The time I cut a power cord hidden under carpet padding

Last Tuesday I was doing a bedroom install in an old house in Portland and my power stretcher hit something hard under the pad. Turns out the previous owner ran an extension cord under the whole carpet for a lamp on the far wall, no tape or nothing. Anyone else ever find weird stuff buried under old carpet jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_wilson12d ago

Nah that's wild man. An extension cord under the carpet with no padding or tape? That's a fire hazard waiting to happen. I've found weird stuff like old coins and toys but never something that could burn the house down. The previous owner must have been in a big hurry or just didn't care about safety at all. Good thing you caught it before someone stepped on it wrong or a nail went through.

white.keith11d ago

Old mouse nests behind appliances are gross but that's just nature doing its thing. What gets me about that cord though is how it shows the previous owner must have had some serious issues they weren't dealing with. Probably something like they were rushing to hide evidence of something. People don't just casually shove cords under carpets like that unless they're trying to cover up a bad wiring job or they just flat out gave up on the house. Makes you wonder what else they half-assed that hasn't been discovered yet.

wade_anderson12d ago

Buddy of mine found a live mouse nest behind a stove that was still plugged in.

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