wiring

Leroy · Feb 13, 2023

How many of you remember the old knob and tube wiring that was installed for the 32 volt Delco light plants and when poer lines came around the Delco was gotten rid of and the wiring was hooked to the 110 volt AC power lines? Would 1% of you rember that? Farm that we rented from 1960 to1976 still had that in grainery and some in barn.

Patsdeere · Feb 13, 2023

Family has rental property with it still in and using. Granted, it's all going away now after a tenant appliance caught fire and burned the place.

Bob Bancroft · Feb 13, 2023

Dad used to talk about the troublesome Delco plant. He would have been a teenager at the time. Power came through here 1938/1939. There was never any vestige of any of the knob and tube, nor of the Delco unit.

Janicholson · Feb 13, 2023

I found that in a Home I owned in San Jose CA. It had a 30 amp fuse in the Hot supply, and a 30 amp fuse in the neutral!!!
A local radio station played in the background of every system with speakers including an discrete amplifier. There was no ground rod, or ground connection. Silk wrapped 1920s lamp cord powered the kitchen and was blackened for 4 inches from where it was wrapped and taped to the knob and spool run in the attic. Jim

stevieb49829 · Feb 13, 2023

I've helped remodel 3 houses that had remnants of it in the attic. Some had been removed, all had been replaced with Romex. We pulled what we could get to during the remodels. Seemed like a good way to start a fire, especially when the insulation was cedar shavings in the wall cavities, and in the attic. steve

Ted in NE-OH · Feb 13, 2023

Knob and tube was still being installed in the early 1960s in Cleveland Ohio (union agreement)

Sprint 6 · Feb 13, 2023

Knob and tube still runs the downstairs ceiling lights in our house built in 1920. Rest of the house we rewired, but no way to access the overhead light wiring without a tear out of downstairs ceiling, or upstairs floors.

Steve@Advance · Feb 13, 2023

Seen plenty of old houses wired with knob and tube, but they were 110v from the power grid.

Place I used to work still had knob and tube wiring in use for the warehouse lighting. One of the first things I did when I started there was to replace it with conduit.

I've seen lots of Delco power plants at shows, never seen one in real use.

Pete in MD · Feb 13, 2023

I remember knob and tube wiring. When I was a kid in the '40s my friends house was rewired with romex.

Bill in Colo · Feb 13, 2023

When we moved to our ranch in 1947 it had a light plant built about 1920. The house and barns were nob and tube 10ga. with 6ga running from plant to the buildings. Still in some in the calving barn, the only usable building left. REA came in 1950.

Tony in SD · Feb 13, 2023

I remember them. They were along side the gas pipes for the gas light fixtures

JMOR · Feb 13, 2023

K&T, still in use in house that I grew up in as late as 1996. Built in late 20's. Two fuses, one for lights, one for all receptacles. All 14ga wire. I saved the old service entrance 'panel'

And a "fuse"

the tractor vet · Feb 13, 2023

Yup , this old house had it and before that there were gas lines run up thru the walls to the ceilings . Ah the joys of bring a old house into modern day living . I just pulled the last of the knob and tube wire out that i unhooked years back that fed some of the basement . Now this old house has everything hard wired in . That was fun .

Eagle Beagle · Feb 13, 2023

Remember push button wall switches for the lights? Our old family house had them in almost every room.

shaun wallace · Feb 13, 2023

Tore down house that was built in 1929 that tube and knob. It was in a city. The wire was kinda like Romex, 1 copper,1 steel conductor with cloth cover.

cool hand · Feb 13, 2023

Our house (the one where I was born and now live) had no electric power of any kind until the REA lines were installed ca. 1940. I was about 5 years old then and all wiring at that time was new. I have replaced most of that wiring with up-to-date wiring and fixtures.

mrslesq · Feb 13, 2023

The base for the 32 volt Delco light plant is still in my basement. I can still remember the Delco light plant and some batteries, but it was junked when I was in the single digits of age. Dad said the plant was ran every Monday to charge the batteries because that was wash day and the ladies of the house said the clothes' washer ran better when it was running. All of the knob and tube wiring was replaced in the last 12 years when remodeling the house. There is some left in the old horse barn, both no power runs to it anymore.

rvirgil_KS · Feb 13, 2023

This is in an old family farm house we are in process of taking down. Built in 1906. I can see 2 wires running through tubes across the floor. Was working on 120V up until disconnected a year ago.

Geo-TH,In · Feb 13, 2023

I had a house built in 1939 and I replaced the 10g copper rod and tube wiring about 10 years ago and sold the property 2 years ago..

old-9 · Feb 13, 2023

Yes I worked on many houses wired with Knob and Tube. It was reasonably safe as installed ,however time and bigger loads made it impracticable. In those days a family did not have things that used electricity like now. However I can do better. I rewired an old house in Michigan City that had GAS piping in every room for gas lights. At one time it was accepted to use an adapter to cap the gas pipe and then use the gas pipe to support the new electric light fixture. This would have been late 90's early 2000's and the gas was still was hooked up! That was a good time in the attic. Retirement is good! joe

wiring

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads