Removing random roof timbers

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I’ve just started replacing my nasty fibreglass loft with sheep wool insulation. Above our bedroom there was a water tank and cylinder. They built a dodgy shelf originally, we’ve now replaced the system so I have moved the tank which was sat on top of the shelf seen on the picture and I’ll be removing the cylinder shortly. Should I be ok to simply cut away the stand/shelf. Also on one of the pictures there are 2 things I’m unsure of, one is the planks nailed from the roof joists to the loft floor, I assume these we’re nailed in to create more support for the tanks and should be ok removing these now? The other things is a bare wire that zigzags around the rafters, it doesn’t seem to connect to anything so as its a 1920’s house was unsure if it was possibly used for hanging clothes?

Just been told these could be floor hangers, however they’re only in the section of our loft above our bedroom. Basically all the interior walls of the house go straight up into the loft so the loft has separate sections and the main rafters rest on these walls.
 

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please show us a close-up of this wire, and the end fixings or connections especially, and of any intermediate supports. Is there any sign of a lead off it, either in the middle or at one end? Is it insulated? Is it green? I think it might be a radio aerial.
 
go ahead and remove the "hangers" and platform timbers - they are doing nothing for the roof structure.
i've no idea what the wire/cable is - why not test it for being live elec or for some kind of comms?
 
The pieces of timber from the rafter to the ceiling joists are there to help support your weight while walking over the ceiling joists and help stop ceiling sag.

The wire could of been from a number of things.

Radio reception for a ham radio fan perhaps
 
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vertical hangers are used to stop ceiling sag.
the angled pieces are retrofits that appear to be doing nothing but getting in the way.

thats not to say that the shallow ceiling joists could do with support for any traffic or storage.
 
please show us a close-up of this wire, and the end fixings or connections especially, and of any intermediate supports. Is there any sign of a lead off it, either in the middle or at one end? Is it insulated? Is it green? I think it might be a radio aerial.

So the wire doesn’t come into the loft anywhere, I’ve added in pictures. A bit confused as my tester shows a current, the end of the wire looks like it was fried at some point!

I’ve also figured out that the cylinder is annoyingly wired into the upstairs lighting somewhere! Crazy old houses, there’s a junction on/off box for the cylinder in the loft. I’m hoping I can just turn off the lighting at the fuse and the disconnect the wire at the on/off box in the loft leaving the main wire inside the box so I can at least move the cylinder. Any advice would be great.
 

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Yep, I didn’t test the actual voltage as I’ve only got a non contact detector so it was picking up something that ranges anywhere from 50-1000 but it definitely doesn’t go anywhere else just simply runs through those hooks in the joists ands ends at the top of the roof and at the point in the picture.
 
as above, deff could be an antenna.

given the non-contact detector response, and the weird set up for feeding the cylinder element (junction on/off box?) - then why not get the mods to transfer you to the elec forum?

check your c/u has a working, properly sized breaker for that circuit?
 

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