Spoke with the AHJ about knob and tube wiring. We are allowed to cut the wire 1 1/2" past the knob and wirenut and tape up the ends even if the wire is still energized. Has anyone heard of that? I put the capped off ends into a plastic nail on. He stated that that was not necessary to have a box.
Knob and Tube
- Thread starter chris1971
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electricmanscott
Senior Member
- Location
- Boston, MA
None of the other splices are in boxes.
electricmanscott
Senior Member
- Location
- Boston, MA
- Location
- Massachusetts
He is correct.
al hildenbrand
Senior Member
- Location
- Minnesota
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor, Electrical Consultant, Electrical Engineer
I agree that your AHJ is correct.
Concealed K&T wiring is the only wiring method that is deliberately silent about the splices that aren't at switches and outlets.
The wiring method (concealed K&T) has most of its wire-to-wire splices occuring concealed in the wall (no box of any kind).
What you seem to be describing in your opening post is a dead end of a run that used to go further. The need for a deadend occurs when the scope of work that opens existing finished walls and ceilings is limited and the K&T branch wiring goes outside of the scope of the work.
Given the opportunity, on making a new deadend of an existing K&T conductor, I will tape the end, leaving the end long enough to wrap around the nearest Knob half a turn, and then twisting three or four time around itself, the taut conductor coming from beyond the scope of work.
jaylectricity
Senior Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Occupation
- licensed journeyman electrician
How did they end the K&T runs when they were first installed? I've seen a lot of houses with it, but can't recall ever noticing the end of the conductor.
Yeah, and?
I guess you were not as curious as I was.
jaylectricity
Senior Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Occupation
- licensed journeyman electrician
You broke open walls in your house to see what was behind them?
al hildenbrand
Senior Member
- Location
- Minnesota
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor, Electrical Consultant, Electrical Engineer
With receptacles, switches and luminaires.
Seriously, though, an original K&T deadend would be about as common as a deadended run of romex, IMO.
Two methods that I have seen are to tape the end of the conductor and sometimes (forget) to put the tape on.
mivey
Senior Member
That's because it wasn't built by Congress. They are the only ones using pork-barrel money to build stuff going nowhere.
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