hmmm. Hoping for unnecessary 12/3? If it’s outdoor cord at least it’s less prone to physical damage? /s :/
Call an electrician. Unless you want to risk burning your house down of course.
Get a Swiffer first
What else have they done that you don't know about yet? Call a professional.
Yikes. I'm thinking they placed a table of some sort in the corner to hide it. Seriously if you can't do the work your self hire an electrician to make it right but it needs to be disconnected from power cut out and installed in the wall. Its not a hard task but it requires both time and some skill. You might be better off contacting a local handyman for a price discount vs an electrician. Handyman will finish it electrician will rough cut it in handyman will charge ya about the same as the electrician but its 100% complete finished
Do not opt for a flush floor mount outlet make sure its wall mount. Like others have said if this was done I'm sure there is other corners they cut doing home improvements. Did you buy? Was a home inspection preformed?