Whole house rewire.

[fridaymean]

yes masterinbama, i wouldnt need to remove any wall or floor covering. Its all in pipe. I need to remove the old stuff and pull in new wire. They have cloth wire and its getting pretty bad. The costomer just replaced all his outlets and etc. Most of these replies seem to be in a romex or flex situation. Anyone have any experience in places were all home wire is installed in pipe?

Yes, I've done it in areas that require emt. I live in the same general area as you. Read the local NEC adoption and amendments... sometimes they do not require EMT in finished walls, but verify with the AHJ.

 

[kwired]

In areas like Chicago is AC or MC acceptable or must you use a metal raceway?

 

[ken44]

I would base my estimate per device considering if you will need to pull down and re-install ceiling fans and get into the attic to pull through junction boxes, etc... You mentioned that no service work was required at this time but if they have cloth wiring, how good of shape can that service be in?

 

[jmellc]

yes masterinbama, i wouldnt need to remove any wall or floor covering. Its all in pipe. I need to remove the old stuff and pull in new wire. They have cloth wire and its getting pretty bad. The costomer just replaced all his outlets and etc. Most of these replies seem to be in a romex or flex situation. Anyone have any experience in places were all home wire is installed in pipe?

If not adding any devices, this sounds like an easy job. Pulling wire from conduit & pulling new wire is much easier than fishing or cutting walls.

Estimate time for removing all devices & light fixtures, time for removing old wire & pulling new. You can often use an existing wire as a fishtape to pull new ones, unless it is too brittle. Set up wire cart at end of line, pull to next box. Pull a long loop & lay out. Pull from next box, etc. You can do that on at least some of the loops & avoid having to make a new head at each box. Estimate time for splices & new devices, rehanging lights. I usually figure these jobs about $20 an hour less than my service rate, as I will be in 1 place longer with less travel.

If the boxes do not have threaded ground holes, use a Greenlee drill/tap kit to easily drill them to 10-32. Easily done & much better than ground clips. Clips sometimes work well but not always.

Rare in my area to see a whole house done with conduit. Very expensive install but easier for such a job as this.

 

[jmellc]

For new pipe in existing wall finish that stays....good luck on that bid. Even on easy rewire where the finished wall stays where possible, my EWAG is at least $110 per device plus the service. Using NM cable.

Why use NM for conduit runs? THHN is much easier to pull. No jacket stripping either.

 

[ptonsparky]

Why use NM for conduit runs? THHN is much easier to pull. No jacket stripping either.

Never thunked of that. Is that 240 wire or just 120?









I meant using NM cable only.

 

[jmellc]

Never thunked of that. Is that 240 wire or just 120?









I meant using NM cable only.

For either. 240, pull blk/red or red/blue. White if neutral needed. Green for grnd.

120, pull blk/white, red/white or blue/white. Green/ground.

 

[stevemc67]

Residential rewire in Chicago is a piece of cake. The biggest problem you will have is moving junk to get at receptacles. That is one of the huge benefits of using EMT. Not to mention the safest possible way. If everything is normal, three days would give you some room for issues or extra ceiling fixtures. There are some newer codes to consider though.

 

[kwired]

Residential rewire in Chicago is a piece of cake. The biggest problem you will have is moving junk to get at receptacles. That is one of the huge benefits of using EMT. Not to mention the safest possible way. If everything is normal, three days would give you some room for issues or extra ceiling fixtures. There are some newer codes to consider though.

I would just call that a direct replacement and not necessarily a rewire. When ever I end up "rewiring" a home it is not just because the original wiring is old, there often is not enough receptacles per room to be practical (let alone satisfy current codes), so I would be adding outlets that were not originally there in most all cases.

As far as moving junk- that doesn't really matter which wiring method is used, there will always be junk to move:happyyes:

 

[jmellc]

Residential rewire in Chicago is a piece of cake. The biggest problem you will have is moving junk to get at receptacles. That is one of the huge benefits of using EMT. Not to mention the safest possible way. If everything is normal, three days would give you some room for issues or extra ceiling fixtures. There are some newer codes to consider though.

Yes, that makes rework a breeze, especially if you are not adding devices, etc. But I'm sure wiring a house in Chicago costs a fortune to begin with. EMT in attics & crawl spaces is a lot of work. How long has Chicago required it? The 1 time I visited family there, I didn't see EMT in the attic of my cousin's or aunt's buildings, probably built about the 50's?

Yes, moving things. Seems we never get away from that, not matter what. I get several jobs in a row where panels are even covered up by bookcases or headboards. Baseboard heaters are always blocked too, & piled over with clothes. I'm surprised we don't see more fires from them.