On Mar 6, 12:52 pm, Speedy Jim wrote:
Bud-- wrote:

SNIP

http://www.waptac.org/sp.asp?id=7190
is a report to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs
on adding building insulation around existing K&T wiring. No record of
hazard was found in the large number of K&T installations that had
insulation added around them. At the time of the report, adding
insulation was permitted some places, not in others.

--
bud--

Bookmarked !!!

What a great find!

I snipped this from it as part of the history and origin:

"Mr. Sargent had no knowledge of fire loss data pertaining to this
amendment, and suggested that the code change may have been a preemptive
move based on the original design of knob-and-tube wiring. In this view,
knob-and-tube wiring was designed to function in free air , and thus
encasement in an insulating material represents a practice contrary to
the original design."

HaHa A "pre-emptive move" based on little more than hot air.

Jim


House inspectors know if they kill a deal, they'll never get a call
from a broker again. When you're buying a house, it's difficult to
call in an inspector from out of town (who won't be influenced by the
potential loss of business), because it will cost you big.
It's inevitable for an old house to need improvements and upgrades.
I'm really angry at the last inspector who came for my current home;
he missed a bunch of things, but I ultimately blame myself for
overlooking them, since I was involved in the inspection. When you
want a house you tend to rationalize past items in order to keep the
deal going.
I have that K&T in the attic, and the problem I have with it is mine
doesn't have a ground, and it's difficult to work with when upgrading
ceiling lights or adding fans. In addition, in my house the wires are
laying on the studs so if I have to go up into the crawl space
(rarely) unless I want to have to avoid live wires, I got to cut off
the breakers.
As far as asking an electrician to come out and give you advice, I
called one and he wanted $90 an hour portal to portal; so if he came
out and spent an hour, it would cost me nearly $300 because I live in
the country.
Also the textbook suggestion would be to maybe check with your county
building department to see if a permit is required for the work you
are planning, and if your jurisdiction permits the homewoner to
perform electrical work themselves.
You do not necessarily have to identify yourself when you call, just
to ask a rhetorical question.
That way you can have your project inspected, and you can be sure they
will re-access your property and bump up your taxes. By the nature of
your question, and the comments you made regarding how you plan to
upgrade your wiring, you are obviously wanting to do a reasonably good
job and not jeopardise your safety or your home's value.
In my experience the guys working the electrical aisle at the
homecenters are retired electricians, and offer good advice and
direction, or tell you who to ask if they don't know the answer
themselves
hope this helps