On Jun 3, 3:01�pm, bud-- wrote:
J Burns wrote:
RBM wrote:
"J Burns" wrote in message
...
I've seen old houses where all circuits enter the breaker box as
cables, but some rooms still have knob-and-tube wiring. �(A homeowner
who needed to upgrade wiring for his kitchen may have found the old
wiring adequate in a bedroom.)

That leads to a question that didn't occur to me before. �Was there a
proper way to connect K & T to a cable?

Originally, the K&T would have entered the fuse panel through screw in
ceramic insulators. When that panel was replaced they probably ran a
piece of BX cable to a junction box, and ran the K&T insulators into
knockouts in the J box, then either spliced with wire nuts or solder
depending upon when it was done. Here is a picture of an old K&T fuse
box. Notice the fused neutrals:
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b9...ause%20renovat....

Thanks. �Comments by others are interesting, too.

In the 1980s, my parents moved into a house where they wanted grounded
outlets, more outlets, and fluorescent lights. �Cables went from the
breaker box to junction boxes in the attic, but much of the lighting was
on K&T.

Instead of making connections to K&T, I was removing it. �I wasn't aware
that the insulation was unreliable, so I didn't think about how the
electrician who had installed the junction boxes had made safe
connections to existing K&T.

The K&T I have run across has insulation that is in good condition after
all these years. The exception is at light fixtures, where the heat of
the lamp, or especially a ballast, has raised the electrical insulation
temperature far beyond what was intended. The same problem happens with
BX, and other wiring.

K&T is actually still in the NEC (article 394 - with very limited use)
and is intended to be concealed (some exceptions in attics).

The refeed I have seen is to put a j-box near the knobs and run wires
into a box with "loom" over the wire from the knob to inside the box.
RBM's picture show loom. I have seen the loom just go through a knockout
(preferable both wires through the same knockout). The K&T is spliced
inside the box to Romex, or some other wiring system.

--
bud--- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

with K&T concealed in walls how can you be CERTAIN its in good shape?
theres no way to see it unless you open the wall, and once you do you
might as well just replace the K&T

I helped gut a friends fire damaged home. It was amazing the bad
wiring I found in the walls.

The owners finally agreed to a complete rewire.

the fire wasnt electrical, a cat knocked over a lamp the damage to the
home 135,000 exceeded the homes value by far.

sadly their old homeowners insurance had been canceled when their
insurer went out of business. K&T, bad roof, broken sidewalks etc etc.
they had forced place insurance on structure only, and lost much of
their possesions