Bought house per-wired but no speakers or labels help (1 Viewer)

[jasonash]

I bought a house and it has been pre-wired. Nothing is labeled but here is the best way I can explain how it is. There is one 2-wire speaker cable in my kitchen, office, dining room, main bathroom, and master bathroom. In my bed room there is one 2-wire speaker and 8 feet high and then 2 feet away there is a 4-wire speaker cable. Now in my living room there is a triple electrical box with four 2-wire speaker cables and one 4-wire cable, and in my bedroom there is a electrical box about light switch high with three 4-wire speaker cables and one 2-wire speaker cable. Any suggestions of what I can do with this set up I know ceiling and in wall speakers are required but the 4-wire cables have me really confused and am sure may have to do with some sort of volume control but I have no idea how to finish this project that was started by the original owner.

 

[MarkMel]

You have to ring out the wires. An easy way to do this is to attach a speaker to each pair of wires. Go to the other end of the wire run with a 9v battery. Start touching pairs of wires to the + and - of the battery. Once you hear a click, you know you found the pair that the speaker is attached to - label that as such. Or, you can use a multimeter set on ohms. pick one pair of wires, tie the + and - together. Go back to the other end of the wires and touch the + and - probes to each pair of wires. Once the meter reads 0 you have found your tied pair. Label it as such. Now if you have volume controls you will have to play around with how you tie your wires together or place a cheap speaker since the ceiling/wall speakers probably run to the volume control box first then to the home run.

 

[MarkMel]

Oh, the 4 conductor wires are probably just two pairs of speaker wires jacketed together.

 

[jasonash]

You have to ring out the wires. An easy way to do this is to attach a speaker to each pair of wires. Go to the other end of the wire run with a 9v battery. Start touching pairs of wires to the + and - of the battery. Once you hear a click, you know you found the pair that the speaker is attached to - label that as such. Or, you can use a multimeter set on ohms. pick one pair of wires, tie the + and - together. Go back to the other end of the wires and touch the + and - probes to each pair of wires. Once the meter reads 0 you have found your tied pair. Label it as such. Now if you have volume controls you will have to play around with how you tie your wires together or place a cheap speaker since the ceiling/wall speakers probably run to the volume control box first then to the home run.

 

[jasonash]

So what about those 4wire jackets I don't get how to wire those when installed the way they are one hole with 4-wire 8 feet up a wall then 3 in a box light switch high and 1 more 2 feet from the floor in a box with 6 other 2 wire speaker cables doesn't make sense that they are for speakers as indicated on then 2nd comment on this when only one is 8 feet up a wall and rest as indicated at beginning of this post. I am positive the three 2-speaker wire cables and one 4-wire speaker cable is in a spot to hook up to where a receiver should be just unsure how to connect the 4-wire. Where would this go ?

 

[mpompey]

Can you get in contact with the original owner? Is it possible to find out how it was wired up? If it was me I would pick up a six pack, call over a buddy, and do the 9 volt battery method. MP

 

[jasonash]

Yeah not able to reach owner was built in 1999 so will do that 9-volt test so I can figure out what wire ends where then will post my response in hopes of how to wire those 4-wire cables up as best suited

 

[jasonash]

Okie dokee so I did the 9-volt test and this is the result in my living room there are 5 speaker cables one of those is a 4-wire one that goes to a junction box in my bedroom that is about 3 feets from the ground. The remaining 4 cables are 2-wire cables that go to individual spots one in my kitchen, office, dining room, and main bathroom. Now in my bedroom in the box that is 3 feets from the ground there are 4 speaker cables three of them are 4-wire cables one that come from my living room and two others that go to two spots in my bedroom that are about 7 to 8 feet high, the last cable in that box in my room is a 2-wire cable that goes to my ensuite. Now where do I go from here I am sure I need a volume controller for my bedroom but am unsure of how to wire this all up as only volume control example I saw is one 2-wire example using one speaker.