Life expectancy of electrical systems

[LarryFine]

You mean rip out all the plaster and lath, still in good shape? That should not be done lightly!

If you want it wired like a new house, with all-new materials, spacings, etc., then yes.

If you can handle working within my assessment and recommendations, maybe not.

 

[zbang]

If it were my house, you'll work around the plaster or I'll get someone who can . It's just an exercise in "old work".

Seriously, good solid plaster is much better than drywall, and it's not that hard to patch; that's probably being done by the GC or homeowner anyway, not the electrician.

 

[LarryFine]

Oh, I can, and I have. That's how I know I wouldn't want to today.

Believe me, I have done a lot of old work in plaster, sand and horse-hair, wood and expanded-steel lath, from surface wiring on cleats to BX, even gas-lit "shotgun" homes converted to electrical with K&T under the upstairs hallway floor.

Richmond is among the oldest US cities and has a great assortment of residential and commercial construction ages and types.

 

[letgomywago]

Oh, I can, and I have. That's how I know I wouldn't want to today.

Believe me, I have done a lot of old work in plaster, sand and horse-hair, wood and expanded-steel lath, from surface wiring on cleats to BX, even gas-lit "shotgun" homes converted to electrical with K&T under the upstairs hallway floor.

Richmond is among the oldest US cities and has a great assortment of residential and commercial construction ages and types.

It's definitely a different animal to do those but it's not bad. Just need to make a game plan and have all your fishes count. Takes a couple guys a week or so solid and trim out as you go.

 

[LarryFine]

I should (and will ) add that I have successfully fished everything from LV to feeders in places where other electricians have told customers that it couldn't be done.

I also do my own drywall work and patching when unavoidable, but I'm good at avoiding it.

 

[Fred B]

I should (and will ) add that I have successfully fished everything from LV to feeders in places where other electricians have told customers that it couldn't be done.

I also do my own drywall work and patching when unavoidable, but I'm good at avoiding it.

I too have fished in and strategicaly open wall to run new to eliminate old K&T. Not my favorite thing but it can be done successfully. But can be good pay with right customer that wants to clean up old wire but maintain some of the more historic nature of a house. Have some that want to even replace and still use the push button switches.

 

[electrofelon]

I actually kinda enjoy the whole house rewire with no or minimal holes, and have done quite a few. It's a challenge and a puzzle. Just talking about it I'm getting a little excited and kinda want to do one RIGHT NOW!

 

[letgomywago]

I too have fished in and strategicaly open wall to run new to eliminate old K&T. Not my favorite thing but it can be done successfully. But can be good pay with right customer that wants to clean up old wire but maintain some of the more historic nature of a house. Have some that want to even replace and still use the push button switches.

There's actually a dimmer that looks like the old pushbuttons. I installed a few on a house in 2016

 

[Fred B]

I actually kinda enjoy the whole house rewire with no or minimal holes, and have done quite a few. It's a challenge and a puzzle. Just talking about it I'm getting a little excited and kinda want to do one RIGHT NOW!

Ya that requires a lot of use of "coat hanger drills" to pinpoint location to blind drill to get wire into walls where they didn't previously enter; such as when the wire originaly ran across wall or over ceilings.
Getting a little harder to get good metal hangers to make the drill bit, everything going plastic.

Other method to run and gain access is to pull baseboard or crown molding. Punch in holes that will be hidden behind these moldings for fish points or transition from wall to ceiling wiring.

 

[electrofelon]

Ya that requires a lot of use of "coat hanger drills" to pinpoint location to blind drill to get wire into walls where they didn't previously enter; such as when the wire originaly ran across wall or over ceilings.
Getting a little harder to get good metal hangers to make the drill bit, everything going plastic.

Other method to run and gain access is to pull baseboard or crown molding. Punch in holes that will be hidden behind these moldings for fish points or transition from wall to ceiling wiring.

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[letgomywago]

Ya that requires a lot of use of "coat hanger drills" to pinpoint location to blind drill to get wire into walls where they didn't previously enter; such as when the wire originaly ran across wall or over ceilings.
Getting a little harder to get good metal hangers to make the drill bit, everything going plastic.

Other method to run and gain access is to pull baseboard or crown molding. Punch in holes that will be hidden behind these moldings for fish points or transition from wall to ceiling wiring.

The coat hanger trick is also good for adding floor outlets into a carpeted floor.

 

[petersonra]

A guy I knew once that did home remodeling generally avoided jobs with actual plaster. The people that wanted it kept in place never wanted to pay the extra cost so he usually just told them what it would cost and they would find someone else.

Apparently, at some point asbestos fibers were used when horsehair became scarce. Between the asbestos and the lead paint, he just did not want to deal with trying to keep the old plaster unless there was a bunch of money to be made.

He also did not like dealing with linoleum and early vinyl floor products that he said also had asbestos in them.

 

[tom baker]

Ya that requires a lot of use of "coat hanger drills" to pinpoint location to blind drill to get wire into walls where they didn't previously enter; such as when the wire originaly ran across wall or over ceilings.
Getting a little harder to get good metal hangers to make the drill bit, everything going plastic.

Other method to run and gain access is to pull baseboard or crown molding. Punch in holes that will be hidden behind these moldings for fish points or transition from wall to ceiling wiring.

I use Suspended ceiling wire for drilling locator holes

 

[Krusscher]

I don't know what most lathe and plasters houses have behind those walls but my first house I remodeled the whole thing cause the walls were maybe 1/3 filled with what I can only describe as bean bag beads that were doing very little in the way of insulating. If nothing else that should be an incentive for a customer to tear down that plaster and reinsulate and get new wire/outlets ran properly.

 

[zbang]

That was probably vermiculite and easily removed. It's also relatively easy to re-insulate without completely opening the walls.

 

[letgomywago]

I use Suspended ceiling wire for drilling locator holes

You can also find the little 12 awg steel wires for crawll space insulation laying around and it works for this too

 

[brycenesbitt]

I know that Elec Distribution Equipment (Panelboards, Switches etc.) have a life expectancy of 50-70 years, depending on installation conditions.
The actual application is a 4 unit multi-family building built in the 40's. We're replacing all electrical distribution equipment with new since they're past the 70 year mark.

Just because it's old?
I work in an area with building stock from the late 1800's on though.
How long it lasts just depends on what you got. Our local Knob & Tube wires for example have insulation that ranges
from looking better than new to ratty to rat chewed. But the ceramic tubes that hold it all away from stuff are clean and ready for another 100 years.

There's no magic age. That era came in with "value engineering" like water heaters with a 3 year warranty expected to fail at year 4 or so. And some stuff was crap on day 1, like most of the FPE breakers.

Happy to see a new circuit in the laundry room, and for the EV charging.
But over the decades lighting loads have gone WAY down due to CFLs then LEDs.
Other than space heating, for an apartment the residents are what: charging iPhones and using a hair dryer in the bathroom?
--
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