Help Finding Electrical Box in Ceiling

[Dennis Jenders]

Hi -

I need some advice on how to search for a hidden electrical box. I tried contacting the builder but he is in federal prision for fraud so that was a dead end.

I moved into a condo this Spring and occupy the lower level of a 2 level building. I do not have any fixtures in the ceiling in my bedroom or main living area. I do have some in the hallways.

I bought a Stud finder with AC finder and Metal finder as well. In the bedroom it picks up a metal piece almost exactly in the center of the room, the AC finder also seems to pick up a signal. I do have a switch in the room that doesn't seem to do much but turn on one socket in the back of the room (the other plug in the same socket is always live).

In the front room I found 2 metal pieces along one long stud in the center of the room. Along the stud the AC finder also seems to give me warning the entire length. One of the metal pieces is almost in the middle of the room, and near the front entrance i do have a light switch that controls nothing.

I looked at the other condos and I don't see too many with fixtures. Could a box be up there? I've got a pretty unique finish on the walls and it's not something I can replicate so I am afraid of making a big hole. Even if I made a small one I'm not sure poking around with a pick or nail would tell me much.

Any thoughts on how I can confirm if a box is up there? If a main electrical wire is going across can I tap into that for my power?

Thanks, Dennis.

[Tom J]

There aren't suppose to be any concealed electrical boxes. Many homes are built with no overhead wiring in some rooms, relying on wall outlets and lamps, which seems to be what you have.

Tom J

[B]

Tom J is right. I have NEVER seen unused electrical boxes waiting for future use such as you wish you had. (Once I discovered some unused computer network cables, and that's because I had put them there myself a few years earlier.)

[volts500]

And you'll most likely be opening a HUGE can of Gremlins that you very likely will regret having opened. There should be a receptacle outlet(s) in those rooms (that don't have overhead lights) that are controlled by a switch for that room......usually (but not always) the switched receptacle outlet is the lower half of the receptacle that is closest to the switch. Find that switched receptacle outlet then plug a lamp into it and use the switch to control the lamp. If you're lucky those rooms will have more than one switched outlet, allowing the lamp to be placed in different locations.