electrical wiring coming out of plaster

9 years ago

I was in the process of trying to neaten up some bad plaster and baseboard molding work that a contractor did, when I pulled off a piece of molding and there was a red wire coming out of the plaster behind the molding. It goes from the plaster to underneath the floor. The contractor said he was moving some electrical wiring that had previously been encased inside a metal pipe inside a wall that we had taken down, into a column in the middle of the room, and that he was encasing it in a flexible metal sheath. Is it normal for the wires to be outside of a sheath like this at the base of the floor? I assume that the wires are encased in something further up the wall because my voltage detector only goes off along the floor and about an inch up the plaster wall-- it then goes off again near the ceiling. This wiring feeds the outlets to the living room. This seems like a very possible fire hazard, or am I'm just being overly afraid of seeing wires coming out of plaster that I would have shot a brad into when replacing the baseboard, if the plaster hadn't crumbled off and I'd noticed it? I attached a picture of the wire.

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Comments (8)

kudzu9
9 years ago
You're right to be concerned. Since you've determined that the wires seem to be live, that is a dangerous and illegal installation. You should ask your contractor to fix this...and make sure he hasn't done any crazy wiring in other places. If you can't get a satisfactory resolution, get an electrician to evaluate this.
btharmy
9 years ago
Is your handyman doing electrical work? Tell him to stop and hire an electrician. Yes, it will cost more than your handyman but at least your house won't burn down while you are sleeping.
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parczel
Original Author
9 years ago
This wasnt a handyman and was actually the significantly more expensive option who was chosen because it seemed like they were ane stablished company in the community and in the building complexes we are in.. Believe me, we were more than willing to splurge on the electron the electrical work. And actually did. Unfortunately money doesnt always get you what you pay for.
parczel
Original Author
9 years ago
Where you are onto something though, is that the contracting company was recommended by the handyman as a company that des frequent quality work in the building complexes we were new to. Being new, we didnt know other people who actually lived there but obviously they wouldve been better people to get recommendations from. For all i know the guys who did the work gave us their company letterhead, did the job outside of their company, and pocketed the money. But believe me, this wasnt a case of trying to cut corners or save money. Weve been meticulously obsessively enjoying renovating this apartment mostly ourselves but know better than to take on certain tasks ourselves or to try to save money by hiring unqualified people to do dangerous electrical work.
btharmy
9 years ago
Make sure they can provide an electrical license and proof of insurance. Most small time general contractor types are just carpenters who install can lights and receptacles as part of the remodel process. They do not actually sub out the electrical work to real electricians.
countryboymo
9 years ago
Could this be resistance heat in the walls?
countryboymo
9 years ago
Could this be resistance heat in the walls?
kudzu9
9 years ago
If it is, it's not legal.