Are Dead wires allowed or unsafe?

Code05

Neither the NEC or the IRC mandates the removal of abandoned power cables or conductors.

Certain cables such as communication and such, yes, but not general wiring.

allthumbsdiy

I live in central NJ.

My E. Inspector told me this during my mudroom project (way back in 2006) where I abandoned a 14 awg for a new 12 awg wire (for new refrigerator).

I did not ask under which code, etc., however.

sirsparksalot

Who the hell are you to categorically dismiss my QUESTION? It wasn't a suggestion.

And why do you suggest that there's such horrid violations on a property you know nothing about?

sublime2

Your QUESTION could in no way help him with his issue.
It would add to his current problem not help it.
Now take that bunch out of your p******.

sirsparksalot

I hope you understand that that is YOUR opinion, and not something sent down from on High, as you so pompously state.

oh'mike

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beenthere

Morning mike.

Interesting thread.

Sounds like the tenant is up to something. Reporting she feels unsafe so quick. Sounds like a group of people that went through a city near me. Where they would rent a place, pay the first months rent and deposit, then not pay rent again. When the sheriff came to evict them they would cry act 52(no foreign electric load). By PA law, eviction stops at that point, and the tenant can't be evicted, and the landlord is responsible for the tenants electric bill until the foreign electric load is removed, and the electric company verifies it. takes about 6 months.

hammerlane

Key words in your statement are COULD and IF. Why would someone tie into dead wires?

By that reasoning the rolls of wire or cable on the shelves at Home Depot are a safety hazard.

Scooby333

The rental house is in PA. I'm from Allentown.

AltaSparky

Can you explain why? There are numerous rules in the code that are there just in case. They are "safe" but that does not mean to code.

Your explanation could be true but I don't think the tenants fears are unfounded.

If I were to give my honest advice to the op, if the tenant is threatening legal action, call your inspection authority, explain the situation and see if they can come out.

sublime2

See Beenthere's post.
I think that is exactly what is happening with OP.

Scooby333

Thank you everyone for the advice. I saw my tenant today to resolve the issue. I know found out why they are giving me such grief about everything. After being there 3 weeks they started to finish completely remolding the attic. They want to turn the space into offices for their business. They started putting new insulation in the rafters and finishing off the rest of the walls with drywall. With me not hooking the power back to the attic ruined their plans for an office.

It now explains why they said the dead wires would still be unsafe.

bbo

so this is a commercial space now?

AltaSparky

Wait, you allow this as a landlord? My landlord allows no changes at all.

It likely is code that lights and receptacles need to be installed in a finished attic. (if you even allow changes) If the wires were dead why wouldnt they just remove them, I'm more confused as to why this is an issue.

In canada this could be a violation of CEC 12-938. CEC and NEC are generally pretty similar, so it wouldn't be a crazy idea that this would not be a rule in the US as well. Also, if installed in plenum it is a violation of fire code here. My point being what the electrician is saying isn't completely crazy.

Why would someone tie in to dead wires? I've seen professional electricians do it many times. If there are spare wires it is handy to use them. As long as they are made safe I have no issue with spare wires. Ive seen electricians make mistakes and end up with a spark show using dead wires in the past, I wouldn't think the average homeowner will be using a meter to identify what goes where. A wire on a spool is far different then one installed in a building.

Oso954

The problem has gone past the electrical code. Converting an attic space into living/working space is building code. Sometimes it might be just insulation and drywall. Other times substantial structural modifications need to be made.

Conversions that are not done correctly can result in damage to the space below. It maybe a substantial cost to repair them.

Also, how does undocumented space affect the value of the property. In my state you cannot count it as square footage. It is "bonus space". If it doesn't look professional, it can detract from the property value.