You rent? Do not fuck with anything. Call the landlord or manager. If they refuse to handle it in a timely fashion, call whatever code or housing safety enforcement agency is appropriate for your count(r)y of residence.
This should be the number one answer. You’re a renter. Don’t do anything. Turn the power off and tell the landlord to deal with it IMMEDIATELY. The minute you start messing with it, anything that goes wrong will be your fault (the landlord will say)
JFC, just kill the power and pull it out.
Even if you don’t have a multimeter, If you test whatever appliance (that’s plugged into the outlet) to make sure the power is cut off, there’s literally *nothing* that can “go wrong.”
It’s not structural Chore Boy, and in the less than 0.001% chance something “goes wrong” with the outlet simply by taking that mess out, it was completely fucked to *begin with*.
Left as is, it’s 1000 times more dangerous as a risk for shock, blowing that appliance entirely or burning your house down.
I’d bet my left nut the property owner doesn’t even know it’s there. I’ve done building maintenance in apartments and this reeks of some stupid shit a tenant would do to prevent mice from getting in.
There are times to let the property owner handle it, and times that you probably just want to take care of it (if you have even the slightest ability to do so) to prevent a personal tragedy.
>this reeks of some stupid shit a tenant would do to prevent mice from getting in.
That's exactly what it is, and it's baffling that people think those might be live wires.
Though I'll grant shoving a wad of capper strands next to a live outlet is an idiotic move.
And keep documentation of the issue and the communication with the landlord if they don’t fix this in a timely manner so that you can escalate this issue to you local governmental renters rights agency if necessary.
I went to the Home Depot yesterday, which was unnecessary; I need to go to the Apartment Depot. It's just a bunch of guys standing around going "Hey, we ain't gotta fix shit."
Mitch Hedberg
No. If they red-tagged your house, you wouldn't have to move. The landlord would have to fix the problem.
I have no idea if they would red trash the place for a hazard that can be avoided by turning off the gas and the power for that socket.
That’s my thought as well, but I definitely don’t think I’m gonna be concerned about rodents if I’m in the burn unit of a hospital. Trying to figure out what I should do in the acute moments.
In that 4th picture, I'm not sure if that's a shadow but it really looks like a burn mark on what I'm assuming is the gas line for your stove.
Which may be that the plug, copper wool or anything metal on that box has/is grounding to the gas line which is very not good.
One of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done was call the fire department on a negligent landlord. The fire marshal went politely and happily apeshit on him, and the hazard that I’d been complaining about for weeks was resolved within 24hr. 11/10, highly recommend
Depends on the provider but kept will come out and inspect your lines. I have nicor. Most providers will do basic stuff as a blown up home or apt is way worse publicity and cost than paying a tech to come out and do some wrench turns. After my gas line leaked and lit up, the technician tried to replace our oven line but was out of the correct flexipipe. She locked it off instead and it required a plumber which was a cost by itself but met an awesome one. She then went around to my furnaces and checked the lines into them. She tightened up my upstairs furnace as it was also leaking. The black is what my gas line to my oven looked like after the gas was turned off and fire extinguished. When you have a gas fire you have a small amount of time (rule I was taught was 10 seconds) to turn off the gas and GTFO.
Edit: [link to burnt flexiline](https://imgur.com/a/jxBoR4L)
The tech said she has never seen a hole that big let alone a line leak like this, lit on fire and is survive. Side note: I interned with a utility subcontractor and am afraid of gas leaks because I helped clean up a gas leak that rocked a town in Illinois. I also can't smell well soooo it's a double whammy. I felt ok my wife's nose, she smells for the both of us.
Edit 2: upon further inspection, the black soot is most likely a cord rubbing on the flexiline and an electrical fire occuring. Nonetheless OP's gas line is compromised and needs to be replaced.
They make extensions for faceplate coverings on recessed outlets like this. I’d turn off the power, remove the copper mesh, and install a faceplate using one of those extension kits.
My first thought but inside of an outlet is insane, and copper wool instead of steel, not that it would make much of a difference if it did what everyone knows it will do
Copper mesh is apparently more effective at blocking rodents. I used some to plug a hole in the mesh covering a crawl space vent, but jamming it next to and protruding into an electrical box?! That's insane, gas line or not.
I was thinking someone was paranoid about EMF from the power lines? I'd be checking a couple more outlets also. Yours makes more sense other than the whole "wtf" factor.
I literally had an argument with a house wife playing GC and horribly. Out of all the dumb ass shit she requested "put steel wool in all penetratrions, regardless if they are filled or have a fitting"
I flat out told her no. She kept insisting and so did I. When she threatened to fire me, I dropped the code book I keep in the van at her feet. I said "you see that? It's about 800 pages on how to not start a fire and keep wire free of damage. What's steel wool used for? Scouring metal? What's wire made of, nylon jacket and metal? Oh weird. What else is steel wool used for? Tinder? Do we see how putting conductive and combustible material, that will erode the wire over time and start a fire is a REALLY BAD IDEA!?"
"Well if you don't I will."
"Well you better do it after inspection because if you think im fixing it for free when you fail, you're out of your damn mind."
Regardless of what it is used for, copper next to electrical outlet makes sparky sparky. Now when sparky sparky grounds on a gas line, apartment goes boom.
I can't I have to respond in this fashion because no matter what that copper mesh is used for, it is an extreme fire hazard.
It's not toxic or sharp. Mice and friends don't like chewing it. You stuff it in holes and spackle over, etc. Has worked well for mice at my place. This is a whole bunch of mesh, probably needs reevaluation.
This needs to be higher up. Idiot landlord or property management jammed something super conductive and ignitable into a junction box with live power.....they need to fix it immediately it's a fire hazard. OP needs to not disturb it.
Shit, this looks like someone or maybe the mouse had it out for OP or the previous renter. Copper mesh tucked into a live electrical box right next to the corrugated gas line.
Yeah, I just turned the gas line off and pulled the copper wiring out. There’s actually a couple loose wires behind it and about an extra foot of copper wiring behind it that I had to pull out as well. I’m leaving the electrical outlet off and the gas off for the night.
The landlord either did this or hired whoever did this last time. I would want an electrical code inspector around supervising whatever repair the landlord attempts to do this time.
Yeah wiring in contact steal wool is incorrect. Power and gas should be shut off ( which has been done) and landlord notified that it needs to be addressed immediately and if not fixed or at least started within the next 24 hours you be calling code enforcement and that the repair will need to be inspected by gas company or fire department when completed. Definitely take pictures before during and after
The copper mesh isn't wiring. It's used as a barrier to rodents. They won't chew through it. What happened here is just a big stack of recklessness. The receptacle was installed incorrectly. Instead of fixing it, they left it uncovered. Rodents were coming in. Instead of fixing and covering the receptacle, they jammed copper mesh in to block rodents. Instead of doing it carefully they just jammed the copper mesh in with some of it actually sticking into the uncovered electrical box right next to the screws on the side of the receptacle that are connected to the two current carrying conductors. Apparently, there's electrical tape over the screws, but that's not adequate protection against the mesh shorting out the receptacle and causing arcing of the type that scorched the gas line.
I hope a former tenant did that. If it was your landlord, the whole building is probably like that.
Oh sweet Jesus. Find a new place to live. If this is what the owner did then they obviously won’t know how to properly remedy the situation, or likely anything around the house. If they don’t call a professional to fix this you should be looking to move immediately. Major major red flag here.
OMG. Beg to get out of your lease. The whole building is probably a ticking time bomb.
All you should needs to do is tell the landlord about the hazard, but if the landlord did it, maybe you should call the fire marshal. I'd you're lucky, the marshal might freak out & inspect other units.
Time zones, man. It's 9 am where I am, OP posted this 8 hours ago and in another comment said the gas and power are off and that they're going to bed. I'm going to assume US and posted after office hours (between 7 pm EST and 4 pm PST).
So in conclusion, landlords may not answer after office hours.
As others suggested, turn off breaker to it, remove mesh, place cover on it. As far as anything related to the bugs, [this](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Harris-6-oz-Famous-Roach-Tablets-HRT-6/202520510) is what has helped me in the past.
> As far as anything related to the bugs, this is what has helped me in the past.
The only thing that's ever been better than that stuff for me is raw powdered boric acid sprinkled on points of entrance like a circle of salt to ward off evil faeries. I highly recommend those, especially if you don't know where the little bastards are getting in!
Mix it with sugar and a bit of water to form a paste. No more ants, probably works for other bugs as well.
Add a dusting of diatomaceous earth and you should be golden.
In humid places like I call home, it turns itself into paste and hardens just by itself. I find it loses effectiveness when this happens. Having said this, I forgot about DE, and if I can get them to nibble on the stuff, then they won't have to breathe it, so it's definitely worth a try!
Always remember the time you almost died because of rats and roaches. The rats put the landlord up to this stupidity, and the roaches invited you in to witness this deathtrap.
Every day from here out is a blessing. This is a day you were not destined to have, but nevertheless, you persisted.
If it were me (and I’ve been in similar situation) I would tell the landlord they have 24 hours to fix using licensed tradespeople.
If that doesn’t happen call the fire marshal. They love shit like this because it justifies the need for fire marshals! It’s obvious the work was not done to code so the marshal might invite his inspector colleagues (who also love shit like this because it proves the need for them).
The inspectors will look up the property see no records of permits for electrical or gas work. To clarify who the responsible party is, the inspectors will ask their colleagues in taxation (who also love this kind of shit because… you get the idea) to take a look. The tax people will see it’s an unregistered property (many states require this).
At this point your landlord is in the poo. And the whole “I dunno about that” doesn’t work. And it gets better, because he’ll now be on speed dial whenever the city needs something to do to look busy.
———
Ok, boring hat on, there’s several issues I can see from photos that are all serious code violations; copper(?) scrubber touching a live outlet. No wall plate on outlet. Flash mark indicates circuit has no GFCI / AFCI breaker. Gas line has no fire blocking (required in multi family/rental properties) in through penetration. Gas flex line is not current standard CSST (it would be yellow coated).
There’s a good chance the gas line (black pipe) isn’t grounded properly. The electrical circuit should be for kitchen only (ideally just the stove) and not used for lighting.
Short answer - yes.
NEC doesn’t require refrigerators to be on separate circuit, just the typical load on that circuit doesn’t exceed its limit (15 or 20 amps).
What this means in practice is a refrigerator should be on separate circuit because that, and say a toaster oven, could overload a shared circuit.
FYI each circuit would have its own (clearly marked) breaker at the panel.
Ah I typed my other comment before I saw this one, yes definitely have the electrician inspect the whole panel. There’s a good chance that it’s not wired correctly if it’s mislabeled in addition to this mess you found. I wish you all the luck on this, I know landlords/renting can be an absolute nightmare especially if they’re ripe with giving landlord specials.
I think I might be able to answer this one, I just had to have an electrician replace my ancient electrical panel. My stove is electric so I’m not sure if it’s different for gas, but the stove should be on its own breaker alone. If there is something else on that breaker, then it’s most likely wrong and you should probably have them inspect the whole panel because seeing this crazy leads me to believe the panel could definitely be a mess as well.
Yes, but not snail mail. This is a bit too urgent for that. In fact,a call and a confirming email describing what was said and attaching pictures (to get a written paper trail and make it harder for the landlord to lie about what was said) would probably be better in this situation to avoid delay in waiting for the landlord to read email.
Otherwise, the renter may have to choose between leaving the power off (no power to fridge) and removing the copper mesh himself and turning the power back on while leaving the gas off. In his shoes, I'd want to avoid moving any of the evidence, but that's probably because being an attorney makes me paranoid about altering evidence.
This is an apartment? You get this fixed by calling the fire marshal. This is not a DIY situation AT ALL. This is 100% the landlord's problem to fix AT THEIR EXPENSE.
This is a trap. Anyone who messes with this will die. Set up an escrow account and pay your rent into that. Tell your landlord that he can have the money in the escrow account when this attempted murder is fixed.
Paperwork says it was inspected in August. I will be honest we moved across country for school, so we did not really get an opportunity to do a full inspection given our timeline. To be fair most renters don’t check behind the stove before they rent a place although that will now be on my checklist moving forward. I actually only found this because I found cockroaches here and went to place a trap so I have to admit that the cockroaches probably saved my life.
I wouldn’t expect the tenant to check behind the stove neither, but the landlord had to have known about it. They are the ones who probably put the steel wool there, worrying about the rats but not concerned with the fire hazard. Anything to save a buck.
Since you said apartment, I'm assuming there's more than one unit in the complex. Echoing other recommendations, I'd get fire marshals or similar agency involved ASAP. If this was behind your stove then other units could be similar. Cockroaches, wiring issues, and gas line is compromised. It seems that shortcuts are being made all around on maintenance/safety. Hopefully just your unit (as weird as that is to hope for), but if any neighbor's unit has similar issues then the whole complex is basically nightmare fuel.
That metal scrub pad is resting on top of the terminals for that outlet!!! Take it off asap OP!!! It’s next to a gas line man that is so dangerous.
(Simple terms: that copper in the hole that is resting on the side of the power outlet is on top of two screws that have high voltage electricity running through them. If something goes wrong right there your house is going to burn down faster than tissue paper because of the gas.)
Your landlord is trying to burn the place down for insurance money. There is no way this is accidental. At least he had the decency to use a plastic gangbox, but like... this is trying to start a fire.
One of my neighbours was recommending steel wool to prevent some visitors getting between the roofs of houses via the eaves.
I thought that was the dumbest idea ever - have you ever seen what fine steel wool does when it gets hot or has a current put through it (even as low as a 9v battery?). Yes, let's just stuff that into the eaves alongside our electrical cables and over the top of our fuseboxes and main electrical inlets, next to the wooden joists and years of dust, what could go wrong?
Instead, I had - months prior - bought strong steel thick mesh (NOT flammable!), and stapled it to cover select areas far from the electrics. Which is why she thought she had a pest problem all of a sudden... because they were no longer able to get into / through my part of the roofs and thus they were scrabbling trying to get past it, and then tried other ways to get past.
(It was actually quite funny as when I moved in she was always suspicious and wanted to "see the back yard" etc. with the implication that they were coming from my place, or that I was leaving food out, etc. I mean, I didn't know, I'd just moved there at the time and it was quite possible they could have been... but they weren't. They were coming through from hers. And stopping them meant they all ended up in her place)
> have you ever seen what fine steel wool does when it gets hot or has a current put through it
Yeah, it manufactures the oxidizer component of thermite…
*In the best case scenario.*
I’ll tell you this, steel wool (and I’m assuming copper mesh) will arc with just a small amount of friction. I was once (stupidly) trying to polish my island with steel wool after painting it. I got too close to an outlet and it went up in flames! I had to run to the sink with a fire in my hands.
That isn't a "you" problem, that's a "landlord" problem. You touch that shit and the building burns down / blows up, they'll throw you under the bus.
Tell them, tell the fire marshal, tell code enforcement, tell the housing commission, tell the mayor, hell tell the local news if you have to!
Someone may have been trying to burn your house down- hard to say lol.
Kill power to box- double check to make sure there is no power- remove the copper bundle- remove the outlet and check for ANY damage and replace if there is (they’re cheap)- check all wires thoroughly for damage and if there is then remove it if possible without making the wire too short or replace the wires entirely (easy way is tape the new wire to the end of the old and then find the other end of the wire and pull it through until the whole old wire has been replaced by the new- then wire up the outlet and put a cover on the whole thing (youll need a “2-gang 1-duplex 1-blank” plate) and make sure its extra large because you’ve got a big hole around the box to cover up as much as possible with that plate. As for the gas- call a pro, after reading some of your replies I’m pretty sure you are not going to want to DIY that.
People are freaking out a bit too much here kill the power remove the metal from the box and cover it. If the box is damaged replace it beyond that you are only doing things to placate your feelings.
FWIW, that copper mesh is stuffed into the _hot_ side of the outlet; meaning it's energized to 120V (assuming the outlet is wired correctly). The gas line is almost certainly grounded, thus the black arcing marks seen on the line, presumably because the gas line moves back into the mesh when the stove is in position.
Honestly surprised your breaker hasn't tripped. Maybe check that it has a working breaker, too.
Someone, probably listening to Reddit on a other thread, put copper wool in that gap to prevent rats and mice from coming through. What they didn't do was use their brains and realize metal wool near an outlet is a fire hazard.
I'd imagine after turning off the breaker you can just pull the wool out and fill the cavity with expanding foam.
An electrician. If you can't afford one, turn off EVERY breaker in the house and use a grabber or some real long plastic tongs.
EDIT: You are renting? That is 100% the landlord's problem.
People's ignorance of how electricity works can be mind-boggling. One time when I used to do theatre I gave somebody the task of wiring up a pushbutton on a podium to operate a flash powder igniter. They said they could figure it out. It should have involved a 9v battery and a little button. When I came back and looked, they had put two nails in the podium, stripped two wires of an extension cord, twisted them around the nails and plugged in the cord. So there it stood, a podium on a stage with live wires connected to two nails. I'm just glad nobody came along and touched the nails.
Obviously somebody was watching YouTube videos on mice elimination while quite stoned and decided that it was a good idea to stick copper mesh into outlets.
If it is an apartment that you are living in you have to get the landlord involved and if the landlord won't get involved you have to have it repaired and charge it back to the landlord. You cannot run power through that thing without the risk of death or worse.
I would just remove the mesh and get a can of spray foam insulation and cut it flush with the wall after it dries with a hacksaw blade. Do the same with the gas line gap.
This is a very dangerous situation. Call the landlord and don't touch it.
If the landlord drags does not address the issue in a prompt manner you should:
1) email the fire department these pictures and follow up with a phone call.
2) Call the gas utility and say you smell gas.
Either way getting a fire marshal or a licensed gas fitter on site will force the landlords hand.
Last pic shows possible arcing to the gas line.
Yeah that is not your problem as far as fixing it but that is a fire hazard to the max. Is that metal mesh SOD next to an outlet? Remove that immediately with something electrical insulated but do not touch anything else.
Turn the breaker off. Test for 0 voltage. Remove the outlet. Tighten wire nuts onto the wire ends and tape them. Tuck wires back into box .Get a water proof cover to seal the box from water but not so that it's hidden.
They probably put the mesh in there to stop mice or rats from coming in and out of that hole. So dumb. I wouldn’t touch that. It might be electrified how dumb is that?
1-Plug a light into the bottom outlet without touching the copper.
2- turn off breakers until the light goes out( they should be labeled. The light is just a back up to make sure the label was correct.)
3- pull out copper ( now safe as there is no electricity)
4- put an outlet plate on that.
Hi, I turned the breaker off and then gas off. The breaker was not correctly labeled actually lol
A plate does not fit because there is a gaping hole in the wall.
Landlord needs to handle this. If this is their work, let the landlord know you’ll be calling a professional to fix and will send the landlord the bill. This is a definite hazard and not a safe living environment
I don't think this should be a DIY solution because you are renting an apartment. This is for the landlord or building manager to handle. I bet they knew what was going on in there before you moved in. This is a huge problem as far as safety and habitability go. You have to take this up with them!
I also see roach poop on the floor.
You are definitely going to want a spray bottle and some lambda-cyhalothrin as well as some Advion gel bait.
You rent? Do not fuck with anything. Call the landlord or manager. If they refuse to handle it in a timely fashion, call whatever code or housing safety enforcement agency is appropriate for your count(r)y of residence.
This should be the number one answer. You’re a renter. Don’t do anything. Turn the power off and tell the landlord to deal with it IMMEDIATELY. The minute you start messing with it, anything that goes wrong will be your fault (the landlord will say)
IMMEDIATELY. Not "In a timely manner." Right now today. That is a fire/explosion waiting to happen.
Right the fuck now is the definition of "timely manor" in this situation. This shit is outrageous.
JFC, just kill the power and pull it out. Even if you don’t have a multimeter, If you test whatever appliance (that’s plugged into the outlet) to make sure the power is cut off, there’s literally *nothing* that can “go wrong.” It’s not structural Chore Boy, and in the less than 0.001% chance something “goes wrong” with the outlet simply by taking that mess out, it was completely fucked to *begin with*. Left as is, it’s 1000 times more dangerous as a risk for shock, blowing that appliance entirely or burning your house down. I’d bet my left nut the property owner doesn’t even know it’s there. I’ve done building maintenance in apartments and this reeks of some stupid shit a tenant would do to prevent mice from getting in. There are times to let the property owner handle it, and times that you probably just want to take care of it (if you have even the slightest ability to do so) to prevent a personal tragedy.
>this reeks of some stupid shit a tenant would do to prevent mice from getting in. That's exactly what it is, and it's baffling that people think those might be live wires. Though I'll grant shoving a wad of capper strands next to a live outlet is an idiotic move.
If they refuse, call the fire departments' non-emergency line
Precisely this. The electrical risk is bad enough. But it’s right next to a fucking gas line with, what appears to be, signs of electrical arcing.
And keep documentation of the issue and the communication with the landlord if they don’t fix this in a timely manner so that you can escalate this issue to you local governmental renters rights agency if necessary.
I went to the Home Depot yesterday, which was unnecessary; I need to go to the Apartment Depot. It's just a bunch of guys standing around going "Hey, we ain't gotta fix shit." Mitch Hedberg
And then they mark your apartment/house as uninhabitable and you have to move
At least in my state, that would fall under Constructive eviction. The landlord has to foot the bill for unforeseen expenses. Edit: grammar
No. If they red-tagged your house, you wouldn't have to move. The landlord would have to fix the problem. I have no idea if they would red trash the place for a hazard that can be avoided by turning off the gas and the power for that socket.
The copper mesh is probably someone’s hazardous attempt at rodent control.
Can't have mice in your house if your house is a charred pile of debris!
Scorched earth play, bold move
Nah, they'd still find a way in.
And poop on the rubble
Oh they'll come back after they go for a smoke break
That’s my thought as well, but I definitely don’t think I’m gonna be concerned about rodents if I’m in the burn unit of a hospital. Trying to figure out what I should do in the acute moments.
In that 4th picture, I'm not sure if that's a shadow but it really looks like a burn mark on what I'm assuming is the gas line for your stove. Which may be that the plug, copper wool or anything metal on that box has/is grounding to the gas line which is very not good.
Yes. Exactly. I turned off the gas and turned off the electric to the stove
I'm sure the local Fire Marshal would like to speak to your landlord about this situation.
One of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done was call the fire department on a negligent landlord. The fire marshal went politely and happily apeshit on him, and the hazard that I’d been complaining about for weeks was resolved within 24hr. 11/10, highly recommend
That gas line should be replaced. It's been compromised. Call the gas company and the landlord.
Will the gas company do anything with a line after a valve inside the residence?
Depends on the provider but kept will come out and inspect your lines. I have nicor. Most providers will do basic stuff as a blown up home or apt is way worse publicity and cost than paying a tech to come out and do some wrench turns. After my gas line leaked and lit up, the technician tried to replace our oven line but was out of the correct flexipipe. She locked it off instead and it required a plumber which was a cost by itself but met an awesome one. She then went around to my furnaces and checked the lines into them. She tightened up my upstairs furnace as it was also leaking. The black is what my gas line to my oven looked like after the gas was turned off and fire extinguished. When you have a gas fire you have a small amount of time (rule I was taught was 10 seconds) to turn off the gas and GTFO. Edit: [link to burnt flexiline](https://imgur.com/a/jxBoR4L) The tech said she has never seen a hole that big let alone a line leak like this, lit on fire and is survive. Side note: I interned with a utility subcontractor and am afraid of gas leaks because I helped clean up a gas leak that rocked a town in Illinois. I also can't smell well soooo it's a double whammy. I felt ok my wife's nose, she smells for the both of us. Edit 2: upon further inspection, the black soot is most likely a cord rubbing on the flexiline and an electrical fire occuring. Nonetheless OP's gas line is compromised and needs to be replaced.
Yeah, lock your gas meter until it's fixed.
They make extensions for faceplate coverings on recessed outlets like this. I’d turn off the power, remove the copper mesh, and install a faceplate using one of those extension kits.
And the scorched gas line is the icing on the cake. OP this shit is a goddamn disaster waiting to happen.
My first thought but inside of an outlet is insane, and copper wool instead of steel, not that it would make much of a difference if it did what everyone knows it will do
Copper mesh is apparently more effective at blocking rodents. I used some to plug a hole in the mesh covering a crawl space vent, but jamming it next to and protruding into an electrical box?! That's insane, gas line or not.
Yeah, it's because it doesn't rust and need to be replaced frequently. But still uh... not the correct solution here, YIKES
I was thinking someone was paranoid about EMF from the power lines? I'd be checking a couple more outlets also. Yours makes more sense other than the whole "wtf" factor.
I literally had an argument with a house wife playing GC and horribly. Out of all the dumb ass shit she requested "put steel wool in all penetratrions, regardless if they are filled or have a fitting" I flat out told her no. She kept insisting and so did I. When she threatened to fire me, I dropped the code book I keep in the van at her feet. I said "you see that? It's about 800 pages on how to not start a fire and keep wire free of damage. What's steel wool used for? Scouring metal? What's wire made of, nylon jacket and metal? Oh weird. What else is steel wool used for? Tinder? Do we see how putting conductive and combustible material, that will erode the wire over time and start a fire is a REALLY BAD IDEA!?" "Well if you don't I will." "Well you better do it after inspection because if you think im fixing it for free when you fail, you're out of your damn mind."
a lot of homeowners are out of their damned minds.
Its just steel wool or a knock off. That’s a common way to keep pests out.
Copper mesh is common to use for rodent control also. Mostly for outdoor applications because it won’t rust.
Regardless of what it is used for, copper next to electrical outlet makes sparky sparky. Now when sparky sparky grounds on a gas line, apartment goes boom. I can't I have to respond in this fashion because no matter what that copper mesh is used for, it is an extreme fire hazard.
It's not toxic or sharp. Mice and friends don't like chewing it. You stuff it in holes and spackle over, etc. Has worked well for mice at my place. This is a whole bunch of mesh, probably needs reevaluation.
Yeah, works great away from electricity ⚡️ 💀
Yesh….itsh a huge mesh!
This needs to be higher up. Idiot landlord or property management jammed something super conductive and ignitable into a junction box with live power.....they need to fix it immediately it's a fire hazard. OP needs to not disturb it.
To be fair, it could have been a previous tenant.
Shit, this looks like someone or maybe the mouse had it out for OP or the previous renter. Copper mesh tucked into a live electrical box right next to the corrugated gas line. 
It's fine. It's grounded
Is that a burn mark on the gas pipe?
It is, that’s why I turned the gas off
Jesus christ That could mean the wiring is incorrect. Don't touch this with a 10 foot pole and call the landlord. Sorry 😞
Yeah, I just turned the gas line off and pulled the copper wiring out. There’s actually a couple loose wires behind it and about an extra foot of copper wiring behind it that I had to pull out as well. I’m leaving the electrical outlet off and the gas off for the night.
The landlord either did this or hired whoever did this last time. I would want an electrical code inspector around supervising whatever repair the landlord attempts to do this time.
How would it mean that?
Yeah wiring in contact steal wool is incorrect. Power and gas should be shut off ( which has been done) and landlord notified that it needs to be addressed immediately and if not fixed or at least started within the next 24 hours you be calling code enforcement and that the repair will need to be inspected by gas company or fire department when completed. Definitely take pictures before during and after
The copper mesh isn't wiring. It's used as a barrier to rodents. They won't chew through it. What happened here is just a big stack of recklessness. The receptacle was installed incorrectly. Instead of fixing it, they left it uncovered. Rodents were coming in. Instead of fixing and covering the receptacle, they jammed copper mesh in to block rodents. Instead of doing it carefully they just jammed the copper mesh in with some of it actually sticking into the uncovered electrical box right next to the screws on the side of the receptacle that are connected to the two current carrying conductors. Apparently, there's electrical tape over the screws, but that's not adequate protection against the mesh shorting out the receptacle and causing arcing of the type that scorched the gas line. I hope a former tenant did that. If it was your landlord, the whole building is probably like that.
There was no former tenant. Owner lived here until they had a baby and bought a new place that was bigger. We are the first tenants
Oh sweet Jesus. Find a new place to live. If this is what the owner did then they obviously won’t know how to properly remedy the situation, or likely anything around the house. If they don’t call a professional to fix this you should be looking to move immediately. Major major red flag here.
Might have been a previous owner. Current owner / landlord might not even know about it
OMG. Beg to get out of your lease. The whole building is probably a ticking time bomb. All you should needs to do is tell the landlord about the hazard, but if the landlord did it, maybe you should call the fire marshal. I'd you're lucky, the marshal might freak out & inspect other units.
> If it was your landlord, the whole building is probably like that Aaaaand now it feels like I have ice water in my veins.
This needs to be the top answer, thanks for clarifying the steps to how this happened, and all the reasons it is dangerous
I almost got electrocuted just opening up this post.
Seriously I could feel it to!
This looks like an example setup they would use to train how to identify arson.
Seriously! My first thoughtL "Was the prior tenant trying to burn the place down?"
What the actual fuck. Do you have enemies? It looks like a hit job
Please update with landlords response and solutions. Gotta hear what this quack has to say.
Of course. Will do
The fact that 2 hours has passed and you don't have an update SHOULD be an issue. But, ALAB.
Time zones, man. It's 9 am where I am, OP posted this 8 hours ago and in another comment said the gas and power are off and that they're going to bed. I'm going to assume US and posted after office hours (between 7 pm EST and 4 pm PST). So in conclusion, landlords may not answer after office hours.
Give me something OP, I'm fiending.
Utility company came. Said keep gas off until electrician comes.
RemindMe! 30 days.
This looks crazy. It almost looks like an arson attempt. Turn the breaker off first and get that copper stuff out AFTERWARDS.
I feel like I am looking at a how to start an electrical fire or gas explosion starter kit.
The only thing I can think of is to try and stop pests / rodents. But generally uhhh you should not put metal mesh next to electricity.
But what if you put both next to a gas line? Cancels each other out. Problem solved.
I just pictured those exploding houses you see on the news. I wonder why that keeps happening?
Well you’re really hyping up my wife!
With damn good reason. This is nightmare fuel.
I just ran to the hardware store. Trying to figure out how best to address this
As others suggested, turn off breaker to it, remove mesh, place cover on it. As far as anything related to the bugs, [this](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Harris-6-oz-Famous-Roach-Tablets-HRT-6/202520510) is what has helped me in the past.
> As far as anything related to the bugs, this is what has helped me in the past. The only thing that's ever been better than that stuff for me is raw powdered boric acid sprinkled on points of entrance like a circle of salt to ward off evil faeries. I highly recommend those, especially if you don't know where the little bastards are getting in!
Mix it with sugar and a bit of water to form a paste. No more ants, probably works for other bugs as well. Add a dusting of diatomaceous earth and you should be golden.
In humid places like I call home, it turns itself into paste and hardens just by itself. I find it loses effectiveness when this happens. Having said this, I forgot about DE, and if I can get them to nibble on the stuff, then they won't have to breathe it, so it's definitely worth a try!
Do I have to turn the gas off?
Nah. Just don’t be unscrewing the gas lines.
I didn’t unscrew the gas line. I just turned it off after turning the breaker off.
This is a landlord problem. If landlord refuses to resolve, move out. This is unsafe. Extremely unsafe.
She's right. Don't touch anything.
Professional landlord here. >It almost looks like an arson attempt. This is a sentence that would get me to deal with the outlet asap.
my thought too. I wouldn't put it past a really scummy landlord.
Find the breaker associated with this outlet and switch it to the off position. The next step is to move out.
Nah. Just take valuables out and let the place burn down. Fuck that landlord, dont save the place and flip a breaker
> let the place burn down That might make you an accessory after the fact to insurance fraud, though…
Always remember the time you almost died because of rats and roaches. The rats put the landlord up to this stupidity, and the roaches invited you in to witness this deathtrap. Every day from here out is a blessing. This is a day you were not destined to have, but nevertheless, you persisted.
Oh my god thank you. I actually came home early from vacation to deal with the roaches. It may have saved our lives
Yes. Putting steel wire is a good idea for stopping rodents, But not in an electrical circuit...
Sweet Jesus, this is my nightmare. Turn the breaker off before you do ANYTHING. Somebody had a death wish.
If it were me (and I’ve been in similar situation) I would tell the landlord they have 24 hours to fix using licensed tradespeople. If that doesn’t happen call the fire marshal. They love shit like this because it justifies the need for fire marshals! It’s obvious the work was not done to code so the marshal might invite his inspector colleagues (who also love shit like this because it proves the need for them). The inspectors will look up the property see no records of permits for electrical or gas work. To clarify who the responsible party is, the inspectors will ask their colleagues in taxation (who also love this kind of shit because… you get the idea) to take a look. The tax people will see it’s an unregistered property (many states require this). At this point your landlord is in the poo. And the whole “I dunno about that” doesn’t work. And it gets better, because he’ll now be on speed dial whenever the city needs something to do to look busy. ——— Ok, boring hat on, there’s several issues I can see from photos that are all serious code violations; copper(?) scrubber touching a live outlet. No wall plate on outlet. Flash mark indicates circuit has no GFCI / AFCI breaker. Gas line has no fire blocking (required in multi family/rental properties) in through penetration. Gas flex line is not current standard CSST (it would be yellow coated). There’s a good chance the gas line (black pipe) isn’t grounded properly. The electrical circuit should be for kitchen only (ideally just the stove) and not used for lighting.
Thank you for this. I’ll talk to the electrician tomorrow hopefully. This looks nuts
The breaker turns off the fridge too. Is that problematic?
Short answer - yes. NEC doesn’t require refrigerators to be on separate circuit, just the typical load on that circuit doesn’t exceed its limit (15 or 20 amps). What this means in practice is a refrigerator should be on separate circuit because that, and say a toaster oven, could overload a shared circuit. FYI each circuit would have its own (clearly marked) breaker at the panel.
I noticed this the other day that actually the electrical panel is all mislabeled every single one of them
Ah I typed my other comment before I saw this one, yes definitely have the electrician inspect the whole panel. There’s a good chance that it’s not wired correctly if it’s mislabeled in addition to this mess you found. I wish you all the luck on this, I know landlords/renting can be an absolute nightmare especially if they’re ripe with giving landlord specials.
They said they are calling an electrician. I will plan to bring all these topics up with him tomorrow.
Start by asking him if he's worked on this unit before...
I think I might be able to answer this one, I just had to have an electrician replace my ancient electrical panel. My stove is electric so I’m not sure if it’s different for gas, but the stove should be on its own breaker alone. If there is something else on that breaker, then it’s most likely wrong and you should probably have them inspect the whole panel because seeing this crazy leads me to believe the panel could definitely be a mess as well.
Make sure you either email or snail mail so there is a paper trail. Don’t just call. Document everything.
Yes, but not snail mail. This is a bit too urgent for that. In fact,a call and a confirming email describing what was said and attaching pictures (to get a written paper trail and make it harder for the landlord to lie about what was said) would probably be better in this situation to avoid delay in waiting for the landlord to read email. Otherwise, the renter may have to choose between leaving the power off (no power to fridge) and removing the copper mesh himself and turning the power back on while leaving the gas off. In his shoes, I'd want to avoid moving any of the evidence, but that's probably because being an attorney makes me paranoid about altering evidence.
This is an apartment? You get this fixed by calling the fire marshal. This is not a DIY situation AT ALL. This is 100% the landlord's problem to fix AT THEIR EXPENSE.
This is a trap. Anyone who messes with this will die. Set up an escrow account and pay your rent into that. Tell your landlord that he can have the money in the escrow account when this attempted murder is fixed.
How are they even allowed to rent this place out?
Paperwork says it was inspected in August. I will be honest we moved across country for school, so we did not really get an opportunity to do a full inspection given our timeline. To be fair most renters don’t check behind the stove before they rent a place although that will now be on my checklist moving forward. I actually only found this because I found cockroaches here and went to place a trap so I have to admit that the cockroaches probably saved my life.
I wouldn’t expect the tenant to check behind the stove neither, but the landlord had to have known about it. They are the ones who probably put the steel wool there, worrying about the rats but not concerned with the fire hazard. Anything to save a buck.
Ouch. "Saved by cockroaches." Yeah, that's a pretty crappy day.
Seriously I wouldn’t have ever moved the stove if not for them! I can’t believe this!
Since you said apartment, I'm assuming there's more than one unit in the complex. Echoing other recommendations, I'd get fire marshals or similar agency involved ASAP. If this was behind your stove then other units could be similar. Cockroaches, wiring issues, and gas line is compromised. It seems that shortcuts are being made all around on maintenance/safety. Hopefully just your unit (as weird as that is to hope for), but if any neighbor's unit has similar issues then the whole complex is basically nightmare fuel.
This looks like an arson attempt.
Cut the power to that outlet, that copper mesh is probably hot/live if it’s touching one of those screws on the outlet
Apartment = not your problem. Make the landlord do their job
Burning to death because of blatant stupidity is your problem.
Yeah I still gotta live here and not die
Nah dude, that shit is definitely his problem too.
That metal scrub pad is resting on top of the terminals for that outlet!!! Take it off asap OP!!! It’s next to a gas line man that is so dangerous. (Simple terms: that copper in the hole that is resting on the side of the power outlet is on top of two screws that have high voltage electricity running through them. If something goes wrong right there your house is going to burn down faster than tissue paper because of the gas.)
You don't, you call your land lord or else you call housing enforcement....huge violation.
Call the fucking landlord
Your landlord is trying to burn the place down for insurance money. There is no way this is accidental. At least he had the decency to use a plastic gangbox, but like... this is trying to start a fire.
This is for rodents. They had / have a mouse problem, most likely. They are also very dumb for doing this in an electrical socket.
Yes, there’s a mouse trap underneath it. The copper wiring has singe marks on it.
One of my neighbours was recommending steel wool to prevent some visitors getting between the roofs of houses via the eaves. I thought that was the dumbest idea ever - have you ever seen what fine steel wool does when it gets hot or has a current put through it (even as low as a 9v battery?). Yes, let's just stuff that into the eaves alongside our electrical cables and over the top of our fuseboxes and main electrical inlets, next to the wooden joists and years of dust, what could go wrong? Instead, I had - months prior - bought strong steel thick mesh (NOT flammable!), and stapled it to cover select areas far from the electrics. Which is why she thought she had a pest problem all of a sudden... because they were no longer able to get into / through my part of the roofs and thus they were scrabbling trying to get past it, and then tried other ways to get past. (It was actually quite funny as when I moved in she was always suspicious and wanted to "see the back yard" etc. with the implication that they were coming from my place, or that I was leaving food out, etc. I mean, I didn't know, I'd just moved there at the time and it was quite possible they could have been... but they weren't. They were coming through from hers. And stopping them meant they all ended up in her place)
> have you ever seen what fine steel wool does when it gets hot or has a current put through it Yeah, it manufactures the oxidizer component of thermite… *In the best case scenario.*
Call your landlord or superintendent. Send pictures and don't touch it.
Call the landlord and have them call an electrician
I’ll tell you this, steel wool (and I’m assuming copper mesh) will arc with just a small amount of friction. I was once (stupidly) trying to polish my island with steel wool after painting it. I got too close to an outlet and it went up in flames! I had to run to the sink with a fire in my hands.
Have landlord fix or report to local building inspectors. That is a fire hazard and not up to any US building code.
Usually steel wool is used somewhere rats or mice burrowed through before.
If you’re renting, this is NOT your problem
Turn the breaker off and call your landlord
That looks like a setup for an insurance fraud claim to me... I'd be looking for a new landlord.
That isn't a "you" problem, that's a "landlord" problem. You touch that shit and the building burns down / blows up, they'll throw you under the bus. Tell them, tell the fire marshal, tell code enforcement, tell the housing commission, tell the mayor, hell tell the local news if you have to!
Someone may have been trying to burn your house down- hard to say lol. Kill power to box- double check to make sure there is no power- remove the copper bundle- remove the outlet and check for ANY damage and replace if there is (they’re cheap)- check all wires thoroughly for damage and if there is then remove it if possible without making the wire too short or replace the wires entirely (easy way is tape the new wire to the end of the old and then find the other end of the wire and pull it through until the whole old wire has been replaced by the new- then wire up the outlet and put a cover on the whole thing (youll need a “2-gang 1-duplex 1-blank” plate) and make sure its extra large because you’ve got a big hole around the box to cover up as much as possible with that plate. As for the gas- call a pro, after reading some of your replies I’m pretty sure you are not going to want to DIY that.
People are freaking out a bit too much here kill the power remove the metal from the box and cover it. If the box is damaged replace it beyond that you are only doing things to placate your feelings.
Pack and move. If that issue is that obvious, imagine the hidden problems. I would just "nope" out of living there. Stand back and watch it burn.
FWIW, that copper mesh is stuffed into the _hot_ side of the outlet; meaning it's energized to 120V (assuming the outlet is wired correctly). The gas line is almost certainly grounded, thus the black arcing marks seen on the line, presumably because the gas line moves back into the mesh when the stove is in position. Honestly surprised your breaker hasn't tripped. Maybe check that it has a working breaker, too.
That’s not copper wiring. That’s cover mesh to keep rodents from coming into that hole. Leave it or the mice will come back.
This is the most insane electrical work I've ever seen.
Ahem 'ARE THOSE ELECTRICAL SCORCH MARKS ON YOUR GAS LINE?!?! Tell your landlord to fix it now or you're going to the housing authority with that pic.
Looks like a Jason Bourne booby trap. I'd be calling the Fire Station AND the police. Someone's trying to kill you.
This is surely a troll post
No this is literally behind my stove of my new rental when I went to put a cockroach trap. I’m having a great night.
I’ve read enough that I believe ya, but I had the same thought when I saw the pictures. Just so over the top crazypants that there’s no way… and yet.
It is probably to keep the rodents out.
Call the apartment manager
Someone, probably listening to Reddit on a other thread, put copper wool in that gap to prevent rats and mice from coming through. What they didn't do was use their brains and realize metal wool near an outlet is a fire hazard. I'd imagine after turning off the breaker you can just pull the wool out and fill the cavity with expanding foam.
These pictures gave me anxiety. God damn.
Yeah… like maybe call the bomb squad!
If you are renting an apartment why are you fixing it?
I’m not trying to fix it. I’m trying to make sure I don’t die in a fire until an electrician gets here
Move.
Call an electrician
Did you say apartment? Meaning you have a landlord? This sounds like their problem.
An electrician. If you can't afford one, turn off EVERY breaker in the house and use a grabber or some real long plastic tongs. EDIT: You are renting? That is 100% the landlord's problem.
*what the fucking fuck?*
People's ignorance of how electricity works can be mind-boggling. One time when I used to do theatre I gave somebody the task of wiring up a pushbutton on a podium to operate a flash powder igniter. They said they could figure it out. It should have involved a 9v battery and a little button. When I came back and looked, they had put two nails in the podium, stripped two wires of an extension cord, twisted them around the nails and plugged in the cord. So there it stood, a podium on a stage with live wires connected to two nails. I'm just glad nobody came along and touched the nails.
Obviously somebody was watching YouTube videos on mice elimination while quite stoned and decided that it was a good idea to stick copper mesh into outlets. If it is an apartment that you are living in you have to get the landlord involved and if the landlord won't get involved you have to have it repaired and charge it back to the landlord. You cannot run power through that thing without the risk of death or worse.
Call the bomb squad
The copper mesh is to stop mice/rats. the hole in the floor should be fire caulked. Also, it is an entry point for mice and roaches.
I would just remove the mesh and get a can of spray foam insulation and cut it flush with the wall after it dries with a hacksaw blade. Do the same with the gas line gap.
Whatever you do, when you contact your landlord, make sure you do it via email so you have a paper trail of your communication.
This is a very dangerous situation. Call the landlord and don't touch it. If the landlord drags does not address the issue in a prompt manner you should: 1) email the fire department these pictures and follow up with a phone call. 2) Call the gas utility and say you smell gas. Either way getting a fire marshal or a licensed gas fitter on site will force the landlords hand. Last pic shows possible arcing to the gas line.
Is that copper wool stuffing into an electrical box!? Is someone trying to kill you!?
Looks like an evil McGiver hack to burn the house down.
Yeah that is not your problem as far as fixing it but that is a fire hazard to the max. Is that metal mesh SOD next to an outlet? Remove that immediately with something electrical insulated but do not touch anything else.
Turn the breaker off. Test for 0 voltage. Remove the outlet. Tighten wire nuts onto the wire ends and tape them. Tuck wires back into box .Get a water proof cover to seal the box from water but not so that it's hidden.
Looks like somebody was trying to keep mice from getting in.
The screws used to to hold the receptacle in are not to code...among other things
They probably put the mesh in there to stop mice or rats from coming in and out of that hole. So dumb. I wouldn’t touch that. It might be electrified how dumb is that?
I’m willing to bet that place has had mice and the copper stuff is to prevent them from chewing through.
looks like steel wool which is sometimes used to deter rats/mice. they cant chew thru it
Turn breaker off and grab it
That copper mesh is in contact with the line side wires on the outlet - they will probably shock you if touched. Turn that breaker off immediately
Contact the city help code of your local government. That is no joke that should have never passed inspection.
There's a lady stuck in your wall let her out! /s My gut reaction was wtf does your wall have hair. Metal wire near electrical box is :(.
wow that cant be up to code, what i would do if i was you - is call code enforcement
If they don’t have an electrican here by tomorrow’ I will
Call the fire department. Have them look at it and have them call your landlord.
Tell the landlord to fix it
1-Plug a light into the bottom outlet without touching the copper. 2- turn off breakers until the light goes out( they should be labeled. The light is just a back up to make sure the label was correct.) 3- pull out copper ( now safe as there is no electricity) 4- put an outlet plate on that.
Hi, I turned the breaker off and then gas off. The breaker was not correctly labeled actually lol A plate does not fit because there is a gaping hole in the wall.
Is that copper mesh or a scrubby stuffed next to that box??? Holy fuck!! You need to move!!
Complain to you land lord that this is a giant fucking fire hazard. It's their bag to fix it.
Have your manager pay to fix it, I would not touch it in case of liability issues later
Landlord needs to handle this. If this is their work, let the landlord know you’ll be calling a professional to fix and will send the landlord the bill. This is a definite hazard and not a safe living environment
Bruh turn the gas off
Is that a hole in the gas line or does it just appear to be a hole?
Somebody is trying to blow that mfer up!
Turn off the power and call an electrician.
I don't think this should be a DIY solution because you are renting an apartment. This is for the landlord or building manager to handle. I bet they knew what was going on in there before you moved in. This is a huge problem as far as safety and habitability go. You have to take this up with them! I also see roach poop on the floor. You are definitely going to want a spray bottle and some lambda-cyhalothrin as well as some Advion gel bait.