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How to remove metal tubes on the wall?

Hi!

TL:DR I want to get rid of the metal tubes. What are they? Can I get rid of them? How?

There are six of these metal tubes about evenly spaced on one wall of the kitchen (rendered brick that backs onto the loungeroom and a bedroom). I had originally thought they were wooden dowls or something. Some people have suggested they may have been used for decoration or preparation for shelving. I have had several tradies over for other jobs and quotes and so far, but none of them have been able to identify what they are. To my knowledge, there shouldn't be any plumbing or electrical going through there since they are far from the nearest sink and the power points and light switches and I can't think of anything else they could be for.

The other day, going under the assumption that they were just wood, I tried to remove one (the one that stops abruptly above the loungeroom door frame). The lower part easily separated from the wall with a chisel and didn't cause any problems. I then tried to chip off a little bit since the material itself was harder than I had anticipated and I wanted a closer look. That's when I scrapped of some of the (many layers of) paint to find blackened metal underneath. Then I got a magnet and stuck it to each of them (I don't know why I didn’t think to do it earlier) - they are all magnetic.

I had a look online to see what they could possibly be made of and for, but came up empty. My best guess is that they are cast iron (given the tarnish is black and powdery), but again I cannot figure out what their purpose could be. Two of them end very abruptly and the others seem to lead into the wall. Does anyone have any ideas? One source claims they might be weep holes, but I don't think that's the case since, as opposed to weep holes, they are fully enclosed (no openings on the ends) and the wall is an internal rendered brick wall - not an external cavity wall.

I would like to eventually have some overhead storage put in (there is currently very little storage in the kitchen), so it probably isn't that big of a deal for the three above the kitchen bench if I go with open backed cupboards, but I would like to remove the other three at some point to put shelves up. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

Thank you

Tubes on kitchen wall above the door to the lounge roomTubes on kitchen wall backing onto bedroomClose up of the one above the door 2 of 3Close up of the one above the door 3 of 3

Close up of the one above the door 1 of 3Tube to the immediate left of the door (leading into wall?)

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @k712. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your questions on removing tubing.

You’ve got me on this one. I really don’t have a definite answer for what those metal tubes are. Based on your description, they could be a remnant conduit from cables or even old water lines, but given their unusual spacing, number and positions, it’s hard to be certain. The fact that a couple of them are exactly the same height makes me wonder if they were part of some panelling system, a decorative feature, or maybe even a support for old shelving. The one above the door is especially puzzling.

If you’re confident there’s no electrical or plumbing service running through them, and tradespeople haven’t found anything, then carefully levering them off the wall is probably the safest way to remove them. They may be partially fixed into the wall, maybe as an old crack management system, though that seems very unlikely.

As you start removing them, pay attention to what’s actually holding them in place. It might give a clue as to their original purpose.

Another thing you could do, if you’re comfortable, is check into the ceiling to see if any of them continue upwards; that could reveal whether they were once part of pipework or for cabling.

Overall, it’s a very unusual situation, but cautiously prying them off is probably your best approach.

Let me tag @Dave-1, @Noyade and @TedBear to see if they have any thoughts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

Dave-1

Good Afternoon @k712

Im heading towards checking up in the ceiling space to see where they go as well. They remind m of old school water pipes but look a little small so maybe old school electrial conduit. Once you see what happens above the ceiling you should be able to remove them easy enough. If they go to a junction box looking thing then they could have been electrical and I would be cautious of chopping them and leave it for a apsrky. if they combine with solid T intersections with no J boxes I woul suspect water pipes.

Dave

TedBear

Hi @k712 ,

identifying those tubes is a fascinating challenge....

was that room always the kitchen? The tubes look like the ones that were once used for communication cables, such as phones and bells.

There are marks on the wall visible below some of them that suggest that something rectangular was screwed to the wall at the ends.

It is odd that there were so many of them though.... that's why I am wondering if this was once an office??

In any case I am betting that you will have found nothing going into them in the ceiling so you can safely remove them and repair the wall.

(They are too narrow in diameter to have carried electrical cables.)

We will wait to hear from you as to what you find.

Noyade

Inside my roofing at the front of the house (early post WW2) the electrical wiring is cloth covered and travels through black metal conduit.

Could this be power-point and switch conduit on a brick wall from a century ago?

Just a thought.

k712

Hi @MitchellMc!

My unit is a bit of an unusual one all around, so having mystery metal on the wall isn't exactly the biggest surprise I've come across.

Along with the metal tube thingies, there is no access to the ceiling cavity since it is so shallow. Though, I am able to peek up into the ceiling through a whole where one of the kitchen downlights has fallen out haha :')

It looks like they are bolted into the overhead structural beams. You can kind of see it just above the I-beam flange. I'm not sure what purpose they could serve since, again, they just end abruptly and don't look like they are able to contribute to supporting anything. There also seems to be a block of something (maybe wood?) between the beams and the top of the brick wall which I assume would be for support? Any thoughts?

On the plus side, I am now very confident that there's no electrical cabling or plumbing running through them. So, if they are not structural, I should be able to remove them. What would be the best way to go about it? Would I be able to use some kind of saw to cut in line with the bottom of the cornice? What tool/s would you recommend? After that I presume they should be simple enough to pry off with a chisel. Then I could just patch up the wall with spackle, prime and then paint ready for putting shelving and cupboards up.

Thank you

Apologies for the blurriness of the below photos (they are the best I can do given that I can only poke my phone into the downlight hole in the ceiling to take a video and then screenshot the clearest views I could get).

Roof cavity look at the metal thingy that is just left of the door 1 of 2Roof cavity look at the metal thingy that is just left of the door (close up) 2 of 2

Roof cavity look at the metal thingy that ends abruptly above the lounge room door

k712

Hi @Dave-1!

I was able to take a look into the ceiling space by peeking through the hole where the downlight popped out and I'm pretty confident that they are not water pipes or electrical conduits given where they end up (please see my reply to MitchellMc above).

Thank you for your insight though 🙂

k712

Hi @TedBear!

This unit is a weird one for sure - I honestly think it used to be the old office building for the strata complex (given how many people come knocking asking to speak with the strata manager haha).

Please see my reply to MichellMc above with images of what it looks like in the ceiling cavity. Do you think it is ok for me to remove them? Do you have any suggestions on how to go about removing them? Would a saw of some sort do the trick to cut off in line with the cornice?

Thank you

k712

Hi @Noyade!

I’m told the strata complex was built in the late 1970’s / early 1980’s, so I can’t imagine it would be something for something like that.

Please see my reply to MitchellMc about where they end up in the ceiling.

Thank you for your insight though 🙂

JacobZ

Hi @k712,

Are you on the first floor?

What is the spacing between them, and are they spaced fairly evenly?

Does it feel like they are supporting the wall in any way? I can't imagine they would be considering they are not connected to anything at the bottom.

The only thing I could think that they might be are tie-down rods, which, at one point, should have been connected to the foundation of the building.

Considering they are bolted to the steel structure, I would be cautious, but I don't think they are actually serving any purpose right now.

Let's wait and see what the others think.

Jacob

k712

Hi @JacobZ!

I am on the ground floor, but there is no one above me. It is a unique building in my strata complex where the other units are either townhouses or part of the apartment blocks. My unit is independent of the others - I don't directly share walls with anyone since they all back onto common property (either the main walkway, the carpark or neighbouring courtyards) rather than sharing walls with another unit (please refer to the diagram below).

The spacing of the metal thingies is fairly consistent but not exactly the same (approximately 1m to 1.5m?). I don't have the exact measurements right now, but I can update this post once I have measured them if that would help.

Based on what I discovered yesterday, even with them being bolted into the I-beams in the ceiling, I don't think they help with providing any structural support (again, they are just kind of sitting on the walls in the kitchen and can just be pried off with a chisel and minimum effort since most of what is holding them there is the numerous layers of paint). If I were to cut through them just below the cornice, there would still be about 50cm or so still attached in the ceiling cavity and behind the cornice. I don't think it would make that much difference to the structural integrity of the beams or the roof.

I will wait until I hear back from the others to see what they think with this new information, so I won't attempt to remove them just yet. But, in terms of cutting through the metal in line with the cornice, what tool would you recommend for the job?

Thank you for your insight 🙂

House diagram (borders colour coded)

JacobZ

Hi @k712,

I really can't see any reason you couldn't remove them.

I'd suggest using this Trojan 300mm Mini Hack Saw to cut them flush with the cornice.

You should be able to cut around 95% through them, then bend them so they snap off.

You can then patch up any knicks or scratches and paint.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

TedBear

Thanks for those photos of the inside of the ceiling. My assessment of what the conduits are is based on my younger days as a telecommunications tech. I suggest cutting them off with a multi-tool, fitted with a metal cutting blade. That will allow you cut right up where they go through into the cornices. Alternatively, if you dislodge them from the wall perhaps you may be able to pull them down through the cornices which would be better.

Dave-1

Good Evening @k712

Might have been hanging supports somewhere along the line? Or as @TedBear suggests some old school conduits. I would chop them off, possibly with a small grinder and then patch the areas disturbed. Havning so many of them makes me think there once was a purpose. You know your place better then others so tie downs, conduit runs, multiple power outlets/phone outlets all cold be on the list. Be cautious on the first one and investiage inside once cut is about all i can think of.

Dave

k712

Hi Everyone!

Update: I have purchased the Trojan 300mm Mini Hack Saw and attempted to remove the metal thingies starting with the one above the lounge room door. The hack saw is a good idea in theory, but is nowhere near sharp / strong enough to cut through. It just looks like it's scratching away the rust from the metal more than anything. I was wondering if anyone would have recommendations for some other kind of tool I could use instead. I think I may need to use a power tool for this job?

Using the Bunnings app, I got suggestions for rotary saws and angle grinders to use. I’m not sure what to go with though, especially since it needs to be powerful enough to cut through metal but it also needs to be precise and get quite close to the wall. Does anyone have any opinions / insights about the below? Or have any other recommendations?

- Ozito 76.2mm (3”) Air Cut Off Tool

- Ozito 42 Piece 170W Rotary Tool Kit

- Ryobi Essential Rotary Tool RRT090

- Ryobi Airwave Reciprocating Saw

Alternatively, is it possible to hire a tool from Bunnings to use for a day or something to get this done (rather than buying something I'll probably only use once or twice)?

Thank you

MitchellMc

If they are hollow, you should be able to cut through them with a multi tool and metal cutting blade, @k712. If they are solid, then you'd need to go for an angle grinder. Rotary tools can also be used with a small grinding disk, but this will take some time to get through the bars, especially if they are solid.

Mitchell

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