Old House Wiring Types

We describe various old wiring safety hazards code violations and generally bad practices some of which can be lethal such as leaving bare cut off but electrically live wire ends in a building.

Old house wiring types. The wiring inside many houses is also out of date straining to supply our ever growing collection of electricity hungry appliances lighting and electronics. The oldest type of wiring system found in homes is called knob and tube named for the insulating knobs and tubes are used to run the wiring along and through the house framing knob and tube wiring was run as individual wires one black hot wire and one white neutral wire throughout the home. Different home wiring types explained. Upcoming class on.

Book a comprehensive electrical inspection by one of our licensed vancouver electricians especially if the house has knob and tube wiring or aluminum wiring to get the most informed report on the condition of the electrical system. The circuits in these older homes weren t designed to power the many gadgets of modern life says electrician allen gallant who has wired six this old house tv project houses. It was quite a dependable system for the time and a surprising number of american homes still have knob and tube wiring functioning where it is often found alongside more modern updates. They are usually located in very desirable neighborhoods.

The ceramic insulators keep the wires from touching each other and from touching the wood and other. Not only could old insulating material rot and expose hot wires but systems that were designed to support a few lights and radios are now being asked to power computers microwaves hair dryers refrigerators and many other modern devices. Don t let old wiring worries scare you away from considering the purchase of an older house. Knob and tube wiring sometimes abbreviated k t is an early standardized method of electrical wiring in buildings in common use in north america from about 1880 to the 1930s.

Here we list common old building electrical wiring system safety concerns and we illustrate types of old electrical wires and devices. All this wiring will be removed and replaced with correct safe wring that conforms to current nec or better. Electric wiring in older homes ranges from perfectly usable to downright dangerous. While varying somewhat by area of the country in the u s latin america europe and other areas there are recognizable generations of electrical wiring knob tube greenfield armored cable or bx wiring plastic or nm.

Building standards change periodically so make sure yours is up to code. Between 1890 and 1910 a wiring system known as knob and tube was the principal system of installation. Old electrical wiring types photo guide to types of electrical wiring in older buildings. We illustrate a variety of types of electrical wiring found in older buildings.