my home is like 70 or even more years old (not sure really). I want to know if i should upgrad the wiring. the electrical panel shows i have
100 amp. I have been told if i have knob 2 wiring then i should change it to 3 knob wiring. My question, how can I know if i have 2 knob wireing or 3? in the main floor, i have all power outlet with 2 holes (+,-) upstair I have power oullet with 3 holes (+,-, ground) Thanks a lot.
As another poster said, if you're not having problems or symptoms (including such things as flickering or dimming when turn on large appliances), likelihood is you're not in terrible shape.
There will be at least one regular who will insist it _must_ be done now and spout insurance as the reason amongst other ravings.
My real answer is "we can't tell from here".
You need your own system evaluated by an expert who can see and touch it and determine the state.
Knob and Tube wiring. Time to upgrade, especially if you are putting loads like air conditioners. Call a competent electrician or two for estimates and recommendations.
thanks for your reply, i am sure if i ask any "expert" or company which do the wiring, they will say yes you need to upgrade (to make $$ $) am I right?
OK Leza, here's the deal. A 70+ year old house can, and probably does have many types of wiring, possibly including Knob & Tube. The fact that you have a 100 amp service is a good indicator that some upgrading has already been done. Older wiring, regardless of type, will be less safe than current wiring types. This doesn't necessarily mean you should run out and have it all replaced. It would be helpful if you could post some pictures of your electric service, the cables entering the service panel, and any wiring you can see in your attic. With the pictures, a better evaluation of you situation can be made.
Not necessarily. Usually you can find an experienced "expert" (electrician) who will look at what you have and give you a list of options or alternatives. And, as RBM wrote, the electrician could explain what you have now, what is older wiring, what is newer wiring in your house, etc.
It also matters how your house is constructed in determining how easy or hard it will be to make upgrades or improvements. Since you said that your second floor has all 3-prong outlets, maybe you have an attic and someone in the past was able to run wiring up into the attic and then drop lines down to each room on the second floor for outlets, switches, ceiling fixtures, etc. If you have a full basement or easily accessed crawl space under the first floor, it may be possible to rewire the first floor from there -- with the exception that getting to first floor ceiling fixtures could be a problem.
So, more information would be helpful in terms of people here being able to give you more feedback. If you have a digital camera, you can take pictures of your electrical panel etc. and upload them to a website such as
Are your outlets 3 prong?
If you have K&T wiring you might as well replace it now and get some use out of your money.
Homeowners insurance companies refuse to provide new insurance policies to K&T homes .........
K&T usually isnt grounded, has few outlets making for more extension cords a big fire risk.
just call state farm and ask about a new policy with K&T you will get turned down flat.
if a future home buyer cant get insurance they cant get a mortage so no one will want to buy your home:(
well maybe a cash buyer at great discount... which isnt good for sales price.
think of how many new cars and other things you buy in 70 years, to get modern safe things.
well the electrical system in your home is no different. nothing lasts forever:(
Again, another incident of this lie. Insurance companies don't know or care about the wiring.
Maybe, but I just changed my insurance company and they asked a lot of questions, because my house was originally constructed in 1970, questions came up about aluminum wiring, I am sure if the house pre-dated WW2, I would have had questions about K&T wiring. One cannot make assumptions that apply to every company, but many are getting particular on who they will insure, and probably will increase the price if there are additional risks discovered.
All i can tell you is that there are probably 2000 early 1900's houses in the town i live in. And I'll bet 99% of them are insured. AND I'll also bet there are other towns in the US of A that are very similar. So, to blanket say "knob and tube can't be insured" is ridiculous.
also, I would add that I believe the aluminum wiring your company was concerned about is many many times more of a concern than knob and tube.
I agree. Of my 1000+ customers, a number of them have some K&T in their houses and businesses, and I can assure you that they ALL have insurance. My local State Farm office has told me that the company policy is to assess the condition of whatever type of wiring is in the building. Aluminum single conductor wiring from the early 70's is known to have caused fires, primarily in areas with high salt air, such as the Jersey shore. Even that type of wiring is acceptable when properly terminated.
Anyone who doubts my statement just call state farm. They will flat out NOT sell a new policy to any NEW customer with K&T./
Its not just the K&T but the lack of sufficent outlets etc......
these days a new homeowners policy gets a home inspection by a insurance company representive or at minimum the agent drives by and takes photos of ther new perspective customers home.
they dont want to voluntarily insure homes at risk.
homeowners often have insurance with a single company fore however long they own their home.
these rules only apply to new customers
Again, another incident of this lie. Insurance companies don't know or care about the wiring.
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My insurance company in 2009 when I purchased my home wanted to know information about my wiring and fuse box and asked me direct questions during my application. Basically they wanted to know if the fuse box was 50 years old or older and they asked me about my copper wiring and asked me if I was sure there was no aluminum wiring in the house.
They asked me if my fuse box had been inspected by ESA ( an electrical inspectoral authority in Ontario).
I met all their criteria and they have no concerns about my wiring, but the fact is they DID ask me about my wiring during my application.
Anyone who doubts my statement just call state farm. They will flat out NOT sell a new policy to any NEW customer with K&T./
Its not just the K&T but the lack of sufficent outlets etc......
these days a new homeowners policy gets a home inspection by a insurance company representive or at minimum the agent drives by and takes photos of ther new perspective customers home.
they dont want to voluntarily insure homes at risk.
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My insurance company in 2009 during my application asked very specific questions about the electrical but it was all done on the phone. Of course they let it be know that any false information renders my policy void.
My mortgage company on the other hand sent an inspector out to inspect my home and he had the authoty on behalf of the mortgage company to make sure my house was a safe.
haller has an Ouija board and he knows.
haller took psychology 3 and he knows.
haller is fond of FUD.
How does anyone find the "creative" wiring added to any system?
How about old non-ground romex buried in insulation. The wires are next to each other in case of a problem. K&T they are separated. And the wire insulation is not adequate for insulation burial.
The code change was not based on data. The chief electrical inspector in Minneapolis, which has lots of K&T in insulation, said he had not seen a problem. Haler posted a link from an agency in his own state that installs insulation around K&T
State code for insulation around K&T varies. Like in his own state.
As people have made clear in the past, insurance companies may or may not care.
In one challenge to insurance denial the insurance company was reversed by the state insurance regulator because the insurance company provided no actuarial basis for the denial.
How old are you? Have you watched Soylent Green?
K&T is still in the NEC.
I would give a definitive answer, but my Ouija board broke just last week. When my board is down I listen to RBM.
OMG, every time this gets rewound it's good for a laugh. Sadly, in as much as I try to state facts as I know them, I always feel like I'm picking on Rainman
Bud your whipping a dead horse.
Home buyers TODAY are very picky. now add shows like holmes inspection which clearly calls K&T a fire hazard....Between shows iike this the home flip shows that rountinely remove all K&T, the insurance companies that dont like K&T, he frequent lack of enough and 3 prong outlets, let alone GFCI and arc fault protection.
defenders of K&T have lost....
they are beating a dead horse.....
hey I dont care, too each his own.
but I pride myself in giving the best advice here I can. and stand by replace K&T at every opportunity.
just like fuse boxes they are both obsolete
When my daughter wanted to buy a K+T wired house about 15 years ago, I specifically asked the insurance agent if K+T wiring was a problem. He said no, there were many more problems with aluminum wiring causing fires than K+T wiring.
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