What's that Hole in My Floor and Why Did it Give Me a Shock
There’s a hole in my floor (diameter 1 5/8″) above the front parlor. From the ceiling below the hole hangs a large grand chandelier, circa 1901. If you’re upstairs, and you’re dumb enough to put your finger in the hole, you’ll get a shock and flip a circuit. (a) Why is there wiring in the…
There’s a hole in my floor (diameter 1 5/8″) above the front parlor. From the ceiling below the hole hangs a large grand chandelier, circa 1901. If you’re upstairs, and you’re dumb enough to put your finger in the hole, you’ll get a shock and flip a circuit.
(a) Why is there wiring in the hole? To access the chandelier’s wiring perhaps, without destroying the parlor ceiling?
(b)I want to cover the hole with some kind of brass plate that can screw into (what appears to be) the brass threads that line the hole). It seems from the way the floor is worn that a plate did exist at one point in time. Where would I find one of these? Something that could not only screw into those threads, but also lay flush on the floor? I am guessing that at one time there was a finger grip on the plate that allowed one to lift a ‘pull’ with ones finger and then have leverage to pull upwards while unscrewing the plate (allowing for flush plate… it’s a floor afterall)
(c)I suppose I could drill a plate into the floor, but wanted something less permanent in case I do need access to the wires above that chandelier, if my hypothesis is correct.
(d) Should I be concerned that the wire in the hole is dangerous since it shocked me and flipped a circuit? Am I looking at having my floors torn up to access the wiring to prevent a fire hazard? Or is keeping my fingers out of the hole enough?
(e) Is there something I can spray or stuff in the hole to prevent smaller fingers (children’s fingers) from ever finding their way down there?
Many thanks for your thoughts!
one thing that i like to try when a situation like this pops up is to get a light bulb and put it in the hole to see if you can light up the bulb. if it lights up then you know what the power load is capable of. another good solution is to take some foam and stuff it in there, then you can paint the top of the foam with poly coat and then finish it the color of your floor so it blends in.
try mohamed 646 226 4575, electrician,
. any electrician should come over and give you a free quote and describe the work he/ she will do.
this way you’ll have more information to make a good choice.
I agree with Steve, If it’s that close to the floor, it’s likely to be a floor outlet. It does sound like it’s too high above the lower ceiling to be part of the electric box for the chandelier, unless you have very long fingers or mice got in there and chewed a section of the wire leading to the chandelier.
Do not call a handyman for this.
I suspect, from what you are describing, this is the remains of an old floor outlet, conveniantly located above the chandelier so as to share the same junction box or wires, if it was/is knob and tube. This may have been threaded to receive a cap which I have seen in many buildings throughout the city. My guess is the bakelite plastic has broken off of the plug, which happens a lot, leaving the metal behind, which is what you contacted and got shocked.
Of course, I am not an electrician, so I may be wrong about all of this-
Call an electrician. The outlet to fit this may or may not be available, but an electrician will take care of this in the safest possible way.
Steve
I agree w/ the above &, since you know which breaker gets tripped, I’d turn that off until you get someone in.
This begs the question, how many times have you stuck your finger in there?
You definitely need to get an electrician in there sooner rather than later.
Call an electrician and get the wiring fixed. While he’s at it, ask him to screw a metal plate to the floorboards BELOW the hole. This will then allow you to fill from above with wood putty and stain to match the rest of your floor.
Yes, sounds dangerous. And the proposed remedies you posted suggest to me that you might not be comfortable with DIY electrical work. If so, I’d call a handyman or an electrician to fix it for you.
Obviously there are bare wires in the hole. Yes, dangerous and a fire hazard. You should be able to take the chandelier down on the floor below and address the wiring issues and then install a plate on your floor.