| Author |
Message |
    
Boozy the Clown
Citizen
Username: Boozy
Post Number: 4
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 6:48 pm: |     |
I've noticed the wiring in my house could use a major upgrade. Does anyone have experience doing this either themselves or with an independant electrician.
What about upgrading my phone line? The hub that connects the outside line to the interior wires seems as old as the house, 80 years. |
wharfrat
Citizen
Username: Wharfrat
Post Number: 860
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 7:51 pm: | |
Two types of upgrades-
1-From street to house. Usual service upgrade is 200A, and new electric panel/meter. Costs vary- usually starting at $1,000.
2-Replace existing wiring in the house. Walls and ceilings are opened, new cable run to existing and new locations. This job requires scheduling between multiple trades. Big bucks to do this job.
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Boozy the Clown
Citizen
Username: Boozy
Post Number: 5
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 10:12 pm: | |
Can a new panel be installed and wiring be snaked through the walls? Does it have to be a "big bucks" job? |
jfburch
Citizen
Username: Jfburch
Post Number: 1115
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 10:28 am: | |
I doubt you can snake through the walls of most of these old houses. You can't even get a cable or phone line through the bottom two feet of my first floor walls where there is some sort of firestop material. |
sportsnut
Citizen
Username: Sportsnut
Post Number: 757
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 2:33 pm: | |
Jfburch is correct. Since we have re-done two of our upstairs bedrooms we have learned from tearing out the plaster that our home is a balloon frame house. The studs run from the basement to the roof. The floor joists are "hung" from these studs and at each floor there is usually a brick firestop. In addition about half way between the floor and the ceiling there are jack studs to give the walls stability.
You may want to think about installing a service panel in the attic. Then when (if) you renovate you can do the upstairs by dropping down from above rather than trying to snake up two stories. Of course you'll it would be helpful to upgrade to 200 amp service first.
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themp
Citizen
Username: Themp
Post Number: 310
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2003 - 11:49 am: | |
I just went through a lot of this. Went to 200 amp, ran new power up through an existing "chase" to the attic, where they installed a "trough" type panel, with lines running up into the overhead space into rooms. We were having walls redone anyway. Had them put in smoke detectors and 5 or so outlet per room, bathroom fan, ground fault interrupt outlet,etc. to bring everything up to code. Also, threw in co-axial cable and cat 5 cable and outlets.
Doing just the second floor wil probably top $2000, and the new service is another $2000 which is high, but then again, when we sell we have a very good chance of recouping, plus we have a safe and convenient second floor. No more funky extension cords. |
houseodeb
Citizen
Username: Houseodeb
Post Number: 26
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 2:07 pm: | |
Here is our electrician.
Ward- GKG 908-754-7017 |
Richard O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Roconn
Post Number: 79
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 12, 2004 - 8:32 am: | |
When I moved in to my house (c1925) the previous owners had done the 'basic' (I'll call it) upgrade in that they'd had the service changed to 200A and put in a new panel. But that was the extent of the change. The old Armored cable was still in place through most of the house and there were some rooms with only one outlet and very few circuits.
I have done most of the upgrade since then myself. Not an easy job and it took 3 years. I approached it from here's the problem, how do I fix it.
First major thing was that the primary second floor lighting circuit would blow almost on cue when my roommate used a hair dryer in the bath. (Don't anybody move .... a fuse is out...)
Anyway, I discovered it can be easier than you think to pull new wire. I decided the bathroom would be first. First I cut a medium sized hole around the current light switch and removed the ceiling fixture. There I found armored cable.
I was able to easily pull new wire from the switch to the ceiling using the old armored cable. I then found that I could pull new 'feed' from my basement up through the walls to the junction in the ceilng. Added a heat vent/light, new switches (and a box) and an outlet and now I have a bathroom circuit. All gfci protected and it never blows.
After that .. well, I replaced what I could replace, most of what was in the basement was easy to find. Any time I had to 'be in' a wall to do something else (run cat5 networking, phone, cable) I checked and or replaced the old armored with new cable. I've also replaced most of the junction boxes. Privateline me if you want to come by and see it ... and get some pointers on how I achieved it...
There's nothing at all wrong with your old wiring (unless it's knob and tube) so long as it is not being disturbed and as long as it is properly protected.
So, when I moved in I had a 200A panel with about 10 circuit breakers. Now I have a panel with close to 40 breakers one of which is a 60A feed to a panel on the third floor that went in when they rebuilt the house. (easier than the 6 runs it would have taken to get all the code required wiring up to the "new" second floor.
(Also I now have outlets in rooms (on both floors) where one expects to find outlets.
You can do a lot of this yourself.... the part an electrician will HAVE to do is the service from the pole to the house and the panel . . . this should generally be upgraded and you can't do it yourself.
However, once a new panel is in place there is nothing keeping you from doing careful adds and upgrades on your own unless you just aren't comfortable with electricity.
Richard (ROC)
--Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic.--
--AIM: ROConn |
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