I’ve recently witnessed knob and tube wiring in some downtown St. John’s homes. It’s not a common sight, but when things are uncommon and unknown a lot of questions arise.

So, just what is knob and tube wiring?

Knob and tube wiring is found in older homes dating back to the 1940’s. It was the electrical wiring choice at the time due to being inexpensive and practical. Knob and tube is a two wire system consisting of a ‘hot’ and a ‘neutral’ wire - no ground wire. When the wiring was run through floor joists it was placed in a ceramic tube to prevent the wires from chafing.

If you happen to notice knob and tube in a home you are purchasing (hopefully you have a Home Inspector) asks lots of questions.

In the “older days”, this method was quite adequate for the electrical loads being produced in a house hold. However as computers, plasma TV’s and microwaves became the new way of life, the increase is amperage (electrical current) to run these devices posed a problem for knob and tube wiring. It became subject to repeatedly blowing 15mp amp fuses. Quick fixes allowed homeowners to over-fuse circuits (changing the 15amp fuse to a 20 or 30amp fuse) which in turn caused heat damage to the wiring due to higher levels of current.

Some insurance companies in St. John’s will still insure knob and tube wiring but they require an electrician to inspect the house to make sure that there are no circuits over-fused. Of course there are some insurance companies in St. John’s that refuse to insure knob and tube wiring. No insurance = no mortgage.

A Home Inspection is a visual examination and analysis of the major systems of a property. The systems inspected include the Roofing, Exterior, Structure, Electrical, Heating, Cooling, Insulation, Plumbing, and the Interior.

There are a number of reasons we highly recommend a home inspection:

• To ensure you are not surprised by major defects
• So you can be advised about the various elements of the home including - heating and cooling systems, structure, electrical and plumbing
• To learn about how the mechanical systems work and need to be maintained
• Most homeowners are not expert in the numerous components of house construction
• A third party can be objective as there is no emotional attachment

No property is flawless….not even brand new homes. When you find the right house, you need to go one step further and find out what problems exist and what could arise in the future. Buying a house is one of the biggest investments most people will ever make, so it makes good sense to have it checked out by a professional home inspector

Mike Conway (689-6004) with Homestead Inspections has a list of Inspection FAQ’s to help answer some of your questions.