Screws through Wiring

michaelson

I installed a window air-conditioner today and needed to add some wood under the unit to allow it to tip backwards so it can drip.

The window is in a dormer in a bedroom and the window-sill is actually right off the floor and is only about 4 feet high.

I had no incidents like sparking or smoke etc, but was wondering something. If the sill is so close to the floor is there a good chance that there's wiring running under the window-sill? What would happen if I'd screwed into it?

The screw went about one inch extra into the sill.

k_buz

Did something happen to make you think you hit a wire?

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michaelson

No. I've just never done this before.

gregzoll

Not unless some Jack**** did the wiring and screwed up when they ran it, or came along later and ran some.

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joecaption

Concider using one of these to hold the unit up.
Wal-Mart, Lowes and HD all have them in large and small sizes.
http://www.amazon.com/Window-Support.../dp/B000274SEU

michaelson

I opened up the surrounding electrical boxes and all of them have wiring entering them from ABOVE, which leads me to believe that wiring is being dropped from the attic, not up from below.

And, most importantly, there was no sparking or popping, etc.

darren

Depends on what you hit. If you go in and hit only the neutral, nothing would happen. If you only hit the hot, nothing would probably happen and your screw could be live and ready to bite you. If you hit both, you would trip the breaker, possibly hear a pop and the screw would have some burn marks on it.

gregzoll

Yes, but if they did it correctly, and the boxes are say 18" max off the floor, the wiring would only be maybe at the most a foot from the top. Usually under windows, wiring is split from floor to bottom of window, so that should mean that the wiring should be around two feet from the sub-floor height.

Start driving holes into the outside, just means you are opening up a can of worms when the rain starts coming down. There is a wrong way and a right way in putting a window a/c unit in. Drilling holes is the wrong way. Using the legs to hold it, and then using the window to hold in place is the right way.

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Wirepuller

Some old ones don't even trip sometimes, bulldogs I believe? We had a guy cut through some conduit with a brick saw. He saw sparks shoot out and wasn't sure if it was steel or a wire so he stuck it in again lol. Breaker didn't even trip.