Monday, September 19, 2011

Can someone explain rewiring a house to me?

We're buying a brick colonial home in Westchester, NY, built in 1940 and it still has the old 60 Amp fuse box. First off, does a home like this have to be ENTIRELY re-wired - or can we just do the first floor, where we'll have our kitchen appliances and other things that are big energy users? Upstairs we'll merely have some lamps, not even a TV. Better still, can we get away with not re-wiring at all, and just change the fuse box to a circuit breaker? How will we know? We don't have much money for extensive electrical work and don't want to be hosed by electricians who insist we need a complete rewiring job (unless it's true) when we start getting estimates.Can someone explain rewiring a house to me?if the wiring has a cloth covering

Rewire , Can someone explain rewiring a house to me?you might could it deppends on the load the appliances have on a circut the house Can someone explain rewiring a house to me?Yes you can switch to a breaker system 200amp box or 100 amp if house is small. Is the wire aluminum or copper,if alum you will need to change to copper at some point.You can get by with alum for the time but change asap.Can someone explain rewiring a house to me?You really should have it inspected by a qualified electrician to tell you how much you need replaced...Good Luck..Can someone explain rewiring a house to me?It depends on what your life and the house are worth to you. If the home has not been upgraded since 1985, then I suggest you get 5 estimates to do a complete rewire of the home. You need a 200 amp breaker panel, meter and base, also new wire to every outlet and light. The wiring that was installed in 1940 has insulation that breaks down electrically with heat and time. It breaks off of the conductor and exposes it to rodents and moisture. This is a leading cause of fires in older homes. Inspect your outlets and switches, if the wire has a bare ground wire, then you may be OK at that point. This is a major upgrade that should be done ASAP it also will enable the installation of a smoke detector system. For a rough estimate, you will need to decide how much of the work you may do, like opening walls and removing old fixtures. Also who will repair the walls and paint.

It is faster and easier to have a professional do the work. Can someone explain rewiring a house to me?It's kind of hard to give you a firm answer because I am not there.



Most important thing you need is to have a local electrician replace the main service with a 200 amp panel and circuit breakers. Once that is done, and you want to DIY, there are plenty of sites on the net that can teach and show you what to do. Also, places like Home Depot and Lowe's are very helpful.



If the house is wired with what is known as Knob and Tube, you will need a completely rewired house. When the electrician comes to do the new service, talk to him. That doesn't cost anything.

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