There is a pretty good chance you've never heard of"knob and tube wiring" before. You probably don't understand what it is, what it's used for, or it may be dangerous. You may even have knob and tube wiring in your house or building without knowing it.
Should you do, you'll probably need to eliminate it ASAP. We are going to explain why, and answer your other knob and tube wiring questions in the process. Let's begin from the top:
From the end of the 1930s, most city-based homes and about a quarter of rural ones had electrical wiring. More homes were gaining access constantly, and the go-to way of wiring these homes was knob and tube wiring in Arvada.
Knob and tube wiring gets both elements of its name for quite obvious reasons. The"knobs" refer to the ceramic knobs which are used to hold the wires. The"tubes" refer to the ceramic tube casings that protect the wires within walls. Most modern electric installations have three wires. A hot wire, a neutral wire, and a ground wire that's used in the event of a brief or excess charge. In knob-and-tube, nevertheless, there are only two wires: the sexy and the neutral one. This makes the system less secure than modern electrical systems.
First, you likely don't possess this relatively antiquated kind of electric wiring if your home was built sometime in the last twenty decades. These days, knob and tube systems are rarely installed or even re-wired. If your home is older than this, nevertheless, you might still be relying upon knob and tube systems. The easiest way to learn for certain is by looking within a wall. If you find the telltale ceramic knobs and tubes, you then know.
If you can not look inside your walls, then you should also have a look in your own outlets. As a consequence of its own two wire system, houses with knob and tube sockets can just have two prongs, never three. Possessing a three-pronged outlet or two does not necessarily mean you do not have this kind of wiring, yet. Some homes have contemporary ground fault circuit interrupters as a stop-gap between old systems and venting. These will be three-pronged if they're in your property. If your house is old and you have largely two-prong wiring, then you might have knob and tube wiring.
There is no immediate threat to your safety in case your home has working knob and tube wiring. That doesn't mean you should ignore your wiring for long, however. Your older wires are coated using rubber, which can degrade. When it does, the wires become exposed to air and moisture. Exposed wiring could spark, fray, or even break, possibly starting fires.
Knob and tube systems are more easily overloaded also. These wires can only manage twelve circuits within a house. Historically, if more circuits were required, electricians would splice knob and tube wires. Unfortunately, that splicing further makes possible overloading, overheating, or shorting all the more likely. Long story short: if you want guaranteed safety, you are going to have to rewire your house.
Locate a business that has years of expertise delivering specialist services. When you do, try to have pertinent information such as the size and age of your house on hand. The expense of a whole home rewire is dependent on these and other factors.
If you want to save yourself some time, then it is also possible to get in touch with Jet Plumbers Arvada Colorado. We'll answer your questions and walk you through the process with complete transparency. It is never the wrong time to update your home's wiring and keep your family safe.
