Electric Wiring in Wall - Ok to Patch Over?

[Chris Johnson]

I hired an electrician to replace an illuminated bathroom medicine cabinet with a wall light fixture over a mirror (and do a bunch of other stuff). The medicine cabinet was supplied by house original (40+ yr old) NM wire running through a hole in the plaster (no box) into the top of the medicine cabinet. The new light fixture (with box) is higher and to the left of the original hole. There is a stud between the original hole and the new box.

The electrician ran the wire in front of the stud in an exposed hole, then back inside the wall to the new box. He removed some wood from the stud, but wire isn't any deeper than the back of the plaster.

I want to seal the hole even though there will be a mirror in front of it. Unfortunately he was gone before I saw his method--although drilling in the middle of the stud would have required opening up the wall. How do I fill this hole properly? If I use a spackling compound it will be pressed into the NM wire where it crosses in front of the stud. Even if that is ok, it would be bad if someone put a nail or hole there since the wire is so close to the plaster/spackling and it doesn't look like there would even be a wire there, since it is well below and to the right of the new existing light fixture.

Thanks!

[David Nebenzahl]

On 5/21/2008 5:34 PM Chris Johnson spake thus:

Easy; just put a nail plate, made for this purpose, over there the cable crosses the stud. Available everywhere, and just nail onto the stud. Use more than one if necessary.

[Red Green]

Chris Johnson wrote in news: [e-mail]:

This was a real licenced electrician? If so, he/she should have put the plate over it.

It sounds like he cut a notch in the stud so the wire would run below the edge giving room for the nail plate but never put the plate on.

Even though I've repeatedly heard this is the way to do it, I've always wondered what's to stop anyone from drilling for say a molly to the side of that plate? Wire isn't going to move. Hope it's a cheapo drill.

[franz fripplfrappl]

Have you thought about asking the electrician to return to complete the job?

[Mark]

That's why when drilling for a molly or other winged anchor where your intent is only to make a hole in the drywall or plaster to slip the hardware through, you should be careful and go no deeper than needed to get thru the drywall or plaster so as not to hit wires, plumbing, etc. It would be good if you are in an exterior wall that you try not to even break thru the insulation vapor barrier. Whereas when you are drilling into into a stud you would normally want to go deeper into the wood, and the plate will prevent you from doing that.

[Red Green]

"Mark" wrote in news:483633ba$0$5726$ [e-mail]:

That's what I always do. More was talking about how codes have some of the darndest things to protect the uninformed homeowner but his one, which is even obvious to the avg DIY'r, is not considered.

Maybe there is some code rule about it. I have no idea. What I know about code is from word of mouth, NG's and plain old thinking "If I do that than there's an accident waiting to happen". Maybe that translates to plain old Hack.

and...

Double insulated cheapo drill.