Appreciation post: A job in an old Boston brownstone made me rethink my whole approach to knob and tube

I was rewiring a third floor unit on Beacon Street last fall, and the owner wanted all the old wiring gone. I used to think you had to chase every single dead wire back to its source and pull it, but that place was a mess of plaster and lath. I left a few dead runs capped and buried in the walls after marking them clearly on the as-built. Sometimes the 'right' way causes more damage than it's worth. How do you guys handle partial knob and tube removals when a full rewire isn't in the budget?

3 comments

3 Comments

theaward22d ago

Oh man, that's a smart move leaving notes for the next person! But I gotta say, @uma_webb28's buddy using electrical tape inside that junction box makes me nervous. Tape can get gummy and fall off over the years, leaving those caps exposed. It's way safer to just use wire nuts alone, and make sure the box is deep enough so nothing gets pushed loose. A note is still a great idea though!

uma_webb2822d ago

Had a buddy rewire a place in Somerville where they found K&T spliced into romex inside a wall. He cut it back, capped everything with wire nuts and electrical tape, then put it all in a proper junction box. Left a note for the next guy taped to the inside of the cover plate.

terrywilson12d ago

Yeah, the note is a solid move for sure. My old landlord did something similar when he found a mess of old phone lines, just wrote the date and what he disconnected on the back of the wall plate. Makes you wonder what else is hiding in those walls.