| When an electrical contractor begins jobs with the | | | | comprise 70 or 80 percent of the entire home. |
| estimated 5 to 40% of the old wiring, they in | | | | That is why such over fused, improper, or |
| fact replace the ancient wiring that comprises up | | | | battered circuits often lead to overheating, |
| to 90 percent of the overall house wires. The | | | | sparking, localized or full blown fire. Neither official |
| K&T is frequently hidden by the previous owners | | | | inspection, nor electrical contractor can discover |
| knowingly or otherwise. | | | | those flaws without opening the walls or making |
| House sellers or their dishonest electricians would | | | | holes. The inspector cannot break the wall to |
| hide the K n T and replace just its exposed | | | | have a look. That is why the inspector executes |
| pieces and ends, or implement other deceptive | | | | non-destructive assessments only. |
| tactics. | | | | The estimate therefore makes no much sense |
| As a result a happy owner has actually bought a | | | | because no one could see through the walls to |
| property with ticking firebombs inserted in the | | | | find out the exact scope of the work. It may |
| walls and ceiling. Illegal splicing inside dry ceiling/wall | | | | take half a day just to estimate the percentage |
| is unsafe. The electrical code explicitly prohibits | | | | of Knob-n-Tube, of wiring that is not properly |
| such practices. | | | | grounded, or of other code violations.The in-wall |
| It is a fact that more than 90 percent of all | | | | connections that were not done correctly are |
| sixty-year-old houses would contain an illegal or | | | | rather difficult to identify. It is faster to just |
| unprotected in-wall connection. It is clear that all | | | | remove them while avoiding any major damage |
| those ex-homeowners or handymen could not do | | | | to the walls. |
| multiple renovations and repairs correctly. And | | | | Therefore an alleged 5% of the of K&T may end |
| often even recently replaced or installed wiring is | | | | up as a ninety percent rewiring project. |
| not to code, poorly done, or is outright dangerous | | | | It is easy to see how this scenario could result in |
| for you and your house. The problem is that the | | | | a major disagreement or an incomplete job. An |
| only way to figure out the condition of the Knob | | | | hourly rate approach is an alternative. Assuming |
| and Tube is to open the drywall. Or just to go | | | | you hired an honest contractor this pricing |
| ahead and change the wiring completely. | | | | approach should produce the best and fairest |
| Just a few remaining Knob-n-Tube wires would | | | | ultimate result. |
| carry current to the second and third floors that | | | | |