plug were does it go?

[bob s]

hi everyone I'm new to this board, my wife and i have just moved in to a house, one of the issues i have is in the corner of the living room there is a wire with a plug on the end but don't know how to find what it goes to . from the living room it goes through the wall to the hall runs up the wall but then doesn't appear to reappear upstairs. any idea how i can track it without damage? or test the wires in the plug to see if it is still attached to anything that still works as don't want to remove the cable until i know were it goes to many thanks for any help or suggestions any one can offer

 

[Ian]

You can get wire tracing kits, but I think it may be easier to ask the estate agent if they can ask the old home-owner what it's for (if possible), as they can likely tell you.

At a guess, I wonder if it's for something like a TV signal booster, some sort of pump, improperly wired outdoor socket/security light. Is there anything outside the house or in the loft that requires power?

 

[bob s]

i asked the previous owner and he said he lived here for 5 years but never found out what it was for
next job is to look in the loft to see what's up there but i would have thought if it went to the loft it would have continued to run up the bed room wall to the loft were it just disappears in to the hall ceiling
i have looked out side there are no new or old outside light indications. totally lost!

 

[bob s]

its not plugged in at the moment and tv, phone all work ok

 

[He who knows]

i asked the previous owner and he said he lived here for 5 years but never found out what it was for

Presumably he left it unplugged for 5 years?

Whatever it was once for, it's clearly nothing that you're going to want or need.

from the living room it goes through the wall to the hall runs up the wall but then doesn't appear to reappear upstairs. any idea how i can track it without damage?

Lift the floorboards in the room above where it disappears.

don't want to remove the cable until i know were it goes to

The other thing you don't evereverever want to do if you don't know where it goes is to plug it in.....

 

[bob s]

all ready plugged it in as thought it might be some thing to do with the tv ariel nothing happened that i saw.

as to lifting the floor boards the last time i did that i ended up having to replace all the floor boards and replaster the ceiling below

Ian suggested a wire tracing kit do you know any thing about them?

 

[He who knows]

all ready plugged it in as thought it might be some thing to do with the tv ariel nothing happened that i saw.

Unwise. You had no idea what was on the other end, whether the wires were made safe or if they might become a shock or fire hazard, or if some machinery might start and become a mechanical danger, or start to overheat, etc, etc.

as to lifting the floor boards the last time i did that i ended up having to replace all the floor boards and replaster the ceiling below

Ian suggested a wire tracing kit do you know any thing about them?

Sorry, never used one.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

I sorted out our bungalow wiring and as cables disappeared under floorboards; through walls and even under the wardrobes I bought one of these signal tracers;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1X-CABLE...IOnTopCombiner&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982

It made life so much easier and was so simple to use; power must be switched OFF.

Kind regards, Colin W.

 

[cajuray]

I have been an electrician, working service calls for 28 years. I suggest you let it alone. Something has been abandoned due to remodel or trouble condition.