I dont have a picture but could provide one if it helps. I have a wall between my dining room and living room. There is about a 5 foot wide entryway between the rooms. I am doing some work in the living room and to both sides of the entryway I have cut into the drywall on both the walls and the ceiling (I am running some electrical to can lights). I am going to install a switch on the dining room side to control these lights (dont ask why the switch is located in a different room). After cutting the holes in the ceiling for the cans, I noticed three aluminum vent-type covers contained within the ceiling right above the top-plate between the two rooms, but only on the left side of the wall (again when in the living room facing the entryway). On the right side of the entryway from the holes I cut into the ceiling there are no aluminum plates or covers (whatever they are called) above the top plate. Within the ceiling I can see down the joists into the dining room from the holes I cut for the cans. On the left side these aluminum ducts or vents are obstructing the view down the joists. This aluminum is the same material that is used for duct work within homes but damned if there is an actual duct leading here from the furnace. These aluminum plates do not appear to lead anywhere. They are all contained within the ceiling and are between the joists, nailed to them. They appear to really have no purpose at all. The big problem I am having is that one of these aluminum plates/vents is obstructing my need/ability to drill through the top plate to run a wire from my new wall-switch to the cans. Anyone have any idea what these are, why they are in the ceiling on one side but not the other, and if I could drill through it to get a wire to where I need it?
I realize this is vague through words and could post a picture tomorrow if it helps.
I'd post a picture and it will surely help others as they may recognize them and be able to explain their purpose. They may be part of a vent system if a bathroom is nearby. But having a picture would surely be very helpful to others.
I have attached a picture.<br> What you see is the tan wall and the white ceiling in the picture. The pic is of the left side of the entryway from the living room view - to the dining room. The tan wall is the dividing wall between the living room and dining room. Where the hole in the ceiling is you see the metal/aluminum "plate" that is nailed to the joists and the top-plate of the wall at a 45 degree angle. <br> There is no ducting coming up the wall or from the dining room side of the ceiling to these aluminum plates. They seem to be in the ceiling between the joists on their own. In the picture there is a hole further down and you can see one of these plates above the top-plate there as well.<br> As I mentioned in my earlier post the switch is on the dining room side, I need to drill up through the top plate and then get the 14/2 wire to the living room side so I can feed it through the hole in the ceiling to the cans. <br> Again, the questions are, what are these for, why are they there, and is is safe to cut a small hole in the bottom of the plate to run a wire through to the dining room side?
These metal plates appear to me to be "block ends" that are used to complete, and contain a passageway for 'return air' for the heating / air conditioning system. What kind of heat/ac do you have? If it is a ducted type of system, is there any ceiling grilles in the adjacent area, downstream near where these plates are located.? Are there any grilles on the studded wall near these plates? Let us know and we may be able to advise further.
These block ends do appear to contain the three passage ways from the liv.room/din.room wall all the way to the end of the dining room, which is an outside wall. There is no return air grill on the flip side of the wall where the plates are located. There is nothing on the ceiling in the dining room, except drywall. Basically there is no reason I can see why 3 passageways between the joists would be contained with these plates and the rest of them (probably 6 more give or take) do not have them. There is nothing coming up from below to these plates either. There is a cold air return in the dining room on a different wall. I have been in that wall and there is a vent coming up from the basement to it. All of the ac/heat registers in our house are located on the floor as opposed to the ceiling.
I figured out what these are. They are for the cold air return after all. They are there for the cold air return on the second floor. I didnt realize that the studs and drywall cavity can be used for a cold air return, I expected to see metal in the walls for such a thing. Because there is no wall directly above this living room/dining room dividing wall it threw me off. There is a paralell wall upstairs 3 feet over and these plates are using both the cavity inside the dining room ceiling and the cavity in the dividing wall to create the return from the upstairs wall. Thanks to all who helped!
Bingo!!! Like i said in my previous post they are more than likely return blockends used to contain a passage for return air to get back to the furnace/unit. If you do decide to run any wire thru these plates make dure you have the wire protected with a rubber or steel grommet so the wire will not be cut by the sharpness of the metal plate. 2 or 3 wires running thru a return air route ("panning")should not hinder air flow, but make sure any holes,etc are sealed (caulked)
