I removed a lot of old ugly painted paneling and old insulation. Now I plan to install:
+ new insulation
+ OSB board
+ drywall
However, I saw all these pipes and distances that are not uniform anywhere. The problem is that the pipes go through the studs - both vertical and horizontal. What does it usually look like?
What would you have done? Should I just put in new insulation and measure where the studs are and screw up the OSB so that I can then screw the drywall into the OSB?
In that case, this is the hallway, so maybe it's not so strange that there are many pipes, but it's not pretty anyway.
Completely normal. Just let it be as it is. It might be worth remembering where the pipes go through the studs when you screw the OSB boards, so you avoid screws into the pipes.
Several of the VP pipes/flexible conduits are very poorly installed, some cannot be re-threaded.
The installation is not professionally executed, in other words, there is a high risk that it is DIY. An electrician never uses electrical tape to secure pipes to each other. Sharp 90° bends are never done by an electrician unless absolutely necessary, other routes are sought instead. A sharp 180° bend with a flexible conduit to connect two boxes that are built together is never done by an electrician. Sharp S-bends on a flexible conduit are never done by an electrician.
Several of the VP pipes/flexible conduits are very poorly installed, some cannot be re-threaded.
The installation is not professionally executed, in other words, there is a high risk that it's DIY work. An electrician never uses electrical tape to fix pipes to each other. An electrician never makes sharp 90° bends unless absolutely necessary, they try to find other routes instead. An electrician never makes a 180° sharp bend with a flexible conduit to connect two junction boxes that are built together. An electrician never makes sharp S-bends on a flexible conduit.
Yes, you can have that opinion all you want.
But you don't seem to have much experience with what "real" electricians can come up with.
I have even worked under an ABL-certified supervisor who didn't do the job any neater than that, to the point that I was even embarrassed by what my boss left behind when we worked together. :eek:
However, I never saw him use electrical tape on any VP pipe joints. There were, of course, connectors everywhere. But I'm quite sure that the tape would have been used if the connectors ran out with only one joint left to make.
(Myself, I could stretch it to make a connector from a piece of 20mm flexible conduit taped in place if it really, really pinches. )
If someone thinks it's completely normal, I really wonder what you need an electrician for. Redo it, make it nice, do it right. Many of the wires and pipes can surely be reused.
I agree that it doesn't look good and sharp bends etc. are things you wouldn't even do yourself... But the question is what/if I can do something now? I've been considering whether to replace the electrical wiring in the house. Maybe that could be an idea now that the walls are open here... even if it's an unplanned expense.
A concrete tip in the thread is to leave it as is, but to keep track of where the pipes are so that you don't screw into them. Is there really any other option unless you plan to redo everything?
Thomas:
Should I interpret you as saying I should leave it open, bring in an electrician to make it right (reroute pipes? and new studs?), and then close the walls?
What is the risk of leaving it as it is and just closing it up, if I may ask? I suspect there's more to it than just wanting it to be correct.
The risk is that it's the same in all the walls of the house...
Does anyone have pictures of what it "looks like when done right"?
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Thomas_Blekinge said:
If someone thinks it's completely normal, I really wonder what you need an electrician for.
Redo, make it neat, do it right. Many of the wires and pipes can surely be reused.
It kind of looks like crap, but at the same time, it's not worse than I wouldn't bother redoing it myself. Possibly fix some overly tight bends to avoid future problems when the wall is nailed shut.
Both the carpentry work and the electrical work are, by the way, of "the same high standard"
So if I were to start redoing one, the question is whether both should be addressed while I'm at it.
First and foremost, ask yourself if you should take the opportunity to move outlets and switches, etc., or add more, or ceiling fixtures, or a new circuit group, etc., etc., while you have the wall open.
If the answer to this question is yes, then it might be time to tear everything down and redo it.
My daughter lives in an area with several hundred identical houses built in the early 70s, square boxes with inner courtyards and flat roofs. The pictures could be from such a house, you scratch your head and wonder who the heck built the houses when you tear down the walls.
You might not need to reframe. I've taken out all the pipes and boxes and planned for a new electrical installation. Today, you might have more outlets and switches, maybe at different heights. And I heard you should have network pipes. You can drill neat holes through the frames for new piping. Some of the pipes and wires might be reusable. The additional costs are low compared to a later upgrade.
And I wouldn't hire an electrician. Sorry, but if you want something done right, do it yourself.
Nothing particularly strange about that, it looks ugly, but aside from a few details, there's nothing to consider redoing.
There are some strange "U bends" it seems like near the narrow door in the last picture, visible in one of the other pictures as well. IF they really are loops, one might consider tidying up there. It's not a dangerous or functional issue. But it will be difficult/impossible to replace wires in the conduit if there's a need to.
Then there are some bends that seem to be a bit on the sharp side, which also makes it difficult to replace wires in the future.
In terms of age, modern wires will surely last for at least 50 years. So there's no big reason to worry about future wire replacement. Today's insulation type came about in the 1950s. Wires installed in 1955 often look like new even today. So these wires in the conduits probably don't need replacing within this century for age reasons.
Is the electrical tape really there for splicing? It rather seems like it's meant to stabilize the pipes where they cross each other.
However, the fact that the pipes go completely unpredictably in the walls is horrible��. You should be able to guess where the electricity is installed. Someone has clearly wanted to save a few bucks on bends and pipes and cables...
I would cry, swear, mutter, and then redo it ☺
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