ARTICLES
Electrical Wiring In Our Aging Homes

By Dwight Uffer

As a professional Home Inspector, you have been trained to observe the difference between an insulator and wire conductor, but the typical occupant of our aging housing stock does not give it a thought.  The occupants of our homes are used to throwing on a switch and the light turns on. If they need to plug in a lamp or appliance, they find an open outlet in the room and plug it in.  If they need additional outlets, they get extension cords or a power strip and run additional wiring across carpets or over heating equipment to solve this inconvenience.

When homes are constructed, electrical wiring is commonly installed in the wall cavities or on  basement ceilings which are then covered and the wiring is forever forgotten.  Over time the home ages, the occupants change, life styles change and the wiring is also undergoing changes.  The wiring becomes older, stress is occurring by overloading the circuits with new appliances, and the modern demands of the occupants on the electrical system. All of this stress goes unnoticed by the occupants as they perform there daily tasks and just behind the walls, lies a demon which can destroy a families life. This demon is aging wiring that has become obsolete.

When our older homes were first wired in the late 19th century and the early years of the twentieth century, our lives were very simple. Electricity was used to power a few simple overhead lighting fixtures.  As we entered the 1920’s electrical appliances came into being and we added a few electrical outlets on the wall to power them. A fuse box in the basement or other location in the home had two or three circuits to protect the entire home.  In the 1930’s we had radios, refrigerators and washing machines along with the modern electric kitchen stove.  This was a revelation and all of these modern conveniences were being run off of the same wiring that was installed back at the turn of the century with its intended use as a means of powering a few light bulbs.  We added additional fuses to the circuits or ran additional wiring to support these new appliances without a thought of the size of the wiring imbedded in the walls.  If a circuit became overloaded we put in a larger fuse only to cause the wiring in the wall to become over heated. This older wiring in most cases had insulation made of cloth imbedded in coal tar pitch.  As we heated the wiring, the insulation begins to break down and dries up.  This leads to a conductor that is exposed and the potential for fires.

We are now going through the same dilemma as was prevalent prior to WWII.  Since the 1950’s we have used both, metal shielded BX cable, Two wire Romex cable and now non-metallic 3 wire cable in our structures.  The wiring installed in the 1950’s, 60’s and 1970’s is aging just like the wiring installed in the early years of electricity.  We now are running large screen TV’s, super sized clothes dryers, microwave ovens, computers, electronic sound systems, and massive amounts of lighting for which the wiring installed is not able to handle without overheating. 

Each year in the United States it is estimated that there are as many as 41,500 fires in homes related to electrical wiring systems. These fires result in 1400 injuries and over 350 deaths annually. Fire damage alone ranges from $650 million to 1 billion dollars annually.  While older homes do contribute to a greater fire risk, newer homes are not immune from the dangers of poor wiring practices and /or environmental stress placed on the wiring. (National Fire Protection Assoc. Spring 2004)

We as Home Inspectors do not inspect every home in the same manner, as there is no standard for a full electrical inspection.  We point out superficial hazards that are visible during the inspection and pass our findings to the potential home owner.  We suggest that he contact a licensed electrician to make any repairs that we deem to be a hazard.  This is all well and good, except that the person you may be performing the inspection for may not go through with the purchase and the deficiency will still exist unless another inspector picks-up on your findings. If he doesn’t then the defect will exacerbate itself and may have a potentially disastrous outcome. A point in fact, is a home that I inspected about a week ago in a residential area in CT. This home was constructed in 1850, and the only upgrades to the home were that in 1910 “knob and Tube” wiring was installed, plumbing was added in 1936 and a central heating system added in 1938.  The kitchen sink had one cold water faucet, the steam boiler was a “Richardson” and installed in 1938 and the electrical wiring serviced the overhead light bulbs in the ceiling, boiler, well pump and three electrical outlets.  (Just to mention that two privies serviced the disposal needs of the occupants and you entered them from an opening in the exterior basement wall.)  As I examined the wiring in the home it was obvious that the occupants were aged and relied on very few modern appliances for there needs. I opened the old fuse panel and observed that the buss had overheated at some point in time and the insulation on the wiring connected to the fuses was burned back.  It was also evident that sections of the “Knob and Tube” wiring were bare and in need of replacement.  A further examination of the wiring noted that additional fuse blocks were located throughout the home and attic in which the same condition existed.  As I moved away some make shift  insulation in the attic it was visible that a fire had started at some period in time and extinguished itself as the floor joists had been charred and sections of the wiring was bare running through the insulators in the attic floor joists. 

I explained my findings to the potential buyers of this home as well as the agent for the seller and told them that they needed the services of an electrician immediately and that the owner should be notified of these electrical hazards so that the situation could be remedied. Needless to say, the buyer did not buy the home and I believe the hazard still exists as the sellers re-listed the home “as is”. 

In the area of the northeast were I live and make a living as a Home Inspector, the infrastructure is older.  Approximately 70% of the homes in which I inspect were constructed prior to 1970 and a good portion of those prior to 1930.  It is always noticeable as I inspect these homes for potential purchasers, that work has been performed to the electrical system by other than a professional electrician.   It was very common up to about 20 years ago for electrical repairs to have been performed by the homeowner, relative or a friend.  These were non-professionals who had a little knowledge of electrical wiring and after the repair was made, if the light went on, then it was a good job.  They didn’t take into consideration proper grounding, wire size or proper fastening of wiring so that it  didn’t hang like spaghetti.  These obvious defects are always noticeable in the basement or attic of a home and need to be reported so that you and client can sleep peacefully at night.
 
Open junction boxes with feed wires of different wire sizes and load carrying capacities are always present.  Overcrowded junction boxes are a normal condition in older homes and if you look into the inside of a service panel, most of them have too many wires, are over fused or have more  circuit breakers then recommended by the manufacturer of the service panel.  These are all potential hazards which can have disastrous affects on the electrical system in the home. 

We as professional home inspectors have the safety of our clients in our hands when we perform an electrical inspection, whether it be a 100 year old home or newly constructed residence.  It is our responsibility to inform both our client and the seller if an electrical hazard exists in the home in which we are inspecting and report it immediately. By overlooking a possible electrical wiring concern we are doing a disservice to our client as well as possibly putting lives in jeopardy.  Always remember our client and his /her families  welfare is the first priority and all other concerns are immaterial when a potential hazard may exist.

• Defects and Deterioration
• Electrical Wiring
• IC Rated Light Fixtures
• Water Vapor Diffusion

• Defects and Deterioration
• Electrical Wiring
• IC Rated Light Fixtures
• Water Vapor Diffusion