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Nate Nagel

On 06/04/2010 10:29 PM, wrote:
On Jun 4, 5:30�pm, wrote:
"J wrote in message

...

bud-- wrote:

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.

The house my grandfather owned has a pair of light switches inside the
front door. �They still work fine after nearly 90 years. �By coincidence
my other grandfather, 1,000 miles away, invented those switches.

I might want to replace the K&T to the two ceiling lights but not to the
switches. �(It's an exterior wall, and anyway I don't want to tamper with
the switches.)

Using "loom" to run K&T into a j-box could be just the thing for me. �I
imagine the material shouldn't crumble or support a flame. �Where could I
find loom material?

Strangely, on jobs where I've removed K&T wiring, the loom is in terrible
shape, completely dried out and brittle, unlike the wire which in most
cases, is in near perfect condition. As Bud mentions, it's usually only bad
where it's been installed in or near fixtures that got very hot.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Well ultimately everyone here will find out which way things go at
home resale time. and certinally no one should ever buy a new vehicle
to get a safer one. who needs seat belts? air bags? etc?

If you're not a ****ty driver, buying a new car just to get a safer one
is a spectacularly bad deal. Most of the best bang-for-your-buck safety
improvements were made mandatory long before most of the cars still on
the road today were built - I'm talking late 60's, early 70's here.

That said, I'd still feel way safer in, say, an 80's Mercedes-Benz or
Porsche than I would in a new tin can. There's a big difference in
quality...

nate

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