Opinion on situation in the attic

sadas23

Hi,

while insulating the attic I've found in a corner between two joists that there is a bunch of cables connected using mammuths. Is that ok/up to the code?

Or should I do something about it?

If it's not ok do I need an electrician or could I just use a plastic cup to cover the wires?

Thank you for your help

aido79

sadas23 wrote: »

Hi,

while insulating the attic I've found in a corner between two joists that there is a bunch of cables connected using mammuths. Is that ok/up to the code?

Or should I do something about it?

If it's not ok do I need an electrician or could I just use a plastic cup to cover the wires?

Thank you for your help

Google has no idea what mammuths are and neither do I. Please explain what they are and what type of cables they are.

sadas23

Sorry I don't know much about electricity, I was searching pictures on google images similar to what I've seen in the attic and I've found that name, maybe the proper name is different. They are white pieces of plastic with screws.

The cables are grey (bigger), blue, brown and yellow/green (smaller)

Apparently I can't post URLs or images because I'm new to the forum, sorry.

Thank you.

dolittle

sounds like connector blocks

sadas23

yes exactly!

dolittle

not great practice to have joints like that anywhere
always a potential hot spot

aido79

sadas23 wrote: »

Sorry I don't know much about electricity, I was searching pictures on google images similar to what I've seen in the attic and I've found that name, maybe the proper name is different. They are white pieces of plastic with screws.

The cables are grey (bigger), blue, brown and yellow/green (smaller)

Apparently I can't post URLs or images because I'm new to the forum, sorry.

Thank you.

It should be ok to put an appropriately sized junction box(not a plastic cup) over the connector blocks but without knowing what exactly these cables are for my best advice would be to have an electrician check them out. They are definitely power cables and should be treated with care.

sadas23

aido79 wrote: »

It should be ok to put an appropriately sized junction box(not a plastic cup) over the connector blocks but without knowing what exactly these cables are for my best advice would be to have an electrician check them out. They are definitely power cables and should be treated with care.

yeah the electrician for sure. I wanted to figure out what to expect to avoid being raped.

From a code point of view though is it compliant or not? Who should I call to know if it's compliant? Again an electrician or an inspector?

Thank you

Bruthal

aido79 wrote: »

Google has no idea what mammuths are and neither do I. Please explain what they are and what type of cables they are.

Something from the arctic it sounds like

sadas23

Bruthal wrote: »

Something from the arctic it sounds like

haha, sorry, as I said I'm far from being an expert.

sadas23

I forgot to ask: how much would it be reasonable to pay to fix the issue and install a junction box in the attic?

Thank you

aido79

sadas23 wrote: »

I forgot to ask: how much would it be reasonable to pay to fix the issue and install a junction box in the attic?

Thank you

Without seeing the issue it would be hard to give any estimate. No offence but your description of the issue doesn't really help. It may be as simple as just having a look, putting the cables in a junction box and fixing the junction box to a safe place away from the insulation or it may involve a bit more work. I would imagine it's the first case and would be a simple job for and electrician so not costly.

allinthehead

dolittle wrote: »

not great practice to have joints like that anywhere
always a potential hot spot

Not sure why you say that. Every socket/switch in a house is essentially a connector.

Op the only problem i see with it is that it needs to be covered with an appropriate junction box and no harm to check the connections too. As to the cost hard to say but most electricians have a minimum fee to call out so anywhere from 50-90 i'd say.

sadas23

thanks aido79.

Why do you say "fixing the junction box to a safe place away from the insulation"?

Wouldn't it be possible to cover the junction box with insulation? I've seen this before. I'm asking because there isn't much spare cable (or none at all) so it would be difficult to move the junction box far from the insulation.

Thank you

sadas23

Thanks allinthehead, so you'd say that if the electrician put's a junction box there it's ok to cover it with loose fiber glass insulation?

I think the only problem with covering junction boxes is not being able to access them in case of need. Am I right?

Thank you all for your help

allinthehead

sadas23 wrote: »

Thanks allinthehead, so you'd say that if the electrician put's a junction box there it's ok to cover it with loose fiber glass insulation?

I think the only problem with covering junction boxes is not being able to access them in case of need. Am I right?

Thank you all for your help

No you should keep the junction box free of insulation

sadas23

practically I have to live with the cold because someone else decided to not follow the rules.

I was sure I could cover the junction box, the important thing was to know where it is.

TheBoyConor

If you put insulation over a junction box it will be unable to dissipate any heat that might build up and then become a higher fire risk.
You can either move the junction clear of the insulation of else leave a small square of insulation out above it.

sadas23

TheBoyConor wrote: »

If you put insulation over a junction box it will be unable to dissipate any heat that might build up and then become a higher fire risk.
You can either move the junction clear of the insulation of else leave a small square of insulation out above it.

Thanks, I'll do one of the two for sure, I don't like to play with fire. If the electrician is able to move it better, otherwise I'll leave an empty space around the box: would a small space like that without insulation render the rest useless?

Thanks

TheBoyConor

No removing a small square of insulation would not render the rest useless. You were only removing a very small amount. So the reduction in insulation capacity is only the percentage of the area removed and for a junction box that would be tiny, much less than 1%.
However depending on the circumstances you might find that you could possibly get a small patch of mould around that spot because it will be cooler and moisture will condense there.
So removing insulation is the less than ideal option - moving the junction box would be the best idea really if possible.

2011

TheBoyConor wrote: »

If you put insulation over a junction box it will be unable to dissipate any heat that might build up and then become a higher fire risk.
You can either move the junction clear of the insulation of else leave a small square of insulation out above it.

Once the junction box is fit for purpose and properly installed it should not generate heat. If it does gets hot, something has wrong.

However it is well know that cables should be derated if they are covered with thermal insulation. In a domestic installation this is more likely to be an issue with cabling for an instantaneous shower than anything else, as this is normally the only sizeable load that passes through the attic. Lighting circuits generally carry relatively small currents so the risk over overheating is far more remote.

sadas23

Thanks, then if the electrician says those cables serve lighting circuits does it mean I can cover the box with insulation to avoid mould?

Thank you

2011

sadas23 wrote: »

Thanks, then if the electrician says those cables serve lighting circuits does it mean I can cover the box with insulation to avoid mould?

I would get an experienced qualified electrician to look at it if I were you.

sadas23

oh that's a given. I'm not going to touch it myself!