No Breaker, No Fuse 02: Stupidity-Resistance Test 1915 120v Knob & Tube Wiring (simulated 70v 100A)

[joetri]

Great job showing how old knob and tubing is NOT dangerous as alot of people think when i was working i would get calls to check peoples house wiring i had a lot of people scared because of the knob and tubing wiring in a lot of homes here people was afraid their house was gonna burn down because of old wires and some shady electrician's would tell them it was really dangerous i would go inspect them and if they was blowing breakers or fuses i would recommend splitting the circuit up and repairing the wires to me knob and tubing was alot safer then romax because most times it couldn't be shorted togather and they shouldn't worry about it as long as they wasnt having trouble with it .

[sheepewe]

Great and informative video, i like the concept when You learn people what will possibly happen by show how things works in simulated situations under control.

[mkzenthusiasts]

They didn't stop using knob and tube wiring because of the time factor of installation. They stopped using it when people started insulating homes. Knob and tube requires open air all around it and it's the open air that acts as an insulator. When they blew in the insulation and covered that wire it was susceptible to fire since the real rubber costing dried up and cracked causing many house fires. Today some insurance company's won't insure you if you don't have upgraded wiring and a 100 amp service. As long as the knob and tube wiring is in an interior wall it's fine

[SeanBZA]

Easy, the wiring was done by the Journeyman, who was probably a boy between 8-15, who was doing an apprenticeship under the instruction of a master electrician, and who was thus small enough to fit in the crawlspace. Drilling holes with a brace and bit, or with an awl, and then pushing in the tubes as insulators, and doing the knobs and wiring is all up, in the dark, with only a candle or kerosene lamp for light.

[aj]

I lived in Buffalo NY for a year and the house I was in had active knob and tube wire in it. It was exposed in the basement. When we went down to do laundry I could literally hear the buzzing in the wires almost like you’d hear in a Jacobs ladder. It never made much sense to me, but it was happening. It used to scare me from a fire perspective but obviously it was far enough apart that no sparks were jumping. I’m actually wondering if it was possibly 220. It was a House I was in but it had an upstairs level that I had no access to, so I was never able to follow the lines. Their breaker panel was locked also. It had two separate boxes for each apartment. One fuse box, and one upgraded circuit breaker box. I’m guessing they were 100 amp service boxes each.

[kardstore]

they probably wired it after the roof was on, but before they put the ceiling in.

[nicknamednickify]

The biggest problem with K&T that I see is that Physics is against it in so many ways. I'm writing an article right now on K&T, and I'd never understood completely until now why, every time I've had to splice on to it with newer wiring methods (yes, something that can be done by code, but must be done in a very particular manner), it was always so crumbly. Did you know our modern wiring with putting all the circuit conductors into one cable is not just easier to install, but it is vastly superior in terms of Physics? The old Knob and Tube practice of spreading conductors so far apart is the kicker. The K&T single conductors build up more heat because they are too far apart for the opposing magnetic fields they are generating to cancel each other out! So, instead of a net zero magnetic field like a balanced modern cable, now you have all kinds of eddy currents and inductive heating going on all the time in every place one of those single conductor cables passes too close to a piece of iron (like the nail inside the porcelain knob). Very poor efficiency! And then, back to my experience with this cable. The insulation practically falls off if you touch it. That's because the old wiring was a single conductor covered by rubber, not plastic. Rubber ages very poorly compared to thermoplastic. It wasn't made to last. And the thing that really kills electrical equipment, including wiring, is heat. So, how many attics are still un-insulated? That's right, you are not supposed to insulate over Knob and Tube wiring. It has to be open to the air in order to dissipate heat. But if its not insulated, then all the heat in the attic is also baking your rubber coating. And then again, people didn't know NOT to insulate over it, so you find it buried in insulation anyway where it is suffocating in its own heat. The stuff in the open wall cavities is usually in better shape, but sometimes I still find crumbly, crummy insulation in the device boxes where there was more heat concentrated. How does your electrician deal with this? Does he bother trying his best to tape up the failing insulation and keep it intact, or is he being yelled at by the customers and his boss to hurry up, so he curses quietly under his breath and lets a few things slide? You really are better off getting completely rid of this stuff. It is the life and safety of your family members and you on the line here.

[station]

I have an old book that covers installation of Knob and Tube wiring. Biggest issue was where wires crossed over beams/each other. Fuse boxes were also a mess, trying to route wires in from all directions to maintain distance between wires.

Never seen any of this wiring in person.

[sewell]

Great video! But damn, you have a lot more nerve than me. I’d never get myself into that tight of a space without panic perusing.

[jonunwin]

Different to us in the UK, we have twin and earth running at 230v. I'm not familiar with your core sizes but those cutters look unnecessary. Up to 4.5mm² twin and earth I can usa small pair of single hand cutters. Above that size I need slightly larger with a decent head, certainly not two handed ones lol

[ASMRPeople]

Knob & tube was much safer than what it was replaced with the cloth double stranded wire. I have an odd one in my house cloth outer shell with plastic inner shell.

[hannahmich]

I remember insulating my moms houses years ago and found a tube and wire sticking above the wood chip insulation. Because it was retired at some point in time a though this wiring was long disconnected, IT wasn’t. It was live bare wire right at the same level of the wood chips, a real fired hazard. The silly thing was it took me a whole day to figure the circuit it was tied into but I was never able to figure out just why someone would wire this project this was.
I’m sure you are knowledgeable enough to figure it out but after some many years these old wiring systems are still burning down homes.

[ThriftStoreHacker]

I live in a 1916 cottage and the remains of the old knob and tube wiring is still there. Very sketchy looking. But houses only had 20 amp service back then. The 1970s stuff can be way more dangerous because some used aluminum grounds.

[GeekBoy]

They probably put that wiring up there before the roof was put on. My Grandparent's house originally had no electricity, and a flat roof. However, when the roof was being repaird some years later, they were able to add that very same old wiring.

[aj]

Let’s pretend the gloves are wet from sweat and or have a hole in the fabric, lol

[fktheto]

We use twin and earth it the UK lot better to install and far less problems with Eddy currents

[sarahszabo]

I'm surprised that you wear glasses given the dusty nature of the environment. I would switch to contacts, although you might have to wear safety specs then..

[Actionful]

Please Dear! Watch out, ok? <3 Love Ya :)