[scott490]

Hi all,

I'm moving an electrical outlet using wire molding and a surface mount outlet box. Well, this is my intention anyway.

I removed the old outlet box and surface molding and was left with two black wires coming out of the wall.

Now I have to connect new wire to these old wires and run that up the molding to the box.

So my question is, is it best to solder this connection? Or will this product work?

Thanks.

 

[rrolleston]

You will have to add a junction box to extend that circuit. And you will have to use wire nuts.

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[TarheelTerp]

I removed the old outlet box and surface molding
and was left with two black wires coming out of the wall.

Is this a 240V circuit?
Where is the neutral? The ground?

Now I have to connect new wire to these old wires
and run that up the molding to the box.

So my question is, is it best to solder this connection?

No.

Once you re-establish the entire circuit (find the missing wires)
then (as rrolleston said) terminate them in a junction box and go from there.

 

[Oso954]

I'd also question the wire size. It should be #14, yet the picture of the butt connectors is #16-22.

 

[scott490]

Is this a 240V circuit?
Where is the neutral? The ground?

Not a 240.

No ground apparently. Just the two wires as shown. The old outlet didn't have anything connected to the ground screw.

 

[TarheelTerp]

Not a 240. No ground apparently. Just the two wires as shown.
The old outlet didn't have anything connected to the ground screw.

Dig deeper. Find where those wires come from.
If THAT connection doesn't have an identified neutral (white)...
then dig deeper still until you find where those wires come from.

 

[mpoulton]

Something's real bad wrong here, as they say. This was clearly not installed by a competent person. You're going to have to remove it back to wherever the properly-done wiring is, and redo it form there.

 

[scott490]

Thanks for the responses. Unfortunately getting to the bottom of this would be tough or very expensive. This is a 1920s apartment bldg and the wiring is behind tons of plaster. If I do as some have said and route this thru a junction box would that not be an answer and at least be safer than the old setup?

 

[TarheelTerp]

This is a 1920s apartment bldg and the wiring is behind tons of plaster.

If the power went out to this would you know where the fuse or breaker is?
If so... then half the job is done. If not... then leave it alone.

If I do as some have said and route this thru a junction box...

You'll need to do this no matter what else you do.
Install a box in that corner, wirenut the ends and close it up.

The question is whether you can (safely) reinstall an outlet in that box...
or add additional wire, wiremold and other boxes/outlets as you planned.

 

[rjniles]

You are not allowed to extend an ungrounded circuit. You should not being doing work in a rental unit.

 

[rrolleston]

Zooming in on the picture looks like the two wires just come out of the wall and they are stranded. I would find out where they come from. I would not extent them to add more receptacles.

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[scott490]

So I guess what I'm hearing is that those 2 wires fed an illegal, code violating outlet for decades and should not be reused.

 

[scott490]

If the power went out to this would you know where the fuse or breaker is?

Yes there is a circuit breaker which controls this outlet as well as 2 others in the apartment.

 

[mpoulton]

So I guess what I'm hearing is that those 2 wires fed an illegal, code violating outlet for decades and should not be reused.

Yep. That's about right.

 

[TarheelTerp]

Yes there is a circuit breaker which controls this outlet as well as 2 others in the apartment.

Then (as mentioned above) you should/may be able to trace back along this
circuit until you find an appropriate source of power to feed your room and how to route the NEW cable needed to replace the existing wire.

If you have to go back to the panel... so be it.
If you can't do the above you're back to (safely) abandoning the existing wire in place.

 

[scott490]

Just wanted to post an update on my project.

As the good folks here advised, I ripped out the old wire you saw in the pics. They were not as hard to trace as I thought. They actually went down some old molding that I didn't even realize was wire molding. What I found inside was this.

Quite frayed. Caked on top of the frayed portion was this. It was a bit crumbly, like Play-do that had dried.

I'm not sure what whoever installed this was thinking. I'm just grateful it never turned into an electrical fire. Anyway, all of that went down the garbage chute. I went out and bought Romex 14-2 and snaked that thru some new wire molding to my new spot. A new electrical outlet with a proper ground went in.

And I now have my outlet where I wanted it and it works great.

Thanks to the people in this forum who stopped me from doing something stupid!

 

[TarheelTerp]

I went out and bought Romex 14-2 and snaked that thru some new wire molding to my new spot.

A new electrical outlet with a proper ground went in.
And I now have my outlet where I wanted it and it works great.

One last Q: What is at the OTHER end of this new romex wire?
iow: Where/how did you connect into the circuit?