Good afternoon all i took out a wall this week behind my living room and have 2 boxes containing old two prong electrical outlets exposed. However as you see in my photo below this old cloth covered electrical wire is charred in two places making me think it may not contain asbestos.
Old Best 12awg Western Electric Waxed Standard Copper Cloth Wire 3 6m A101 Ebay
Even the old knob and tube wiring that predates cloth wiring was perfectly adequate at the time however cloth wiring is definitely out of date and poses some significant risks today.
Old cloth wiring. However no tests were performed. Over time parts of it can become damaged or deteriorated and may present a serious fire or shock hazardbut age alone doesnt mean wiring is inherently unsafe nor does old wiring automatically have to be replaced. Cloth wiring can become abraded and chewed on by rats and insects leading the exposure of the wire underneath.
The wiring in your home is the highway of power that feeds everything electrical in the household. Everything is working and the wires are in good shape. Knob and tube the earliest residential wiring system has a cloth covered hot wire and a neutral wire which run parallel about a foot apart.
Cloth wiring is considered a fire hazard for most insurance companies due to the the wiring overheating the cloth and starting a fire. These two boxes have the old cloth wiring running in and out of them and also appear to serve as a junction to outlets or lights upstairs. Ceramic tubes are used where wires cross or penetrate framing.
In the electrical wire history old wire identification article below we illustrate a variety of types of electrical wiring found in older buildings based on the wire insulation material asbestos cloth plastic metal and the wire material itself. Asbestos impregnated type avb cloth wiring insulation is discussed separately. This is a look at knob and tube wiring that has had the plaster removed.
Reader comments qa. You can see how dangerous even good knob and tube wiring can look. Cloth wiring considered extremely dangerous and replaced immediately.
Ceramic knobs anchor the wires to the house framing. At asbestos electrical wire insulation. Copper aluminum copper clad aluminum tinned copper.
The cloth wiring that most electricians consider dangerous is where the cloth is the only outside barrier to the metal conductor. These wires dont pose an inherent risk to homeowners but if you experience electrical faults or are starting a home renovation you might seriously consider replacing them. Here are some wiring systems youll find in older homes.
Cloth wiring is the predecessor to modern plastic coated wiring and is common in homes built before 1960.
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