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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

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Mark Jerzykowski
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    I'm gonna guess that this could end up being more work than you think. Someone went to the trouble of putting this here and even floored and trimmed around it. Why do you need to remove it? – BrownRedHawk Feb 25 '16 at 21:17
  • Is that silicone caulk between the wires? – Jasper Feb 25 '16 at 21:20
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    I'd probably use a chisel and start at the slightly visible gap on the room facing side at the top to remove the top cover first. – Jasper Feb 25 '16 at 21:25
  • Is that a old heat register that was covered? – Ed Beal Feb 25 '16 at 21:45
  • I might consider screwing a bigger board to the top (3 or 4 screws), then giving the big board a few good thumps from the underside to see if you could dislodge it. But this might result in you having to rebuild the top, as it could split the top in an unsightly way... – Aloysius Defenestrate Feb 26 '16 at 02:13
  • You really have to ask why the box was put there, along with the wires. I doubt whoever originally installed it did so on a whim; they put some real effort into trimming it like the rest of the wall. – Daniel Griscom Feb 27 '16 at 03:31
  • The lhs is BT phone line, rhs is mains electric. Apparently I need to open up access so that BT can get their fibre cable in to the house. They won't touch it tho and my landlady is not helpful. – Mark Jerzykowski Feb 28 '16 at 16:09
  • Drill a 3/4" - 1" hole in the side and take a photo of the inside. The hole would be relatively small and possible to fill in if you decide not to mess with it based on what you see inside. – StayOnTarget Jul 27 '16 at 03:17

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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.

RedGrittyBrick
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