Removing an Electric Outlet

[Sr. Mints]

This guy I know, he left a live wire in a wall, wrapped it in electrical tape and tiled over the wall about 12+ years ago. The house has since been sold. Should the home ever burn down, is this guy I know liable in any way?

[V]

I would remove the wire from the outlet that it's still connected to, so the wire becomes a dead wire. It would be a pain to remove it, since it's in all likelihood stapled to studs. Then I would fish through new wire to ensure the circuit remains intact. You shouldn't have to worry about an overloaded circuit, as you're just removing load from an existing circuit. It's still not a bad idea to figure out just how much load is on that circuit to make sure you're okay, though.

Either that or install a jb in a location that isn't visible but is still accessible, like behind a drawer or under the sink. Still, not as good a solution. It's just another point of potential failure.

If it sounds like too much work, call Bindair. Judging by what I've seen in his previous electrical trade related posts, the guy knows his stuff.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

This guy I know, he left a live wire in a wall, wrapped it in electrical tape and tiled over the wall about 12+ years ago. The house has since been sold. Should the home ever burn down, is this guy I know liable in any way?

Pretty sure the answer is yes, especially if the wire is the cause.

[Titan]

Here is a good rule I try to live by: If it can kill you or burn your house down call a pro. I am sure you are a hell of an FA but you are not an electrician.

Get it done right, sleep at night!!

[DuffMan]

Really need to know if it is an end of line or middle connection.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Titan

Here is a good rule I try to live by: If it can kill you or burn your house down call a pro. I am sure you are a hell of an FA but you are not an electrician.

Get it done right, sleep at night!!

That's what the electricians want you to think! Adding/removing an outlet is dead easy, pending wire fishing which is a pain in the butt at worst, but you can easily and cheaply do these sorts of simple electrical tasks.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by Titan

Here is a good rule I try to live by: If it can kill you or burn your house down call a pro. I am sure you are a hell of an FA but you are not an electrician.

Get it done right, sleep at night!!

I've added a sub panel, moved ceiling outlets for fans, ripped out a bunch of aluminum for copper replacement, added new circuits to the new sub, and I don't have a clue what I am doing.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Pretty sure the answer is yes, especially if the wire is the cause.

Would he be? I thought plenty of people were getting screwed over by buying undisclosed former grow ops that they became responsible for fixing.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Would he be? I thought plenty of people were getting screwed over by buying undisclosed former grow ops that they became responsible for fixing.

He might be easier to track down than some former grow op owner.

[speede5]

If they could prove it was because of the shoddy repair, and prove negligence, then yes your friend could be liable. The current homeowner would be fully insured as they did not perform, nor have any knowledge of the repair. It would be the insurance companies decision whether or not to sue the previous owner, which is highly unlikely.

This is the reason you have to be very honest when you sign or accept a PCDS when you sell a house.

This scenario happened to a friend of mine and SGI just paid out on the house. No parties ever went after the past owner. I am sure that the value of the house might dictate how far the insurance company is willing to go.

Injuries or fatalaties would be the bigger threat, the fire inspector and police will be prepared to go a lot further the the insurance company.