What is this electrical (?) conduit?

[ImNotAPro]

There's no obvious sign of the end of it downstairs anywhere. Think its behind the wall by the staircase from what I can tell. I'll try to have a closer look tomorrow at where it started to head downwards (involved a bit of commando crawling over joists and it's too late on a Saturday night to be doing that again now ) I do have a basic multimeter somewhere, one of those little yellow ones, not sure if that's any use?

 

[SUNRAY]

If the conduit appears to be a straight run from the round box down to the consumer unit???

I'd be incluned to turn the main switch off so the whole house is dead then at the round box see if the wires will pull out.

The wires appear to be quite thick so may require quite a pull in as straight a line with the conduit as possible.

 

[ImNotAPro]

So this is where the pipe turns down through the floor/ceiling. Funnily enough there's another slightly smaller pipe that comes up at the same point with a few cut off wires hanging out, haven't seen any of this smaller pipe before. Anyway, I found another junction about 6 ft from the end of the original pipe, took the cap off, turned mains power off and tried pulling on the wire and did not budge an inch.

 

[Notch7]

Hi All,

I think this is old electrical wiring, can anyone confirm? Found behind a wall & floor while redoing an upstairs shower room. It seems to go up the wall to almost the roof line then through the brick work to outside then stops. The other end goes down and through a few joists by way of a 2x2 that's attached on top of the actual joists. It heads off towards the other end of the house, not entirely certain where as its obstructed. I'd like to get rid of it ideally, but not sure exactly what it is or if still in use??

Cheers

It’s all intact, I would assume live until you can prove otherwise.

 

[SUNRAY]

So this is where the pipe turns down through the floor/ceiling. Funnily enough there's another slightly smaller pipe that comes up at the same point with a few cut off wires hanging out, haven't seen any of this smaller pipe before. Anyway, I found another junction about 6 ft from the end of the original pipe, took the cap off, turned mains power off and tried pulling on the wire and did not budge an inch.

Did you attempt the pull test at the top round box too?
Are we toe assume there is no access to the conduit where drops down beside the smaller conduit and it's above the consumer unit?

 

[ImNotAPro]

Just tried the wires that are up on the wall junction and they are the same, no movement. Yes, there's no access where the pipe drops down towards the current consumer unit below. Its behind a wall on the staircase, could possibly lift the carpet under the stairs and see if the floor can come up easily to shed any light as to where the end of the pipe is.

 

[SUNRAY]

Am I right to assume this conduit is 25mm diameter or even bigger and the wires are 7mm diamerter?

 

[ImNotAPro]

Yeah that's about right on the dimensions. Outside of the pipe diameter was about 24mm on the tape measure.

 

[SUNRAY]

Yeah that's about right on the dimensions. Outside of the pipe diameter was about 24mm on the tape measure.

So that is a 3/4" conduit and likely to be imperial 7/0.044" rated at ~35A or 7/0.052" rated at ~45A wire.

I all adds up to being the original and now redundant overhead feed.

 

[ImNotAPro]

Managed to get under the floor beneath the stairs and found the red/black wires dangling The end of the smaller pipe is there too which is cut off not long after the junction box in pic, so its not going to anywhere either. Also the 2 main newer cables going through the wall that ties in with what is visible connected to the consumer unit. I'm convinced now that all these old cables are dead.

 

[JohnW2]

Managed to get under the floor beneath the stairs and found the red/black wires dangling ... I'm convinced now that all these old cables are dead.

That is,of course, what we all have very strongly suspected (almost 'assumed') but it is good that you now have certainty about it!

Kind Regards, John

 

[ImNotAPro]

Done