Rewiring of Existing Homes, Knob & Tube Removal & BX Removal

Let’s face it: we’re more plugged in than ever before. And unfortunately, our older homes can’t always keep up. That’s where rewiring comes in.

Here at Soby One Home Services, we specialize in the rewiring of existing homes, as well as the removal of old BX and Knob & Tube wiring. These services don’t require the removal of walls or ceilings, but instead can be achieved by simply removing wires and fishing new wires through openings.

When might you need to have your home rewired? Let’s take a look at some of the most common reasons for rewiring:

  • Your home is 40+ years old. Older homes have their charm, but they weren’t originally wired with today’s modern electricity needs in mind. Rewiring an older home can make it safer and more convenient, by ensuring that there are plenty of circuits and outlets, and that there’s plenty of power for your needs. If you’re tired of inadequate lighting (because you don’t have enough lighting wired or outlets in each room), blown fuses, and other inconveniences related to your old wiring, we can help.
  • 2-prong outlets abound in your home. Those 2-prong outlets aren’t just inconvenient and bad at holding your Macbook charger — they’re also unsafe because they are not grounded. This is a problem for many modern electronics and appliances, which require the circuit and the receptacle to be grounded. These outdated outlets may also get hot or even cause sparking or scorch marks.
  • The outer jacket of your wiring is outdated (made of cloth or BX wiring). Cloth insulated wiring is commonly found in older homes and is made up of rubber insulated conductors on the inside that can dry rot over time. These individual conductors are wrapped in a cloth outer insulation. Often times, these wires will have a reduced ground wire that may not be big enough to bring the full fault load to ground. Many homes built during the 40s, 50s, and 60s have BX wiring, which also uses rubber insulation. Obviously, this is not safe or ideal and should be replaced with safer, more modern options.
  • You have aluminum wiring. Aluminum wiring became popular during a copper shortage, but it can be dangerous. Concerns include heat and fire hazard, as well as breakage and corrosion.
  • You have young children. Kids never stop pushing boundaries and trying new things. Sometimes that’s dangerous, especially if you have an older home that isn’t equipped with safer, grounded wiring and childproof outlets. When you have your home rewired, you’re creating a safer place for those inquisitive kids.
  • You have knob and tube wiring. You can identify K&T by the 2 individual conductors, the hot and neutral wire, run at least 3” apart from each other and are supported on porcelain knobs. When the conductors pass through wood joists they are protected with a porcelain tube they run through as to avoid direct contact with the wood. Also, when splices were made the wires were wrapped around each other and then soldered. The biggest problem we come across with K&T is when alterations are made. Tapping off existing K&T is not a good idea and is what causes a lot of problems we come across with K&T. It is also important to know with K&T there is no ground conductor. K&T is an ungrounded electrical system and does not work with todays current wiring methods and standards.
Electric Rewiring

But one of the most obvious reasons to rewire is to safely move into the future. What do we mean? The computer controls on newer appliances and systems often require separate ground and neutral wiring, which isn’t how things “used to be.” If you have older wiring, you may not be able to enjoy the latest technology. Additionally, A/V equipment and HVAC systems can be damaged by older wiring.

When rewiring an existing home, we evaluate your existing wiring and electrical system, consider your existing electrical problems and your plans for your property in the future, and come up with a plan. Once you’ve signed off on the plan and the cost, we’ll get right to work pulling out old wiring and fishing new wiring in. And don’t worry — any damage done to walls will be repaired by our team.

Knob & Tube Removal

Knob and tube wiring is outdated and has no ground wire (just a neutral wire and a hot wire), which means it can’t be safely used to power three-pronged appliances. This type of wiring is prone to fires and shocks and tends to have outdated insulation that disintegrates over time. For this reason, it’s important that old knob and tube wiring be removed, especially in areas of the home where water is present or modern appliances are heavily used.

Typically, your insurance company will require that knob and tube wiring be replaced before closing on a home, so if you’re buying an older home, you may have already run into this problem. Don’t worry — we can help and get the job done quickly so you can move forward with purchase.

Call On Soby One — We’re Orleans’ Trusted Electricians For Projects Of All Sizes

For all your rewiring and electrical needs, call Orlean’s trusted electrician — call Soby One at 883-762-9663 or reach out online. We’re here to get the job done right. Simply need to run a new circuit for a new plug? We can help with that, too. There’s no job too big or too small for our team of MA licensed Master & Journeyman Electricians.

 

We frequently get calls to run new circuits to handle all the electrical needs of the modern home and we’re ready and able to help.

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  • MA Master Electricians Lic# A20378
  • MA Journeyman Electricians Lic# B10097
  • EPA UNIVERSAL Refrigerant Certification# 1016561776310
  • Panasonic Gold Level HVAC Specialists
  • Nest Pro Installers
  • Insured

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