Knob & Tube - what is this?

[LarryFine]

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.

Not in older houses.

 

[e57]

It looks more like an old phone-line lightning arrestor, from what I can see.

Not from the pic.... But the describtion in the very first post I knew that was exactly what it was. The wiring may look like K&T, and for the era (1900~1930) may have even been done in a manner much like K&T near this, and eventually switched to twisted non-jacketed cable. The 18-16ga wiring would be cloth over rubber, three conductors - ground and the phone pair.

I find them STILL in operation ALL THE TIME... With DSL no less....

FYI you'll also find these with two coils on each side of a cap like that and a spark gap in the cap - often the cap has been removed. Or sometimes just the cap on a porciline base.

 

[bjp_ne_elec]

It is attached to the telephone line. There was insulation crammed up in the floor joists, and it made it look like there are a K&T circuit running to it. It turns out the K&T circuit does a 90 degree change in direction when it gets up in that set of floor joists.

I did check and the phone line is going through this lightening arrestor and still being used.

Wow - learn something every day.

I took another pic with my cell phone and it did come out a little better, but I forgot to email it from my phone.

 

[LarryFine]

Not from the pic.... But the describtion in the very first post I knew that was exactly what it was.

Yeah, but I said it first, so there!