knob and tube wiring questions

[tom and cassie]

we just bought a 1910 home, it has an updated circut box and an old fuse sub-panel.
has anyone gone through the process of removing the knob and tube from the attic and basement ceiling and delt with the necessary re-wiring?
of course, this is on our list of things to do but we would like to hear some feedback from anyone who has similar experience with up-dating the electrical system.
the attic is filled with old insulation, and although the house has not burned down yet, we are wondering to what priority level we should assign this electrical issue.
any comments and feedback is greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance.


tom and cassie
1910 colonial revial

[LightnBolt]

I have done alot of re-wire work , are your plans to remove the old wiring ( knob/tube ) or just re-wire the house. As for the priority of the issue , if it was my house I would do the re-wire for sure , and make it priority [u]ONE</u> !

Zips_LightnBolt

[tom and cassie]

some of the knob and tube in the attic is still active, so we can't remove any without also re-wiring. i'm pretty sure it is a job for an electrician, but i'd like to do as much as i can to save some money. i've got to go out and get a good electrical book i think.
thanks for the response.

tom and cassie
1910 colonial revial

[jackofall]

Electrical work is not as hard as one might "think", 'thinking' is the hardest part. Look at your house as a HUGE DOT-TO-DOT PICTURE. Rewiring the house you should be able to do yourself. If replacing the main panel, it MUST be permitted and DONE be qualified electrician. Try to find a friend of the family or friend of a friend that may want to make a few extra $$'s to walk you thru the job and double check everything when your done. How much other work are you going to do to the house? Are you going to replace the drywall? If your not, then rewiring your house just became a blind dot-to-dot. Don't be afraid and remember that the only stupid question is the UNASKED QUESTION.

[tom and cassie]

thanks for the feedback and offers of assistance!
i am so glad i found this forum page.
luckily i do have a couple guys locally to help guide me before i burn the house down. the house has a new main panel, and a sub-panel with old fuses and plaster walls.
but i feel a bit more confident now that i could do a good bit of the electrical work myself, once i get a home electrics 101 book that is.
i am sure to have a questions or two after we move in next month.
happy easter!


tom and cassie
1910 colonial revival

[irregularjoe]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.........
Not sure if that's a good idea.

Did you ever see OHM'S mother in LAW?...... SHOCKING!

[mrcaptainbob]

Tom and Cassie, I hope you pass 101 and take the advanced course. You're up against a major effort. Not that it CAN'T be done by you, but you do need a lot more than 101 for a job like this. That dot-to-dot suggestion is a good one. Sketch out the two floor plans. Locate all existing lights, outlets and switches. Make two copies of this. Now, on one, (and using various colors{as many as there are breakers and plug fuses}) color code each circuit. THis tells you what's 'existing'. The second copy is for you to streamline and revise the circuits. One of the most important items for you to have is a circuit tester. After disconnecting the circuit you think is controlling the wire set you want to work on, ALWAYS verify with that tester as to whether it's really dead or NOT! My home was built aroound the 1860's. All the wiring has been updated over the years. But I'm finding many areas that are not 'standard' (code). Since I found the first overhead I worked on was still 'live' after turning off the switch, I make sure now that the circuit itself is dead. Then I rewire the socket/switch correctly and complete installing our new overhead. Hope this helps....and keep us all aprised of your ongoing effort and any questions and stories you may have with this project.

[JC]

tom and cassie. The issues (two of them) with knob and tube is that they will be tacked to insulators within the walls. Once you are certain that the line is dead, leave them inside the walls rather than try to take them out. Also in most cases (that I have seen/worked on) the neutral starts in one spot and just keeps going and going and going - usually to and through everything. :-( I would definitely recommend relying on someone who has experience working with K&T before you cut one line and realize that everything in your house goes kaput. it will be somewhat expensive, but well worth letting someone else do the dirty work. To save some $$$ you might offer to remove and replace the plaster and do any finish work such as wiring receptacles once the romex is roughed-in. Best of luck --&gt; I just moved out of a house that was built in 1911.

[papo]

Congrats to your new investment!! I have a 1922 Fire Station. I was lucky enough to have ridgid conduit, but, someone in the past has had some rework done and it was down right shocking!! I had the wire-mesh that holds the plaster on the wall ELECTRIFIED! I, A Do-It-Yourselfer, will never just jump-in. Study your local code along with the National Electrical Code.
With my current re-wiring prodject, I had installed second breaker box in a new but permanent location, pulled my new circuts while using the old ones.
You can only get so far, until, you actually need someone who knows what they are doing to re-route the supply to the new box location. Look-around,
you are bound to find an electrician close to your family. Mine, my neighbor's wife's sister's husband, was interested to check my work and offer his assistance. Good luck with you remodel and watch out for that
LEAD-PAINT when re-finishing.