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Well, to give additional clarification: the outlets are not GFIs, there are not GFI outlets upstream in the circuits, and there are not GFI breakers in the panel. Clearly this isnt to code and was not properly inspected.
I'll contact my local authorities to see what my next step should be.
Either install Decora Style GFCI or go back the standard two prong outlets...
A couple of hours either way...
Just a note... inspectors on every job I have been associated with do not inspect every receptacle and there is no permit requirement that I know of to replace an outlet... it is just maintenance.
If you read above that post you'd see I was commenting on their statement of 20 amps with old knob and tube wiring which would be risky if indeed that's what was there, not just the ground issue.
My guess is most circuits try to limit sustained load to 80% of capacity...
A 20 amp circuit with a 20 amp load is leaves little for error... no matter what type of wiring system.
That said, fuses and circuit breakers will often tolerate short periods of overcurrent...
Also, not often addressed, the 12 guage requirement for 20 amp circuits came about almost a 100 years ago... insulation is better today as is quality control of wire from impurities.
14 ga for 15 amp and 12 for 20 amp is by convention...
I have never had a problem with knob and tube and have lived with it for decades and many of the properties I manage are knob and tube... in fact, most of the utilities use knob and tube on utility poles.
A fire inspector gave a talk and said knob and tube wiring often functions when the structure has suffered severe fire damage... where nonmetallic can't
The real issue with Knob and Tube is not the Knob and Tube... the issue is with the skill of the electrician making the soldered splices and joints.
The second is this type of wiring physically requires more space to install limiting the number or circuits.
Third is the quality of the wire varied more decades ago...
Much of it wasn't designed originally for more than 15 (particularly 14 gauge wire). Then add decades of the insulation deteriorating and becoming brittle, rodents perhaps chewing on it here and there, and people overloading it for years as modern appliances are run on it. The more stress you subject it to the more likely you'll have serious problems.
Much of it wasn't designed originally for more than 15 (particularly 14 gauge wire). Then add decades of the insulation deteriorating and becoming brittle, rodents perhaps chewing on it here and there, and people overloading it for years as modern appliances are run on it. The more stress you subject it to the more likely you'll have serious problems.
I've lived in plenty of houses and apartments with KT wiring and edison fuses. Never had any issues. My current house has an old panel with old cloth NM cable. It's not worth replacing unless it's more convenient to do so.
Upgrading your panel, sure, I could understand replacing much of the wiring. But I wouldn't go out of my way to disturb something that's been working fine for 60 years.
Either install Decora Style GFCI or go back the standard two prong outlets...
A couple of hours either way...
Just a note... inspectors on every job I have been associated with do not inspect every receptacle and there is no permit requirement that I know of to replace an outlet... it is just maintenance.
I live in an apartment complex, I will not be repairing this.
I just wanted to know if it was to code, clearly it is not. I'll be moving out, they can deal with it after I'm gone.
I've lived in plenty of houses and apartments with KT wiring and edison fuses. Never had any issues. My current house has an old panel with old cloth NM cable. It's not worth replacing unless it's more convenient to do so.
Upgrading your panel, sure, I could understand replacing much of the wiring. But I wouldn't go out of my way to disturb something that's been working fine for 60 years.
That's your decision and you're taking the risks. I've lived with knob and tube wiring before and I don't trust it. I remember seeing the old house I grew up in being rewired and some of the spots where the insulation was snapped and cracked and falling off the wires, leaving only the cloth insulating it. You couldn't touch the wires or the asphalt insulation cracked. The early cloth covered NM can actually be as bad or worse. The early insulation didn't hold up well and you don't have the benefit of that large space between the individual wires.
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