Knob-and-Tube Wiring Replacement in Toledo

Lighthouse Electric of Point Place replaces knob-and-tube wiring in homes across Point Place, Toledo, and the surrounding area. Casey Grup is an Ohio licensed electrical contractor, license #50207. Lighthouse is bonded and carries general liability insurance and workers' compensation.

If a home inspector or another contractor told you the house has knob-and-tube, you probably have questions. Here are the plain answers, and the way to reach us when you want someone to look at yours: 419-262-0078.

What does knob-and-tube wiring look like?

Look in the basement or attic for white ceramic knobs holding single wires away from the wood, and ceramic tubes where the wires pass through a joist or stud. The wires usually have a cloth or rubber coating. Knob-and-tube was phased out by the 1940s, and it is the original wiring in a lot of older houses in this area. Most owners find it during a remodel or a home inspection.

If you are not sure what you have, Lighthouse Electric can tell you. A standard service call is $180.

Is knob-and-tube wiring safe?

Knob-and-tube is not automatically dangerous, but it is old, and it has no ground wire. The risk comes from three places:

• Age. Over the years, heat can make the coating brittle until it breaks and exposes the wire.
• Changes made since it went in. Earlier owners and handymen often spliced new wiring into old, and not always correctly.
• Insulation. Knob-and-tube needs air around it to shed heat, so insulation packed around the wires creates a fire hazard.

It also carries less power than modern wiring, and it was never meant for the way a house runs today. The only way to know the condition of yours is to have an electrician look at it.

Is knob-and-tube wiring illegal? Do I have to replace it?

Knob-and-tube is not illegal to have in a house, and no national code requires you to remove all of it. It is not allowed in new construction, and local rules vary. It does not meet modern electrical safety codes, so most owners who keep it are putting off the decision rather than settling it.

Replacement moves up the list if the coating is brittle or cracked, if the wiring has been altered, or if you plan to insulate. Most insulation contractors will not insulate over active knob-and-tube.

Will homeowners insurance cover a house with knob-and-tube?

Many insurers will not write a policy on a house with knob-and-tube, and some make exceptions after an electrical contractor has looked at it. Ask your agent before you assume either way, especially if you are buying. After a replacement, your invoice shows the agent what was done.

How Lighthouse Electric replaces knob-and-tube

Lighthouse Electric runs new grounded cable to each of the outlets, switches, and fixtures the old circuits served, and retires the old conductors. In most houses that happens as part of a whole-house rewire, because knob-and-tube is rarely the only original thing left. It can also be done in stages, starting with the circuits that carry the most load. Which approach makes sense for your house is something we tell you after we have seen it.

Living through it

• We fish new cable through walls, floors, and ceilings using closets and attic and basement runs wherever we can. Where we cannot, we open the wall.
• We keep cut-in patches small, and we tell you where they will be before we cut.
• Drywall patching and paint are handled by your finisher, once, at the end.
• The house stays livable. In most cases power is back on by the end of the day, and when it will not be, you know before we start.
• We handle the permit and the inspection scheduling.

How much does it cost to replace knob-and-tube wiring?

It depends on the size of the house, how many devices are on the old circuits, and how much access the attic and basement give us. That is why every job starts with a walkthrough, and Lighthouse Electric prices from what we actually saw. A rewire quoted over the phone is a guess.

If the panel needs to come up at the same time, a 100 to 200 amp panel upgrade runs about $5,200, and we quote it as part of the job. Buying a house with knob-and-tube? Get the estimate before you finish negotiating, so the number is on the table.

See also: whole-house rewiring · panel upgrades · residential electrical services.