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Knob & Tube Wiring

Knob and tube wiring still exists in older homes today and it still can be found during New Jersey Home Inspections. Knob and Tube (K&T) was an early residential wiring that was used in homes from the 1880's to the 1940's. It is considered to be obsolete and by some unsafe.

Knob and tube wire is a system of wiring that is installed in open air. The wiring has both hot and neutral connectors. The notable missing wire is the ground. Knob and tube does not have a ground wire.  The wiring is protected by an outer sheath that is made from asphalt and then in later years the wiring was protected with a rubber outer sheathing.

The Knob and tube wire is installed through porcelain knobs. These knobs keep the wire from touching combustible surfaces such as wood members for example floor joists or ceiling joists. When the wire has to pass through a piece of wood framing porcelain tubes are used so the wire does not come into contact with the wood or other combustible surface. K&T wire was named for these characteristic knobs and tubes.

The wiring is not inherently unsafe but due to its age and many times improper modifications the wire should be considered for replacement. K&T wire requires air space around it in order to properly dissipate heat. As current moves through the wire, the wire heats up. The big issue here is insulation touching or installed close to the old knob and tube wire. If insulation is present around the K&T wire a significant fire safety hazard will exist.

Another problem with Knob and tube wire is that due to its age the insulation material tends to get brittle and crack. When this happens, the wire is exposed and thus unsafe. If the live electrical conductor is exposed a person can come into contact with it causing a serious electrical shock hazard. Knob and tube wires are also usually undersized for modern electrical applications. Another consideration is that the old wire is not grounded so three prong electrical appliances cannot be safely powered by this ungrounded wiring.

Bar far the biggest issue that NJ Home Inspectors see with knob and tube wire is improper modifications. Due to its age, there has been plenty of time for people to splice, modify or reconfigure the old knob and tube wiring in homes. When Moden Romex or BX is improperly spliced into an old knob and tube circuit a serious fire hazard can exist.

Attempts are usually made in order to help increase the amperage load on the knob and tube circuit to better meet the needs of a modern lifestyle. A problem exists when non-professional electricians make modifications causing serious overload hazards on the old wire. It is very common to find improper splicing of modern wire into the older knob and tube wire which is a fire and shock hazard.

Modifictions are so prevalent that insurance companies will often not underwrite homeowners' insurance when a home has knob and tube wire present. If the home has K&T wire the client should check with their insurance company in order to determine if homeowners insurance will be available and at what price.

If you have knob and tube wire in your home or a home you are considering purchasing the safe way to deal with it is to have it replaced. However, if that is not an option you can consider the following.

If you are contemplating keeping the wire in the home, you should have it professional evaluated by a licensed electrical contractor in order to determine if the system is still safe for use. If you keep the knob and tube do not overload the wiring by operating too many high draw appliances on the knob and tube circuits. Knob and tube wire is not safe to power kitchens and bathrooms. Proper grounded electrical circuits are required in these rooms for safety. If there is any insulation touching or close to knob and tube wire the insulation should be removed and if that is not possible the wire should be replaced.

Home inspectors in New Jersey should be well educated about knob and tube electrical wiring and provide helpful information to their clients regarding this very old wiring.

John Martino

LookSmart Home Inspections

973-407-9621

NJ Home Inspectors Lic # 24GI00058700

5 Preston Ave

East Hanover, NJ 07936

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Look For Lead Pipes in Older Homes

One of the issues to look for when buying a home pre 1950's home is a main lead  water line. Agents and New Jersey home inspectors should be on the lookout for these old pipes because they can create health issues in the young and old.

Long-term exposure to lead can build up in the body and cause brain damage, kidney damage, and damage to red blood cells which deliver oxygen to the brain.  These pipes are generally easy to spot. They will most likely have a solder ball which looks like an egg (see the photo), at the connection point between the lead main water line and the interior supply piping. These pipes are very soft and can easily be scratched. One way to know if the piping is lead is to carefully scratch it. If the piping is very malleable and easy to scratch then it is likely that it is a main lead water line. Other water pipes such as copper which will present with an orange appearance or galvanized are much harder and do not scratch easily.  If your clients are buying a house pre 1950 make sure you look for main lead water pipes in the home.  Both agents and home inspectors in New Jersey should keep watch for these troublesome pipes not only because they are older and past their life expectancy but can create a significant health hazard for the occupants of the home. 

John Martino

LookSmart Home Inspections

NJ Home Inspectors Lic # 24GI00058700

5 Preston Ave East Hanover, NJ 07936973 407 9621  

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Here is something that I see quite often while performing home inspections in New Jersey. I find chimneys covered with tar or chimneys that have been painted. Paint is typically used to enhance the appearance of a chimney and the roofing tar or roofing cement is typically applied in order to avoid repairing or pointing the chimney. Both paint and tar covered chimneys are found while performing home inspections and both are problem.

both tar and paint seal the porous bricks and do not allow them to breathe properly. If moisture cannot escape from the brick chimney damage will occur over time to both the mortar joints and the brick. Bricks will hold water, in fact roughly 7% or more of the weight of the brick can be attributable to moisture retention. If this moisture is not allowed to escape damage can occur. The first structural element to break down in a painted or tar covered chimney are the mortar joints. Mortar is the cement like material found in between the bricks that allow the bricks to resist both vertical and lateral loads. Mortar is generally not as strong as cement and is more permeable allowing it to breathe and resist freeze damage.

If mortar is porous and moisture trapped in unpainted mortar is allowed to freeze and move through what happens with that painted or tared covered mortar? Over time it becomes damaged, becomes weak and fails causing structural damage to the chimney.

The bricks will be the next structural element to be damaged. Spalling which is essentially brick delamination will occur. Spalling is caused by freezing moisture inside the bricks and will cause the bricks to flake and crumble. Over time significant damage can occur to the chimney. In fact that once nice paint job will begin to look terrible as the spalling bricks peel the exterior paint. Now that we know that applying roofing cement or tar on an exterior of the chimney is not a good idea what do we do about it. There are two options.

Option one: You may decide that keeping the paint or the tar in place is the best alternative although it is doing damage to the chimney structure because the cost of removing the paint or tar is just too high

Option two: You can choose to try to remove the exterior paint. There is no one-size-fits-all solution here but it may be possible to use paint strippers or soft blast the paint from the exterior of the chimney. Soft blasting uses a soft media that is directed at the chimney from the proper angle under high pressure to gently remove the paint without causing damage to the underlying chimney bricks. However these methods may prove just too costly.

When roofing cement or tar is applied it is generally at the top of the chimney from the roofline upward. Here, the best course of action would be to rebuild the top of the chimney because the roofing cement may prove just too challenging to remove from the chimney bricks.

If you are buying a home in New Jersey make sure to hire a seasoned and thoroughly trained New Jersey home inspector who will be able to spot problems like this and help you make good decisions about the home you are buying.

John Martino

LookSmart Home Inspections

NJ Home Inspectors Lic # 24GI00058700

5 Preston Ave

East Hanover, NJ 07936

973 407 9621 

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