wire embedded in drywall
#1
10-21-09, 08:28 AM
wire embedded in drywall
Not sure if this is the right forum for my question, but I have to start someplace. I went to install a ceiling fan in the main (upper) floor of a bi-level. As I was cutting out the drywall for the box, I discovered what appears to be insulated 18 gauge steel/ silver stranded wire embedded in the middle of ½ inch sheetrock.
The attic is above and from that perspective, everything looked normal. The wire appears to be spaced about every 2 inches. As I was cutting out the opening, I did nick the insulation (yellow) enough to see the wire inside, but did not cut through the wire.
The owner told me that they have a forced air system as well as a radiant heat system in the floor. Does anyone have any idea what these wires might be for and/or how to verify what they are for? I don’t want to just cut them or try and push them out of the way not knowing why they are there in the first place. The ceiling fan has a funnel like mounting bracket that could fit between the wires, but I hesitate to do even that without knowing what these wires are for.
Thanks,
mousedoc
The attic is above and from that perspective, everything looked normal. The wire appears to be spaced about every 2 inches. As I was cutting out the opening, I did nick the insulation (yellow) enough to see the wire inside, but did not cut through the wire.
The owner told me that they have a forced air system as well as a radiant heat system in the floor. Does anyone have any idea what these wires might be for and/or how to verify what they are for? I don’t want to just cut them or try and push them out of the way not knowing why they are there in the first place. The ceiling fan has a funnel like mounting bracket that could fit between the wires, but I hesitate to do even that without knowing what these wires are for.
Thanks,
mousedoc
#2
10-21-09, 09:30 AM
The owner told me
Are these wires actually embedded in the Sheetrock or laying on top?
#3
10-21-09, 10:39 AM
Thanks for the cautionary statement. To be clear, I'm not doing the actual electrical work, just positioning the boxes, running the pull strings and mounting the fan bracket. A licensed electrician will make the actual connections.
The wires are not laying on top of the sheetrock, they are actually embedded in the center of the ½ drywall.
The wires are not laying on top of the sheetrock, they are actually embedded in the center of the ½ drywall.
#5
10-21-09, 11:36 AM
I was thinking the same thing...maybe the owners THINK that they have radiant FLOOR heat. Do they think the floor heat is electric or hydronic?
A friend back in VA had electric ceiling heat..not sure how it was installed..I always thought it was applied over the sheetrock, then plastered over somehow.
A friend back in VA had electric ceiling heat..not sure how it was installed..I always thought it was applied over the sheetrock, then plastered over somehow.
#6
10-21-09, 12:02 PM
Let the electrician the owner hires do ALL the work. If he screws something up it's on his dime. More importantly being an electrician working in the area if the system is common to your area he may already be familiar with the situation. There is going to need to be a 4" hole for the box with only two inches between the grid it is going to take someone with knowledge of the product to solve the problem.
#7
10-21-09, 12:36 PM
I don’t know for sure if they do have radiant heat in the floor. If they do, it would be electrical and definitely not hydronic. I do know for sure that they have a forced air furnace. Radiant heat was the first thing I thought of except it didn’t make sense to me to put it in the ceiling, especially in this climate. But then again I’ve seen people do a lot of things that don’t make sense to me. I haven’t put a meter on it, so I don’t know what, if any voltage or resistance is there.
#8
10-21-09, 12:42 PM
Ray, I’m sure the owner is contacting an electrician as I write this, but that is no guarantee that the problem will be correctly diagnosed or resolved. I’m the curious type, and just want to know how to correctly identify the situation and determine the proper course of action.
#9
10-21-09, 01:15 PM
Member
Ceiling HEAT
We live in a house built in 1967 which has radiant ceiling heat. The heating wires are sandwiched between two layers of drywall.
#10
10-21-09, 01:24 PM
Originally Posted by mousedoc
Ray, I’m sure the owner is contacting an electrician as I write this, but that is no guarantee that the problem will be correctly diagnosed or resolved. I’m the curious type, and just want to know how to correctly identify the situation and determine the proper course of action.
#11
11-01-09, 05:36 AM
Update: Yes, the wires sandwiched in the sheetrock in the ceiling are for radiant heat. The solution was to place the junction box flush with the drywall in the attic, then make a wooden 1” x 10” cover plate with a 1” hole in the center for the wires, and attach that on the room side. Then attach the ceiling fan hardware to the 1”x 10”.
#13
11-06-09, 06:41 PM
No, the radiant heat was not being used. The visible thermostat was for the forced air system. The thermostat for the radiant heat is separate. It was mounted inside a closet just off the living room and had a piece of tape across its face keeping it at the lowest setting, essentially off.
