Bathroom refit - but whats this ???

[gingerneil]

I spent a 'fun' day on Friday beating the xxx out of our old bathroom, and am now back to the studwork / blocks and ready for the rebuild to start. However, what is this ??? It comes stright down from above, chased slightly into the block, curls round a nail and heads perpendicular into the ceiling behind the plasterboard. It feels like its metal, but I can't be sure, and its red. What is it ?

Its a three storey house, built by Bovis about 10 years ago. There is a double socket in the room above at about this position, but its hard to be sure its directly above. Any ideas ?

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• gingerneil
• 1 Jul 2012
• 1

Untitled

• gingerneil
• 1 Jul 2012
• 1

Untitled

• gingerneil
• 1 Jul 2012
• 1

 

[Mrdjc]

What material is it made from? Is it solid or does it move when nudged?

 

[gingerneil]

It feels rigid, but it moves very slightly when poked. It feels like metal, with a slight bit of corrossion on the bend - this could be from condensation buildup maybe? Scratching it with my nail I'm 90% sure its metal and not plastic, but cant be certain. There is also a BT socket in the room above - could it be for that ?? All other pipework is white pushfit, and the electrics in the bathroom that I have uncovered are all normal grey T&E and not armoured or covered in any way.

 

[cajar]

It's definitely nothing to do with the BT socket. Think you'll have to reveal more of it to find where it goes.

 

[gingerneil]

Hmm - not sure if I can without making too much of a mess. I'm not planning on removing the ceiling plaster, or doing any work in the wall above. I can prob just board and tile back over it, but I'm intrigued to know what it is now!

 

[Mrdjc]

First of all you need to figure out what material it is made of.

Get a fridge magnet!

tap it with a coin..

Get a simple inductive sensor that can check for an induced magnetic field from electrical cables without having to cut it open.

Its a weird colour, a weird size and its path is very bizarre so it could be anything.

 

[gingerneil]

I've just chipped of the bit of plasterboard next to it, and have got a much better look. For a start, it is solid metal and it looks like the red is painted and not a plastic cover. I can srape it off easily to reveal a dull metal below - its like a iron bar. Also, after the curl, it stops and does not go parallel to the ceiling and under the ceiling plasterboard - it just looks like a hook. I can wiggle it about. Looking up the blockwork to above, I cant be sure, but it looks like it turns 90 degrees and into the block above.

Any further thoughts ?

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• gingerneil
• 2 Jul 2012
• 1

 

[Symptoms]

ginger - maybe it's just a metal wall hook for some former use - S&M den perhaps (shackles?).

If it had been hollow then could have been former water or gas pipe.

 

[gingerneil]

shackles ?! Nah - they're in the loft!
Could it have been a bucket hook or something slung over the blocks as the house was built that someone forgot to move before it was fixed in place ?

 

[Nige F]

It`s a skyhook - fallen to earth