b culloton
Member
I am buying a house and the fuse box has cloth covering the wires , does the seller have to replace this??? legally?????
fuse box
- Thread starter b culloton
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I am buying a house and the fuse box has cloth covering the wires , does the seller have to replace this??? legally?????
No, the seller can say you are buying "as is" and you can say I don't want the house. You can also see if the seller would consider splitting the cost of this upgrade, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
In many cases older wiring is still safe if it is not handled.
Roger
In many cases older wiring is still safe if it is not handled.
Roger
bphgravity
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
I know here in Florida many if not all insurance companies will not write a new policy for a home with a fused panel/service.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
Bryan,
Don
I can't believe that a company like Bussmann has not taken legal issue with a rule like that.
Don
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
don_resqcapt19 said:
Insurance companies have wide lattitude upon which to base their underwriting decisions. I do not believe there is any basis for a law suit as long as they can show there is legitimate reason for their underwriting practices.
The main reason fuses in homes are a bad idea is because what happens when one blows? The HO replaces it and it blows again. Now it is dark and he needs power so he temporarily fixes the problem with something conductive. Lights come back on. And everyone goes on their merry way seeing as how the problem has been fixed.
Personally, I would like to see the electrical code ban the use of fuses in residential properties based solely on this problem.
- Location
- Logan, Utah
Whats to stop the same homeowner from installing a larger breaker when the same problem occurs with a breaker instead of fuses?
I don't install a lot of fuses in residential, but A/C disconnects come to mind.
The problem is not in the code, it is the fact that you can't protect stupid people from doing stupid things.
JMHO, Chris
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
It all depends on where you are in the contracting process. If you have an offer signed by both parties, and if that offer does not name this as a deficiency to be corrected by the seller, or if that offer does not give you the right to walk away if the seller refuses to repair certain things, then you are stuck. Your best bet is to discuss the offer with your real estate agent.b culloton said:
As far as the electrical code is concerned, a fuse panel is allowed.
But what do you mean by "cloth covering the wires"? If the fuse box is missing a cover, and if the cover was replaced by a piece of cloth, then it is a real and present hazard. Or are you talking about wires that have cloth covering the copper, instead of rubber or vinyl covering the wires? Cloth was once used for insulation. The electrical code does not require anyone to replace something that was once permitted, even if the present version of the code would not allow it.
bphgravity
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
I'm not certain how the insurance companies would handle a new/newer fused panel. The ones I have seen the insurance companies object to were specifically the Edison-base type.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
We love to remove old fuse panels and replace them Federal Pacific panels. Think the insurance companies would like that? 
While that may be true for many areas, the burden of replacement falls on whom - buyer or seller?bphgravity said:
I think Roger answered the question - the buyer(as-is condition) or the seller (concession on price)...there might also be common ground (50/50).
In my home, with a 50A FPE main disco and fuses, my insurance co. wanted that equipment changed as a condition of coverage....I'm still working on it
b culloton
Member
thank you all for all your answers and I have summed them all up
thank you all for all your answers and I have summed them all up
I will agree on a 50/50
I will still buy the home, since I was brought up with fuse boxes , even though I get a little buzz from them when I screw them in accidentally, the zap clears my brain up.
Our body systems run on electric impulses, so maybe it is a plus.
thank you all again.
b culloton
thank you all for all your answers and I have summed them all up
I will agree on a 50/50
I will still buy the home, since I was brought up with fuse boxes , even though I get a little buzz from them when I screw them in accidentally, the zap clears my brain up.
Our body systems run on electric impulses, so maybe it is a plus.
thank you all again.
b culloton
If I were the buyer, I would ask that the seller foot 100% of the cost - knowing that isn't going happen...then "graciously" accepting thier 50/50 counter - knowing that even at 50% they are STILL paying for the change in it's entirety....but, that's because I am an electrician
bphgravity
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
Back when I was contracting, I would perform the work on behalf of a realtor. I was never sure if it was the buyer or seller. There were a few occasions were a person would by a home an find out after the fact that the insurance company would not write the policy until the fused panels were replaced.
I liked doing the work and got a nice collection of WWII era electrical equipment in the process!
I liked doing the work and got a nice collection of WWII era electrical equipment in the process!
bphgravity said:
We used to just install the adapters and put in type "S" fuses. I once did a 7 unit townhouse where 6 out of 7 owners agreed to update service to 100A. The AHJ agreed to let me install type s adapters in the one not willing to pay for the update. That 1 owner was so mad at me they wound up paying someone else to do their upgrade at a cost of 2 1/2 times what I had offered them for the work.
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