The History Of Knob And Tube Wiring

586 Words2 Pages

Not certain if your home or the home your buying has knob and tube wiring? Walk right down to the basement and take a good look at the ceiling. If you see white ceramic knobs nailed to the joists with electrical wires snaking through them, there is knob and tube wiring present. Don’t see any? Then take a peak in the attic and look for the same. Knob and Tube wiring is the oldest residential wiring known. Ceramic knobs support individual strands of wire along their run and ceramic tubes protect the wire where it passes through wall studs or floor joists. If you don’t see any of these symptoms in the basement or attic then the house is most likely clear of knob and tube, but not 100% guaranteed. - Knob and tube wiring was state-of-the-art up until around 1950. The main concerns with this old wiring method is overheating, deteriorating insulation, improper connections, and that it is not a grounded system. K&T wiring was ideal for when it was originally designed to hold modest currents. But nowadays the electrical demands for the average house are considerably greater. Sixty years ago t...

Open Document