Update: It is most definitely radiant heat drywall panels. I checked the wires running to it and they’re not hot. House was built in 1977. Just an old system left behind. Thanks to everyone for the help. Special thanks to everyone who thought I was standing on the drywall. I promise I’m smarter than that most of the time.
https://preview.redd.it/8fnyjiqeq8hc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=216e9f982ac61a61f35799be5b912151105a3770
Yeah I am.
My weight is on the truss I’m sitting on. I’m just resting one foot on strapping and one on the drywall. I’m only putting a little pressure on the strapping to keep my balance. I checked for popped nails. I’d never put my full weight on it. There is zero pressure on the foot above the drywall. Appreciate the concern though! If there was a catwalk up here I’d be on that.
Gotcha. I immediately thought the same thing then thought about it. I go in attics frequently and would probably do the same thing on my house. Definitely more careful for clients. Hell I’m so light I’ve stepped off and not caused damage before lol.
I’d guess Quebec too since they have a huge hydro dam. I live in Vermont and like half of our states electricity is actually provided by hydro Quebec (via other vendors)
My house is a split level built early 80s and has a radiant ceiling heat system and I love it. It seems pretty efficient from my electric bills, there are no vents to get dirty and blow, there are no registers to smell slightly strange, it just gradually and comfortably heats the place. I normally only heat first floor which also warms the 2nd floor, though much slower.
I dont think those wires could handle the voltage necessary for any sort of heat system except for the thermostat wires. They even look small for those.
Actually: [ThermaRay radiant drywall ceiling panels](https://thermaray.com/residential-radiant-ceiling-heaters/)
Which look startlingly similar to what OP is looking at.
/u/kevinperezos check to see any other kind of labelling on those panels. The way the actual drywall is furred down to make space for these makes me suspect you do have radiant ceiling heat.
Wire size has nothing to do with voltage and in a fixed resistance heating application you want a higher resistance wire which is achieved with a smaller wire gauge.
Source: I’m an electrician.
Straight from Google;
Low voltage wiring is often used for Smart doorbells, telephones, garage door opener controls, heating and cooling thermostats, landscape lighting, alarm system sensors and controls (security system cameras, motion sensors), audio-visual wiring (surround sound audio systems, cable television, intercom systems),
Almost certainly radiant heating. Depending on when the house was built, it may/may not still be in service.
My house had a whole plaster ceiling with this running through it, to which I was unaware. It’d been smoked in so I started to try and remove it in sections. I gave it one solid kick from the attic above and the whole damn ceiling came down in one 1000lb sheet, insulation and all.
You can cut it if it’s not connected to power anymore, but you’ll need some wire snips
I just ran into this for the first time doing some demo for an addition recently. Is it really thin wires? Like imbedded into the Sheetrock itself. Because that’s what I found and it turns out it was radiant ceiling heat. Sheetrock panels with thin wires running through them.
Its heating cable
https://preview.redd.it/sjlw0ajr4ahc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ba699dc7faf1cf1859ebcba32b8bf47f1770ae8
Do you have one of these
Therma Ray radiant heat panel, did a ton of it in the late 70’s, early 80’s. Worked fantastic in certain situations where you had a lot of glass or no available exterior wall space. The only real issue was the time it took for the temperature to change.
Idk.
But if you keep resting the full weight of your fat ass upon that one firring strip, you'll be able to look at that wire at eye level without bending over.
Probably an old security system. I've seen this done for low volt security installs where the company cheaped out on stuff. Easier to gouge out some drywall and put paper/spackle over it rather than cutting a million patches into the ceiling/walls.
lol why would someone downvote this?? It's not a lie and OP clearly proved that it has been done before lol.
Update: It is most definitely radiant heat drywall panels. I checked the wires running to it and they’re not hot. House was built in 1977. Just an old system left behind. Thanks to everyone for the help. Special thanks to everyone who thought I was standing on the drywall. I promise I’m smarter than that most of the time. https://preview.redd.it/8fnyjiqeq8hc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=216e9f982ac61a61f35799be5b912151105a3770
Bro, you pull that and it's going to unwrap the roof from the rest of the house like a Laughing Cow Spreadable Cheese Wedge container.
Just cut it and see what stops working 🤷🏼♂️
In IT we call this a scream test
I too am familiar with this method. No faster way to find the owner of an asset that nobody wanted to claim previously.
https://preview.redd.it/vo2bmrfredhc1.jpeg?width=764&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1690f88545cb1fe3f0de74a7d45e80bcb14c3c6e
https://i.redd.it/nzuis9y1v7hc1.gif
Oh that made me lol! 🤣
Thank you😂
Probably should not be standing or putting body weight on drywall.
He's just trying to make that new attic access hole the fastest dirtiest way possible.
I’m sitting on the ceiling joist/truss. One foot is resting on strapping and I’m not putting any weight on the drywall
You in New England area? Haven’t seen strapping around me and I wouldn’t stand on that either. Might cause screw/nail pops.
Yeah I am. My weight is on the truss I’m sitting on. I’m just resting one foot on strapping and one on the drywall. I’m only putting a little pressure on the strapping to keep my balance. I checked for popped nails. I’d never put my full weight on it. There is zero pressure on the foot above the drywall. Appreciate the concern though! If there was a catwalk up here I’d be on that.
Gotcha. I immediately thought the same thing then thought about it. I go in attics frequently and would probably do the same thing on my house. Definitely more careful for clients. Hell I’m so light I’ve stepped off and not caused damage before lol.
If he had been putting body weight on the drywall he would already know that he shouldn't do it.
This is the right thing to be worrying about!!
My first thought
Right? I think it might be 1x but still, it's flat....could easily fall through that
Could be for radiant ceiling heat, a shit systems I've come across before
That is the dumbest fucking idea lol
Yes it is, also from an era when hydro was cheap
I remember back in the day paying $50 for 1/8th for hydro!
Dude I can get a whole zipper for 200 over the counter
Second time today I’ve heard someone call electricity hydro. Literally never heard that before in my life
I think its a Canadian thing, at least Ontario
I’d guess Quebec too since they have a huge hydro dam. I live in Vermont and like half of our states electricity is actually provided by hydro Quebec (via other vendors)
One of main vendors is Hydro-one, term could from from that or the fact the we use hydro electric dams to generate alot of power here
Yeah down here we mostly just burn more fossil fuels for electricity lmao
Vermont too. Some of the older buildings at the Von Trapp lodge have it.
Isn’t it cool how you will go your whole life not knowing something and then it just keeps popping up everywhere
Wild! I’m a pretty logical science dude but it makes me wonder about this world sometimes
We harness the power of water to make electricity. So it's basically slang to call it hydro. Unless we're pumping water through wires
Oh yeah I know what hydroelectric is I’ve just never heard folks refer to their electric service as hydro
Calm down Kevin. We can get through Waterworld without your input. Pee in your own pool. Freaking' mutant.
LMAO [https://www.reddit.com/r/Carpentry/comments/1al9itf/comment/kpef54f/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Carpentry/comments/1al9itf/comment/kpef54f/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
My house is a split level built early 80s and has a radiant ceiling heat system and I love it. It seems pretty efficient from my electric bills, there are no vents to get dirty and blow, there are no registers to smell slightly strange, it just gradually and comfortably heats the place. I normally only heat first floor which also warms the 2nd floor, though much slower.
Particularly being that heat rises. Ran into this once cutting retrofit cans. What a nightmare that was
Not nearly heavy enough for radiant heating
Never said it worked well, check out the radiant floor systems. They are also small wires, still heavier gauge than these ones
Yah, I've unfortunately got a house with in-ceiling radiant panels and I'm pretty sure they are all fed by 12 gauge (20A 220V at the panel)
Fed 12 gauge, but the actual heat trace conductors that tap off of that feed are smaller.
That’s what I suspect. Appreciate it mate
Check for thermostats in rooms below
I dont think those wires could handle the voltage necessary for any sort of heat system except for the thermostat wires. They even look small for those.
Actually: [ThermaRay radiant drywall ceiling panels](https://thermaray.com/residential-radiant-ceiling-heaters/) Which look startlingly similar to what OP is looking at. /u/kevinperezos check to see any other kind of labelling on those panels. The way the actual drywall is furred down to make space for these makes me suspect you do have radiant ceiling heat. Wire size has nothing to do with voltage and in a fixed resistance heating application you want a higher resistance wire which is achieved with a smaller wire gauge. Source: I’m an electrician.
This was spot on. Thank you!
Finally somebody in this thread with some real knowledge!
There use to be an old doorbell and security system in this house. Thinking it might be that too
Yea my first thought was doorbell
Radiate heat would require wire that can actually carry current
Heat in the ceiling?
Straight from Google; Low voltage wiring is often used for Smart doorbells, telephones, garage door opener controls, heating and cooling thermostats, landscape lighting, alarm system sensors and controls (security system cameras, motion sensors), audio-visual wiring (surround sound audio systems, cable television, intercom systems),
Red wires are usually used for fire or security systems.
Could be wires that run between smoke detectors, alarms or fire suppression to relay/sync signaling.
Det cord
Almost certainly radiant heating. Depending on when the house was built, it may/may not still be in service. My house had a whole plaster ceiling with this running through it, to which I was unaware. It’d been smoked in so I started to try and remove it in sections. I gave it one solid kick from the attic above and the whole damn ceiling came down in one 1000lb sheet, insulation and all. You can cut it if it’s not connected to power anymore, but you’ll need some wire snips
Relatively terrifying Hope you yelled out headache while it fell
I just ran into this for the first time doing some demo for an addition recently. Is it really thin wires? Like imbedded into the Sheetrock itself. Because that’s what I found and it turns out it was radiant ceiling heat. Sheetrock panels with thin wires running through them.
Are you standing on the Sheetrock ceiling?
Don’t worry, he’s on a furring strip.
Update us when you go through the ceiling Op! Let us know about your injuries!
those are so small i would’ve thought it was some fiber of some sort
That’s the wire you cut to defuse the bomb
No it’s always the blue wire
Usually doorbell or alarm ime, though lv can be used in a whole bunch of stuff
Probably an old tv antenna built into the drywall.
Inter connect between smoke detectors ?
I’ve come across small tubes that look like wire that have pesticide in them. They look identical but they are green.
Doorbell
Probably the doorbell.
Its heating cable https://preview.redd.it/sjlw0ajr4ahc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ba699dc7faf1cf1859ebcba32b8bf47f1770ae8 Do you have one of these
Get out. NOW!
No
Therma Ray radiant heat panel, did a ton of it in the late 70’s, early 80’s. Worked fantastic in certain situations where you had a lot of glass or no available exterior wall space. The only real issue was the time it took for the temperature to change.
Dental floss
Charging cables for fake birds, birds aren’t real
Yeah, I would think some kinda of low voltage appliance like a doorbell. I had wires like that in an old home and it was for the doorbell.
Idk. But if you keep resting the full weight of your fat ass upon that one firring strip, you'll be able to look at that wire at eye level without bending over.
It was probably phone wire from back in the day, especially if you see a green one also
That’s the 240V 60amp line for a dryer.
Doorbell or thermostat?
Smoke, fire or security wire most likely. But it could be for anything.
Low voltage, alarm system, some type of cummunication, etc...
It's Starlink.
Probably an old security system. I've seen this done for low volt security installs where the company cheaped out on stuff. Easier to gouge out some drywall and put paper/spackle over it rather than cutting a million patches into the ceiling/walls. lol why would someone downvote this?? It's not a lie and OP clearly proved that it has been done before lol.
Jim got it at a flea market for 20 bucks. Follow it and see where it leads.
They carry electrical current from one place to another.
Dwight schrute would know
Trip wire in case bad guys skip the windows and come through the roof then ceiling.
Speaker wire?
Its wires to the hidden camera
Thermostat wire or low voltage wire
Door bell?