Old house, old wiring

frizfrazjaz

frizfrazjaz

Well-Known Member
CobGrower said:
I am assuming the $7000 was for the entire house? How much would it be to have an electrician install 1 new circuit for the room as long as the power to the house can support it?

Of course a house rewire would be the best option if one could afford it, but short term a new circuit for a grow room should let you sleep a little easier at night. I would be terrified of a house fire if I was running my grow off of 1920 wires, who knows how many critters have taken nips out of the insulation on the wires over nearly 100 years that under normal use may not be an issue but when you start to max out the wiring it could become one very quickly. A 10amp vaccuum shouldn’t be able to trip a 15amp circuit and if it does something is wrong somewhere.
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That is something I hadn’t considered. I was kind of all or nothing. Thank you.
 
frizfrazjaz

frizfrazjaz

Well-Known Member
Jypsy Dog said:
If the house was built in the 20's, Chances are it's Knob and Tube. Once you touch it, most Cities will require that ALL of it be improve.
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Yes, it is scary. I didn’t have the add on rooms done either. So god knows what was touched. The city didn’t hit me on it, but it doesn’t make it any safer for my wife and I.
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
$7k for an electrical upgrade is a great deal.i would seriously save up for that.it's been said already and i agree,an electrician will more than likely not add breakers/more outlets to existing wiring that old.holy shit,if that's knob and tube...
i suspect your wiring has had an upgrade at some point.this doesnt mean shit(who knows what is in the walls)but are your outlets grounded? can you take a picture of your panel/breaker box?
 
frizfrazjaz

frizfrazjaz

Well-Known Member
natureboygrower said:
$7k for an electrical upgrade is a great deal.i would seriously save up for that.it's been said already and i agree,an electrician will more than likely not add breakers/more outlets to existing wiring that old.holy shit,if that's knob and tube...
i suspect your wiring has had an upgrade at some point.this doesnt mean shit(who knows what is in the walls)but are your outlets grounded? can you take a picture of your panel/breaker box?
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I don’t think I can do pics from my phone. Everything from the pole to the breaker box, (which is on the outside of the house, lol), is 4 years old. I don’t know what wiring is in add on rooms but the rest is definitely knob and tube. My outlets have gfi’s but was told by electrician that house wiring was not grounded.
 
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Jypsy Dog

Jypsy Dog

Well-Known Member
We rewired an older home years back. It's not that bad. The home we did the stuff was in Great shape. Class A install for back in the day. It's safe to live with as long as you respect it.
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
frizfrazjaz said:
I don’t think I can do pics from my phone. Everything from the pole to the breaker box, (which is on the outside of the house, lol), is 4 years old. I don’t know what wiring is in add on rooms but the rest is definitely knob and tube. My outlets have gfi’s but was told by electrician that house wiring was not grounded.
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my biggest concern would be running your grow lights on that knob and tube.i'm not trying to scare you,but everything fails at some point,and electrical fires happen fast.that knob and tube is nearing 100 years old,it's done it's job lol. at some point,you should really consider that upgrade.i've pulled out a lot of that old wire,and it crumbled to damn near dust when messed with.it was very dry and brittle.back in the day the wires were insulated by wrapping a fabric type material around them.
 
frizfrazjaz

frizfrazjaz

Well-Known Member
natureboygrower said:
my biggest concern would be running your grow lights on that knob and tube.i'm not trying to scare you,but everything fails at some point,and electrical fires happen fast.that knob and tube is nearing 100 years old,it's done it's job lol. at some point,you should really consider that upgrade.i've pulled out a lot of that old wire,and it crumbled to damn near dust when messed with.it was very dry and brittle.back in the day the wires were insulated by wrapping a fabric type material around them.
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I’ve been leery for sometime now. I have 4 smoke alarms and 5 fire extinguishers but still not very comforting. Wiring is at the top of our list.
 
Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
frizfrazjaz said:
Got quoted at $7000. Don’t have it laying around unfortunately. Besides, I did say I would consult an electrician.
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frizfrazjaz said:
You run off 240v lucky luke? What’s your setup?
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I'm in oz. We have 240v as standard here.

I hear ya on the 7k its not chickenfeed. Could you shave a couple off it by stripping the wires back to the old fuse box yourself? Maybe even playing apprentice for the rewire.
 
Jypsy Dog

Jypsy Dog

Well-Known Member
frizfrazjaz said:
I’ve been leery for sometime now. I have 4 smoke alarms and 5 fire extinguishers but still not very comforting. Wiring is at the top of our list.
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It's like Asbestos... Don't play with it and all's cool. Find a Sparky willing to work on trade. If your home is small, one guy can resnake it. Friends with the Drywall Dude is handy also.
 
frizfrazjaz

frizfrazjaz

Well-Known Member
Lucky Luke said:
I'm in oz. We have 240v as standard here.

I hear ya on the 7k its not chickenfeed. Could you shave a couple off it by stripping the wires back to the old fuse box yourself? Maybe even playing apprentice for the rewire.
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The quote I got was from a larger company. It might work if I hire a smaller outfit.
 
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