What are these?

[Smellypunks]

I have stripped the plaster off a 1930's London house and found these, my guess is old electrical cables. Please can someone confirm? I want to rip them out really I am guessing it would be safe to do so?

 

[johnny2007]

Metal conduit for electric cables.
In the old days they used to do things properly.

 

[Smellypunks]

@johnny2007 Cut it with a grinder and rip out?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

@johnny2007 Cut it with a grinder and rip out?

They could be lots of things. First, you need to trace where they come from, and go to, before deciding they can be cut. Post some photos of the beginnings and end of them, so we can properly assess whether they are redundant.

 

[Mottie]

Could any of them be gas pipes?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Could any of them be gas pipes?

They appear to go from under the stairs, where the gas meter and electric meters were often located, upto the first floor, under floor. Unusual to run three, parallel gas pipes, but you just never know. They look like black painted conduit, which was common for electrics, back in the day, before twin and earth.

 

[Mottie]

They appear to go from under the stairs, where the gas meter and electric meters were often located, upto the first floor, under floor. Unusual to run three, parallel gas pipes, but you just never know. They look like black painted conduit, which was common for electrics, back in the day, before twin and earth.

Could be two of one and one of another. Would they run three electricity supplies upstairs in the old days? May have been for gas wall lamps.

 

[Smellypunks]

One is 20mm, the other two are 12mm and one has a join, it is just slipped in. They are behind the plaster to not that easy to follow. I cannot see any sign of them in the understairs cupboard or in the bedroom above.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I cannot see any sign of them in the understairs cupboard or in the bedroom above.

You will need to find them, in the understair cupboard, and reveal them. A metal detector, will make it easy to find them buried under plaster.

 

[Smellypunks]

No in fact I can just see them behind the board, looks like they are still live! Maybe they pulled new cable through when they rewired in the (my guess) 1970's.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

No in fact I can just see them behind the board, looks like they are still live! Maybe they pulled new cable through when they rewired in the (my guess) 1970's.

Lucky, that you didn't attack them with an angle grinder then.