It goes in streaks. I will do a number of new houses then, suddenly, I inspect a string of older homes. In the last couple weeks I have seen three houses with knob and tube wiring. Of course, the seller insists that the house has been re-wired. That usually means somebody put a new service panel in at some point in the last fifty years. It does not mean that the wiring is not still knob and tube. The wiring below was live. The other problem with knob and tube is that, over the years, somebody usually cuts it up and does a sloppy job of splicing in new circuits. Knob and tube wiring is, at this point, an old and outdated system but lots of homes still have some. Steven L. Smith Bellingham WA Home Inspections 
Your Knobs Are Showing
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21 comments • Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector • August 28 2009 01:26AMComments
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Steven, I am surprised that there are as many homes with it as there are, we run into an older home every so often that still hasn't been upgraded, it is in my opinion, scary!
Steven: So... not being very knowledgeable about what goes on behind the walls as far as electric wiring is concerned... I am just curious, here. What about this system... in old houses... is so bad ? Can it cause the place to burn down ? And, how do you correct it ? How can an existing house be "re-wired?" Would that not entail tearing up the entire house ? Just trying to expand my knowledge base, here.
Ah yes, I remember as a very young kid being in the attic with my dad which had that kind of wiring. He was showing me how to work with it to add outlets. I suppose that old home still has that type of wiring up there.
It is amazing that I still find active knob and tube in older properties. Sometimes the electrician who has rewired the property ties into these lines to run other circuits...
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Surprisingly of the last few older homes I inspected only one had some active K&T. The other big problem here is most insurance companies will not insure a home with K&T.
Knob and Tube wiring can be a hazardous situation. Lots of folks around here see nothing wrong with it though, if you know what I mean. Just have to point it out, make my recommendation, and move on.
James,
A few years ago, when I belonged to the Realtors Assoc, Allstate and Farmers used their willingness to insure K and T houses as a selling point. They probably do it there, for quite a steep increase.
Karen Anne,
They run new wiring. That is a pain through walls and in walls. The attic stuff is not hard to do. How dangerous it is has quite a lot to do with how well the job was done in the first place , the soldering of joints, and how much of it has been hacked up by those who have no clue how to do the work.
Ok, I wasn't sure what to expect after the title - LOL - cute. Thank goodness we have a newer home :) - not sure if I would like exposed knobs :) ~Rita
Insurance companies still ask whether there is K&T present! This is why!
On the mark Jay. The insurance companies really frown on K&T. I think the number is 1.6 times more likely to have a claim (or something close).
I think this is a lot of baloney on the part of the insurance companies as is evidenced by the fact that there are insurance companies that don't have issue with it. The reality is that something like 3% of all home fires are caused by electrical failures of all types----of which fused panels and knob and tube are a very small percentage of those. The biggest problems with knob and tube is more associated with compromises of the original system by improper additions to the circuits----not the system itself.
Charlie, In many respects fuses are superior to breakers. Breakers are mechanical devices that can fail. A fuse is going to work pretty much 100% of the time. I believe the biggest problem with fuses is the homeowner can by pass it or install a fuese that is too large for the circuit wiring.
James true---plus you need to have boxes of different sizes laying around:)
Charles, I didn't say I agree with the insurance companies, but let's face it anything that still has K&T probably has a problem due to the age of the wiring.
Jack, so true----pretty rare to not find some compromises of the circuits.
Mr Charles,
I will remind you that, in the majority of inspections when I work as your certifried assistant, it is ME, Nutsy, who finds those compromised circuits deep under the insulation. Then you take the credit as if you are a Phd with knobs and tubes.
Nutsy
Nutsy a word about the title of this post----do we really need to refer everyone to the "Real Nutsy Wallenda?"
Mr Charles,
That comment, while probably mean-spirited, is waaaaaaaaaay over my head. It cut my ears off.
Nutsy
Just wanted to come back and say that if Nutsy needs a little vacation from all this undue stress he can come stop by at my open house - I made special nutty cookies for him :) ~Rita
I have had clients that had trouble getting homeowners insurance because of knob and tube wiring.
Liberty Mutual will insure most homes with knob and tube wiring. But it's been hit an miss.
David
David,
A few will do it, but they want a premium price.