Whoops - Need Help!!

[akjimny]

So there I was, merrily drilling holes in my MH, routing the video cable for my new back-up camera from the back of the coach up to the cab when-----I drilled a hole from the bedroom into the bathroom and POOF, the lights went out.

So I said a few choice Army expressions and now I need to open up the wall and repair the wire I drilled thru.

Any suggestions on what's the best way to remove and reinstall a portion of a wall without doing too much damage?

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

RE: Whoops - Need Help!!

Jim ,, i know the feeling ,, done that ,, but if ur's is like most others ,, it should just be paneling ,,and all u got to do is find where it anchord ,, and remove the best u can ,, the nails ,, but one other thing ,, can u see the wires u cut ??? if so ,, pull out each side of them and reroute them to a easy place u can get to and reconnect ,, u will of course prolly need more wire ,, but just a thought :approve:

 

[akjimny]

Re: Whoops - Need Help!!

All I have right now is a 5/8 inch hole in the upper corner. It was dark when the lights went out and I figured it would be beter to get a good night's rest and tackle it in the am, rather that tired and working with a drop light.

But, No, I can't see any wires in there. I may try fishing with a coat hanger before I start ripping the wall down.

Cheops Laws: 1. Nothing is as easy as it looks.
2. Everything takes longer than you think.
3. Nothing is ever completed on time or under budget.

 

[hamdave]

Re: Whoops - Need Help!!

akjimny, you're going to have to undo part of the panel anyway. You DO NOT KNOW what you have damaged yet ?? It may be easy or it may be a downright ba****d!! Let us know what you find. Oh and don't penny pinch on the necessary splices you're going to need. You want a real good connection so you don't have to deal with it again!!

 

[akjimny]

Re: Whoops - Need Help!!

Got it fixed. Had to pull all the trim (broke one piece but got it glued back together), pulled the panel and about a bazillion staples and nails and............ finally got to the wire I managed to drill thru. It was in the upper corner and I only had about an inch of stub sticking out from the sidewall so I put a clamp on it so it wouldn't sneak away into the wall. Wasn't enough there to get a crimp on fastner on, so I stripped what wire I had and soldered it. Put some heat shrink tubing over it and put the wall panel back up. Thankfully I have an air stapler, so the re-install went pretty easy.
That got the video cable into the bathroom. When I went to drill into the living room, I just cut a 2x2 hole in the upper corner so I could see the wires and after running the cable, put a cover over the hole. It's like me - not real pretty - but functionable.
Anyway, now I have a back-up camera (with sound) andd it seems to work OK. Will know more when we start up the road next week.
Thanks to all for the support.