Fiberglass Electrical Insulation
old electrical in the attic?
I was looking into adding insulation in the attic (it doesn’t have any), but I saw a bunch of wires running up there that I wasn’t expecting. The ran both above and below the rafters, there were what looked like ceramic insulators, but I’m not sure, that they were attached to. I didn’t see any electrical boxes, and the at least one went to a light in the ceiling. The wires themselves seem to be a surprisingly small gauge, route, and wrapped in a woven fabric (nothing homemade; it looks factory-dome) insulator.
The house was built between 1930 and 1950 (don’t know about this section of it).
Was this how electric was done back then?
How safe is it?
What does it mean for insulating the attic? Fiberglass doesn’t conduct, but are there other things I need to worry about?
Once someone said tube and knob, a quick visit to Wikipedia informed me that covering it with insulation isn’t safe and shouldn’t be done before replacing the wiring.
This is called ‘knob and tube’ wiring. Back in the day they used to run one wire (hot) from the main power source to the various lights and receptacles and another wire on the other stud that goes back to the main power source to complete the circuit. It is very dangerous if it is exposed the way you are explaining. Most insurance companies won’t even insure houses with this type of wiring. The other problem is that this wiring is not grounded. All wiring needs to be grounded now a days to meet code so as not to electrocute yourself. Depending on how much of your house is wired this way will depend on how much it will take to change this over. It can be a big job to do this upgrade and it’s expensive as it is labor intensive. If it’s just in the attic, it won’t be as big of a deal. Pull down some lights in the other parts of the house and if there are only two small wires coming out of the ceiling with no box, it’s knob and tube. Also, if your house has had all the walls changed to drywall (sheetrock), the electrical was likely upgraded in the house then. If the walls are still lathe and plaster, there’s a good chance you are dealing with knob and tube wiring. It is a good idea to have it upgraded though especially if you are looking to sell in the near future. It will be much harder to sell if that wiring hasn’t been taken out.
talkignDigital studios – insulation
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37″ 4mm Diameter Flexible Fiberglass Electrical Insulation Pipe $3.63 |
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10m 10mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $19.99 |
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20m 14mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $42.99 |
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20m 2mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $12.99 |
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20m 3mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $14.99 |
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20m 4mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $14.99 |
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20m 5mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $14.99 |
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20m 6mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $16.99 |
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20m 8mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $17.99 |
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5m 12mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $11.99 |
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5m 14mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $12.99 |
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5m 1mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $4.99 |
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5m 2mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $4.99 |
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5m 3mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $4.99 |
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5m 4mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $4.99 |
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5m 5mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $4.99 |
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5m 6mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $4.99 |
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5m 8mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving $5.99 |
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PEI 1″ x .013″ x 100 Yds Fiberglass Insulation Tape $29.00 |
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37″ 4mm Diameter Flexible Fiberglass Electrical Insulation Pipe $3.60 |
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94CM 8mm Electrical Wire PVC Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving 2 Pcs $3.86 |
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94CM 8mm Electrical Wire PVC Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving 2 Pcs $3.84 |
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2 Pcs 1.2KV 8mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving 94CM $4.24 |
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94CM 8mm Electrical Wire PVC Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving 2 Pcs $4.22 |
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2 Pcs 1.2KV 8mm Electrical Wire Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving 94CM $3.73 |
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94CM 8mm Electrical Wire PVC Fiberglass Insulation Sleeving 2 Pcs $3.94 |