@leilobound - I’m kind a surprised that you can’t see where the upper NM wire is going as it looks like there is only a 3" or so gap between the two sets of holes. It may be hung up on a set of wire nuts joining the wires together. The Rainbird looks like it was installed after the wall was put up, so I’m not expecting the wire to be stapled to a 2 x 4 or another box back there. Assuming that there is continuity between the upper NM wires and the corresponding wires for the transformer and the wire bundles move in tandem when pulled from one end or the other and the there is a couple of inches of movement when the wires are pulled - then I don’t think the upper NM wires and the transformer wires are connected to anything else - so they would be dead (not carrying any current) if they are not connected to anything else at either end.
Hi @DLane , thanks for your suggestion. I kinda hesitate to pull out the cable from either end by force since I couldn’t see clearly what are connected inside. I probably may be able to see inside with bright light. I will probably unwrap those black tapes - maybe that is hanging everything together. Yes, the upper NM cable and the wires to the transformer are dead (and does not affect any other outlets etc inside garage); only the lower NM cable carries current and I can stick that inside the Rachio compartment. Thanks!
We obviously don’t know your home, but these “dead” wires just means that they are downstream of the line power from the panel. Somewhere you have a light or outlet that has no power, I can almost guarantee. Being that you have an outlet in close proximity to the old hardwired controller, there is a chance that someone just tapped into the line running from that adjacent switch, to whatever fixture is next in line, which could answer why the wires are so short…
@tmcgahey, thanks for your reply. Regarding the “dead wires” (The top NM cable), I did check all the outlets inside the garage as well as inside my house + check all the lighting outside and inside my house + check all appliances + water heater + furnace. They all work perfectly fine.
Do you think of anything else I could have missed? If not, do you believe I can just leave this dead wires alone, or pull them out if feasible?
Thanks!
@leilobound Curious. Were you successful in the install? We have a Rainbird ESP-4 which has a similar situation. We are debating whether to purchase the Rachio system because it seems so complicated to convert without getting professional electrician help.
What does your final installation look like with the wiring?