Old Wiring in Old House

Welcome, Guest

Electrical and Lighting	Select your forum:
By Topic > Electrical and Lighting > Old Wiring in Old House

Topic: Old Wiring in Old House

pcrivera

Thu, 03/08/2007 - 2:55pm

Old Wiring in Old House

We have a 1930s house, and although I'm sure the wiring was updated at least once, my husband is afraid to try to change any of the fixtures, switches or outlets. We had a lot of work done by an electrician, but it's SO expensive. How hard is it to work with older wiring set-ups in these houses? I'd like to make a few more changes myself, but am a little nervous about it. Peggy

Bookmark/Search this post with:

You can definitely do this yourself

Heidi writes:

Mon, 03/12/2007 - 2:01pm

I completely understand the fear of doing electrical regardless of the age of the wiring. Seeing that it's been updated at least once and knowing that you don't have cloth covered wiring in your home you are more than able to do these things yourself.

Here's an article that will help you to put in a new light fixture to change the look and ambiance of any room:
A new light fixture to add a new feel!

While you're at it, why not add a dimmer switch to really create a new feel:
Dimmer Glimmer: How to add one to your home today!

Hope this helps! Let us know how it works for you and make sure you take pictures so we can see how it comes out!

You can do it. Just check out what you've actually got.

olivigus writes:

Thu, 05/17/2007 - 1:01pm

I absolutely agree that you can change the fixture, switches and outlets yourself! But one thing I would suggest is making sure that all the wiring actually HAS been updated. My house dates from the 1930s too, with a back addition that was done in the 60s, and remodeled in the 90s. I was told when I bought the house that the wiring had all been updated. So when we started our project to turn the attic into a storage room, we ripped out all the old leftover knob-and-tube wiring that was up there. But when we turned the breakers back on--guess what--none of the overhead lights in the kitchen worked anymore! Turns out someone had run newer romex from the electical panel up to the attic, but then had tied it into a portion of the old knob and tube. So the unexpected first step in our attic project had to be rewiring all the kitchen lights. The old wiring isn't necessarily dangerous, as long as it's only carrying the amperage for a few lights, but it would be good to know for sure that it's all been replaced. You can go up in the attic or under the house and see if you see any--look for porceline "knobs" with cloth covered wires strung between them. And for sure check with the electrician who did the work on the house to get his guarantee that it's all been updated. If you do find any non-working remnants of the old knob-and-tube, you should take it out. The most compelling reason I've heard for doing this is that many insurance companies won't insure homes with this older-style wiring, so even if you'd replaced it all, if you were to have a fire and the insurance investigator found evidence some knob and tube in the house, they might deny your claim. So it's best to remove any vestiges of the older electrical system after you upgrade it. Good luck! I was definitely intimidated by tackling electrical work at first, but now I really enjoy it. It's very satisfying to flip a switch and have the new light or fan you installed come on. Just approach it with caution and a good set of instructions--and always turn the power off at the breaker before you start!