Help identifying a plug.

[Mpower5266]

A buddy of mine is house hunting and put these pics on Facebook. This was sticking out of the living room wall of the house he is interested in. Any ideas?

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[powerwagon63]

Old phone jack?

 

[DenisG]

Cinch connector.

 

[jwh]

Looks like some type of low voltage connector for something. Hopefully since the
male prongs are exposed there is no voltage at them.

Also, no grommet on hole in plate. Maybe homeowner job for something?

Could be for anything. Time for exploratory surgery unless he can find someone who actually knows what it's for.

John

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Cinch connector.

X2. Wrong end, too. Those are rated for 250V. You don't know WHAT the previous owner was doing...

Tommy

 

[kd3pc]

no real way of knowing for sure what the previous owner was using it for.

I see that connector in the ham radio world for rotors and remote tuners..

LS6 Tommy has a valid point...be careful until you find the other end/feed

 

[rburke65]

Some sort of communications ..... intercom connection....

 

[nadogail]

If the listing agent will not disclose the purpose of the plug and cable consider walking away from the deal.

 

[barks]

Have your realtor ask the seller what it is. This isn't rocket science.

 

[MFolks]

Used to be called a Cinch-Jones plug, and mates with a similar receptacle. I have not seen that type since 1983, when the electronic company I worked for, used this similar type for heatsink wiring in their smaller units.

 

[G_P]

Could also be a connector for an outdoor antenna, or for speakers installed in the walls or ceilings.
Really, it could be damn near anything if the previous owner was a DIY type person.

 

[oilslick]

antennae rotator?

 

[BillK]

If the listing agent will not disclose the purpose of the plug and cable consider walking away from the deal.

Where do you guys come up with statements like this ????? What if the listing agent doesn't know ???? What if the previous owner doesn't know ???????

Geeeeeze ......

 

[NUTTSGT]

I wondered if it was on some type of cord reel like for a vacuum cleaner.

 

[nadogail]

Where do you guys come up with statements like this ????? What if the listing agent doesn't know ???? What if the previous owner doesn't know ???????

Geeeeeze ......

There is no reason for a buyer to purchase a trap. Knowingly concealing a liability in a potential purchase is a both morally indefensible and criminal offense.

An example is buried tanks, having an undisclosed buried tank on your property can be a tremendous liability, just ask any oil company selling an old gas station.

Caveat Emptor is something to avoid.

 

[BillK]

There is no reason for a buyer to purchase a trap. Knowingly concealing a liability in a potential purchase is a both morally indefensible and criminal offense.

An example is buried tanks, having an undisclosed buried tank on your property can be a tremendous liability, just ask any oil company selling an old gas station.

Caveat Emptor is something to avoid.

Like I said, what if nobody knows what it is for ?? If that is the case it is not knowingly concealing a liability. They are not concealing it anyway, it is out in the open for anyone to see. Totally different from a buried tank that is not disclosed.

I bet there are hundreds if not more of those types of connections in older homes. Probably for a TV antenna rotor or something similar. Anyone with a little common sense would be able to look through the house and find the other end.

I would have no problem buying a house with that wire there. But then again, I have some common sense. Thats part of what is wrong with our society now days, there is no common sense.

 

[justanengineer]

You don't know WHAT the previous owner was doing...

+1. Not sure the PO knew what he was doing either.

I would have no problem buying a house with that wire there. But then again, I have some common sense. Thats part of what is wrong with our society now days, there is no common sense.

+1M. I wouldnt have a problem with it either bc having worked on many major remodels I have as yet to see one where there werent significantly worse issues buried in a wall somewhere. To me its like disqualifying a house bc you hate the paint color, silly bc on a $100k+ deal its quite literally a few bucks to fix.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

It shouldn't be hard to trace the wire. If you don't want it cover plates are cheap. When it comes time to paint a little effort and it can disappear.

 

[The Cobbler]

If someone wouldn't buy that house simply because of an unidentifiable plug poking through the wall , you'll have a hard time to find any acceptable house. What about the asbestos in the flooring/walls? what about lead paint? what about formaldehyde in the carpets and glues?

 

[rburke65]

Wow....its just a plug people. Trace it out.....has to go somewhere.

 

[Mpower5266]

Have your realtor ask the seller what it is. This isn't rocket science.

Re-read the post, its not rocket science. Im not buying the house, and I dont think my buddy will end up there either. He just saw a plug that was different and asked me what I thought it was.

 

[nadogail]

The OP wrote that his buddy was house hunting; if the buddy has no intentions of buying then we are wasting our time with a "tire kicker".

 

[Empty Pockets]

Where do you guys come up with statements like this ????? What if the listing agent doesn't know ???? What if the previous owner doesn't know ???????

Geeeeeze ......

The listing agent has a legal obligation to know. If no answers are forthcoming I would walk away and file a complaint with the licensing authority in your state

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[Mpower5266]

The OP wrote that his buddy was house hunting; if the buddy has no intentions of buying then we are wasting our time with a "tire kicker".

I was asking about the plug, not asking for full home inspection.

I didnt know what it was, and now I do. Sorry for wasting your precious time.

 

[bczygan]

Let's find the guy who left that and......

 

[Stuart in MN]

Proof again there is no topic that people won't get all riled up about.

Obviously, the plug is some home brew concoction installed by a previous owner. It could be anything, my guess is some sort of connection for home entertainment equipment - maybe speakers, maybe an antenna rotator, maybe something else. No way to tell without tracing it out, or asking the previous owner.

 

[bczygan]

http://www.jameco.com/1/1/26594-p-304h-cct-4-contact-jones-plug-hood-180-deg-clamp.html

 

[G_P]

The listing agent has a legal obligation to know. If no answers are forthcoming I would walk away and file a complaint with the licensing authority in your state

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No. Just no. That plug may have been installed decades ago by someone who is now long dead, and the house may have changed owners 5 times since then leaving the knowledge of what that plug is for lost to time.
They are obligated to disclose things they know about such as buried oil tanks, asbestos, lead paint. But they are not legally obligated to hire an electrician to come in and tear open walls to determine the purpose of a random cable sticking out of the wall.

It is up to the prospective buyer to hire a home inspector to look over the house. But even the inspector may not be able do anything more than check for voltage on that plug if the other end has been removed and is buried inside a wall somewhere.

 

[racer-john]

I was asking about the plug, not asking for full home inspection.

I didnt know what it was, and now I do. Sorry for wasting your precious time.

OK, what is it?

 

[Mpower5266]

Proof again there is no topic that people won't get all riled up about.

Obviously, the plug is some home brew concoction installed by a previous owner. It could be anything, my guess is some sort of connection for home entertainment equipment - maybe speakers, maybe an antenna rotator, maybe something else. No way to tell without tracing it out, or asking the previous owner.

No kidding, I didnt know what it was and I figured this would be a good resource.

 

[Mpower5266]

OK, what is it?

What is the plug? From the answers on here, it looks like its for a ham radio antenna, but hes in another state, doesnt own the house, and not able to pull it out of the wall and trace it.

 

[Dirtydan69]

Funny stuff right here. No wonder Realtor's drop clients like the ones that wont buy a house for want of plug knowledge. Investigate it, sheesh! Good thing there are way more people willing to be reasonable than not.

 

[Mpower5266]

Funny stuff right here. No wonder Realtor's drop clients like the ones that wont buy a house for want of plug knowledge. Investigate it, sheesh! Good thing there are way more people willing to be reasonable than not.

I think the layout and neighborhood are the reasons why my buddy didnt buy but Im with you.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

http://www.jameco.com/1/1/26594-p-304h-cct-4-contact-jones-plug-hood-180-deg-clamp.html

We already made it that far. It's a cinch-jameco power plug. the issue is WHAT was it used for...

Tommy

 

[CoogarXR]

I know some old receivers use those connectors for speakers. Take the Pioneer SX-9000 for instance:

The receiver originally had the adapter that you see (on the left, "A" channel) that converted the plug to screw-on terminals. But maybe somebody installed built-in speakers somewhere in that house and used this plug to connect it to an old receiver?

 

[Mpower5266]

^ Helpful. Thanks.

 

[Xicaque]

Can you ask the realtor to ask the seller???


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