I have old knob & tube wiring in my house and when I bought it two years ago, the home inspector said I can't put insulation in the house till the wiring is updated. I have gotten quotes on replacing the wiring in my house (all around 15K), however, they all kind of beat around the bush when I ask if I need new wiring before putting in insulation.
My question then is, do I need to replace the wiring before putting in insulation?
insulation and knob & tube wiring
-
insulation and knob & tube wiring
posted at 3/14/2011 3:34 PM EDT
- davrmars
- Posts: 3
- First: 3/14/2011
- Last: 4/12/2011
-
Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring
posted at 3/15/2011 9:39 AM EDT
- SSBride09
- Posts: 396
- First: 8/13/2008
- Last: 5/17/2013
As someone who is having knob and tube replaced at their house right now (also paying $15k) I can tell you from what I've seen in our walls I would never put insulation in before replacing the wiring. Our house was built in 1900 so perhaps your k&t is newer but we saw several places in the walls where the wood was actually burned around the wires and luckily the wood did not incinerate too badly and put itself out. If we had had insulation in the walls there would be no house right now. -
Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring
posted at 3/15/2011 12:41 PM EDT
- Jima
- Posts: 8
- First: 6/8/2008
- Last: 3/30/2011
Knob in tube wiring is a fire hazard .
Replace it ASAP. I regularly see scorched areas in walls due to arcing K&T. -
Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring
posted at 3/15/2011 1:08 PM EDT
- SSBride09
- Posts: 396
- First: 8/13/2008
- Last: 5/17/2013
Also, not sure if you're looking to sell your house anytime in the near future but these days most insurance companies will not write new policies on k&t. So its likely that when you go to sell you'll have to replace it since without home insurance buyers can't get a mortgage. -
Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring
posted at 3/15/2011 2:01 PM EDT
- Jima
- Posts: 8
- First: 6/8/2008
- Last: 3/30/2011
In Response to Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring:Also, not sure if you're looking to sell your house anytime in the near future but these days most insurance companies will not write new policies on k&t. So its likely that when you go to sell you'll have to replace it since without home insurance buyers can't get a mortgage.
Posted by SSBride09
The MA Fair Plan will insure homes with K&T wiring.
The risk of fire is very high with this wiring ... therefore it is hard to insure a building with K&T. -
Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring
posted at 3/21/2011 12:50 PM EDT
- SuzyE
- Posts: 6
- First: 6/10/2009
- Last: 3/21/2011
I have a couple knob & tube circuits and had to go with the 'insurer of last resort' in MA - MPIUA. It's about double the price of normal insurance. Will be replacing my two circuits soon.
Just have the circuits inspected was scary - the insulated covering of the wire flaked off as we looked at. Replace first. -
Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring
posted at 3/22/2011 7:03 PM EDT
- Neighbor1
- Posts: 6
- First: 7/23/2010
- Last: 3/22/2011
Knob and tube has been around for many many many years with no problems. Be careful not to listen to isolated instances where knob and tube failed. Majority of folks insulate and dont have problems with their knob and tube. -
Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring
posted at 3/23/2011 7:06 AM EDT
- EngineerChic
- Posts: 15
- First: 4/11/2010
- Last: 8/7/2012
Ask yourself these questions:Is it cheaper to replace the wiring or hire a slew of lawyers when your home insurance refuses to pay after your house burns down? Is it going to be cheaper to replace the K&T wiring when you have to sell your house (someday)?Home buyers are getting more and more selective about what they will deal with in a house (blame HGTV). It seems like half will refuse to look at a house with dated carpet & wallpaper. K&T is much, much more intimidating to handle.Updating the wiring is a great time to add telephone, internet, or cable jacks to rooms that need it as well. I don't think you will be sorry if you do this. -
Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring
posted at 3/23/2011 3:14 PM EDT
- Jima
- Posts: 8
- First: 6/8/2008
- Last: 3/30/2011
In Response to Re: insulation and knob & tube wiring:Knob and tube has been around for many many many years with no problems. Be careful not to listen to isolated instances where knob and tube failed. Majority of folks insulate and dont have problems with their knob and tube.
Posted by Neighbor1
Neighbor1 - Bad information. There have been many problems with knob in tube . The building and electrical codes specifically prohibits insulating around knob in tube wiring. I have seen hundreds of fire issues with knob in tube wiring. This is an old type of wiring that was not designed to service today's electrical appliances , and it is 4000 times more likely to have a fire than with contemporary wiring.This is why the Insurance Companies will not insure buildings with this type of wiring.