Knob & Tube - what is this?

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bjp_ne_elec

Senior Member
Location
Southern NH
The photo I have is too large. I ran in to an old house that has knob and tube, and up between two of the floor joists is a rectangular piece of hardware that has K&T going in to it and coming out of it. There is a brass colored "cap" and it appears to have a coil wrapped around part of the cap.

Any of you have any idea what I'm trying to describe?

I'll attach it if I can figure out how to get it stored on some URL. Anyone have any tips on how to do this? I think if some see it, they most likely will know what it is.

Thanks
 

bjp_ne_elec

Senior Member
Location
Southern NH
I'm just about positive it's not a motor. I'm thinking it may be some type of switch - maybe heat activated - but I've never seen any thing like it. I have only seen 4-5 homes with K&T - one of them being the house I grew up in. My father was also an Electrician, and to my knowledge he got rid of it all. But I had seen everything that used to be run in the basement and it was nothing like what I took the photo of.

I may re-take it - as I had a flashlight shining on it. It was so dark up between the joists, that I couldn't get my cell phone camera lined up properly. Had to shine light on it so I could hold the phone in the right position.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
I still can't make it out. I ran your original image through some complex image processing, and all I can see is what looks like a Sterno can and a Syrofoam cup.

It's just too washed out that there's no image to work with. Any chance you'll be back there?
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
buckofdurham said:
Door bell or buzzer...

If so, shouldn't there be some bell wire involved? It's not impossible, but I can't imagine doing a doorbell completely in K&T. Or are you thinking a line-voltage chime?
 

Buck Parrish

Senior Member
Location
NC & IN
480sparky said:
If so, shouldn't there be some bell wire involved? It's not impossible, but I can't imagine doing a doorbell completely in K&T. Or are you thinking a line-voltage chime?

Yes, I have seen some very old ones. I can't recall the wire used.
But I don't think a transformer was used.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
LarryFine said:
It looks more like an old phone-line lightning arrestor, from what I can see.

I thought that as well, but the OP says its K&T. If it was tele, we'd have heard about red, green & yellow wires.
 
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