I need to get this box off the wall! I started going in-between the box and the skirting board with a knife but the wires (and not knowing where they go inside) worry me.
Any thoughts on how to detach the box easily/safely?
Thanks
Best Answer
I would aim to pry out the top to see how the box is fixed in place, then disassemble the box and, if necessary, rebuild a new one from new wood.
Even replacing cut/damaged 240VAC wires is not an insurmountable obstacle.
Deciding that you are fully prepared to deal with the worst possible outcome is, for me, an important step in raising the necessary motivation to start on a difficult job.
Turn off the main electrical panel first. Take whatever other precautions seem appropriate.
There's a limit to how much damage you can do here. So long as you take some basic precautions. The sky won't fall.
Sometimes it takes a village. Here's a summary of what ended up working:
The first layer of tiling came off without too much trouble by using a heavy duty paint scraper (with a slight bend to it) and a hammer. I was able to get through this in less than an hour.
The second layer was much harder. I believe @Ecnerwal was right in that it was actually a layer of older vinyl or linoleum. This ended up coming up only with the use of a heat gun and the scraper. This took 3+ hours.
The remaining glue (putty like material) responded well to hot water. I heated up a kettle and would put a small amount of hot water on the remaining material. I used the scraper and a piece of steel wool to remove the material, sometimes requiring two passes. I had a towel handing to wipe up the water and material.
I'm now looking at fir flooring in relatively good condition, minus a nasty gouge mark I made when first trying to remove the tiling by force.
Some other details for those reading:
Make sure to take precautions as there may be asbestos in your flooring. Do not assume any of my steps taken were safe.
Paint thinner, as recommended by @Ecnerwal did not have any effect
I tried using some orange-based product to remove the glue from the floor. It had a minimal effect, took longer, and was more expensive than hot water. I didn't let it sit longer than a few hours, which may have limited it effectiveness (label recommended 30 minutes to 24 hours).
This, in the end, was really backbreaking work. Whether it was worth it or not will be more obvious once I figure out how well I can repair the gouge I made.
You don't remove it. The silicone is probably just to secure the pipe to the wall - so it doesn't wiggle or so that air doesn't get in.
If you need access to the pipe I would cut the white pipe. This would allow you to fully snake anything below. Chances are pretty high that all of these pipes are glued very well together. They are not meant to wiggle apart. If you do not want to cut them then you can try putting in a snake from a point further up or you can see if you have access from below in your main stack.
Best Answer
I would aim to pry out the top to see how the box is fixed in place, then disassemble the box and, if necessary, rebuild a new one from new wood.
Even replacing cut/damaged 240VAC wires is not an insurmountable obstacle.
Deciding that you are fully prepared to deal with the worst possible outcome is, for me, an important step in raising the necessary motivation to start on a difficult job.
Turn off the main electrical panel first. Take whatever other precautions seem appropriate.
There's a limit to how much damage you can do here. So long as you take some basic precautions. The sky won't fall.