Can I snip these wires and embed in the wall?

[louisbean]

Hi all,

We had a light that is powered by a mains plug but that is on a dimmer switch, and where the cables are embedded in the wall. I've never seen anything like this before.

We are repainting and I want to get rid of it all. (Apart from the socket of course)

I can’t pull the wires out as they’re stuck fast, so I want to just snip them back and bury them under filler

I am assuming that bearing in mind you had to plug the light in for it to work then it can't be connected to any other circuit. Also you can clearly see the two wires coming into the dimmer box,

However I always want to be careful with electrics and wanted to triple check if I should be checking anything before I do.

It feels over the top to get an electrician in on this. Any thoughts or does it look like I should be ok? I do have a pen electrical mains tester but I'm not sure what to actually test!

 

[Wayners]

You need to make sure those wires are disconnected and don't go anywhere.
Always good practice to pull the cables out. In the future those cables might be found and that brings all sorts of problems.
It's also possible that future electrical work could bring a dead circuit back to life by accident.
You either plate over so they can be seen and brought back to live or remove them completely.

 

[louisbean]

Thank you @Wayners . Can I just triple check though - isn't what you're saying making an assumption that these cables were connected to a circuit rather than just being two completely independent cables?

Plating over isn't an option as this is a bedroom and it will necessitate six plates (as there're were two lights) which will look really ugly. And getting them out is going to create a heap of mess, so I don't mind doing it, but keen only to do so if it's absolutely necessary.

 

[JohnW2]

Plating over isn't an option as this is a bedroom and it will necessitate six plates (as there're were two lights) which will look really ugly.

Your original post suggested/implied that there was only one. How does two lights translate to six plates?

 

[StephenStephen]

I'm wondering what the wall construction is?
If it's plasterboard, you might find that you can pull the cable out if you first remove the plaster around each end of it.

 

[Sureitsoff?]

Disconnecting the cables at the dimmer and removing the metal back box should allow you to see better where the cables go.

 

[louisbean]

I'm going to take this to an electrician I think - I don't think I've articulated the problem well enough here. Thanks for all the responses!

 

[EFLImpudence]

There seems to be a lot of confusion here - but...

...IF the cables in question are only powered by the plug -

how could it be anything other than that? but up to you to verify -

then, yes, they can be cut off and buried.


Just in case, I would strip the ends of the three wires at each cable end and join them together so that should anyone come across them in the future, it will be obvious that the cables are not being used for anything.

 

[mattylad]

I'm going to take this to an electrician I think - I don't think I've articulated the problem well enough here. Thanks for all the responses!

How do you know that the replies you already got were not from electricians?
IMO they have been sensible enough replies with accurate good electrical advice that you got for free instead of paying for the same advice.

 

[Taylortwocities]

How do you know that the replies you already got were not from electricians?

How do you know that the replies were from electricians?

 

[JohnW2]

How do you know that the replies you already got were not from electricians?

How do you know that the replies were from electricians?

I may be wrong but, for what it's worth, I am not convinced that any of the posts in this thread have been from 'electricians'.

 

[morqthana]

Your original post suggested/implied that there was only one. How does two lights translate to six plates?

From this, Watson, I deduce that JohnW2 did not watch the video.

There's:

1. (0:00) A socket with an Art Deco surround, and a white flex with a plug on it emerging from the wall just above it.
2. (0:02) A dimmer switch with two white flexes connected to it, L through the dimmer, N joined, E joined at the dimmer plate earth terminal. The flexes look just like the ones from the plug in (1) and (3).
3. (0:08) A white flex coming out from the wall which one assumes was connected to a wall light fixed to the wall by screws into the holes also visible.

3x2=6

I think we can all confidently say what's going on here, but to do due diligence...

1. With the power off, disconnect the cables from the dimmer, remove the plug, and make the ends of the conductors safe in choc-block or Wagos.
2. Turn the power back on and with a multimeter carefully check each flex end for voltage between L-N, L-E, N-E. I predict none.
3. With the power off use the multimeter on the low ohm setting to measure L from the plug end to each L at the dimmer. I predict infinity on one, 0Ω on the other.
4. I predict similar values between matching Ns & Ls, and between the end of the other cable at the switch and the one at the wall light position.
5. If all predictions come true, cut the flexes off flush with the wall, push the ends in, fill the holes & make good.

 

[JohnW2]

From this, Watson, I deduce that JohnW2 did not watch the video.

You deduce correctly. The text appeared to say all that 'mattered', but I was clearly wrong to assume that

 

[morqthana]

We had a light that is powered by a mains plug but that is on a dimmer switch, and where the cables are embedded in the wall. I've never seen anything like this before.

I mean ...

just ...


wow.