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Rewiring a T$G wall

princessparchuke's picture

Rewiring a T$G wall (post #175769)

princessparchuke on Mon, 08/15/2005 - 20:49
in

What are your thoughts on rewiring (from fuses to breakers) an Edwardian (New Orleans) with T&G walls....


Should I let the electrician rip out a couple of boards(with plaster) around the room perimeter.....I read wiring should be vertical, not horizontal...


or should it be a surface mount...kitchen, bathroom hall and bedrooms...


Help..They are starting tomorrow  and I only just found out about you....


 


Edited 8/15/2005 4:59 pm ET by princessparchuke

-A +A

(post #175769, reply #1 of 2)

by CAP in reply to princessparchuke [original] on Mon, 08/15/2005 - 22:41

Dear PP,


Well, alea jacta est, as Caesar said.  The die is cast...


If your electrician is starting tomorrow, I'd advise you to trust him (or her)--that is, if you have a good feeling about him. 


Did you ask about his experience, and did the response inspire confidence?  Are you willing to pay for a properly done job?  If yes, then just let him do the work.  Resisit the impulse to second guess, especially since you have done no research on the requirements and conventions of such a job.


As far as your specific questions, wiring can be run horizontally or vertically; the electrons are not gravity flow.  The path of the new wiring is dictated by the paths available through the framing, and also how much you want to pay the electrician to run wires in the closed walls, versus paying a plasterer (or carpenter or whoever) to repair holes. 


A good "old work" electrician can run wire (actually cable) through closed walls with a minimum of extra holes, other than those needed for the switches and lighting and receptale outlets.  If you want to seee one technique used  to run wires in closed walls, there a video tip on the Fine Homebuilding website:


http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/hvt057.asp


When you say "rewiring from fuses to breakers", do you mean replacing the fusebox with a breaker panel, or replacing all (or some) of the wires in the walls, and adding some new circuits, or all of these?


Usually just replacing the fusebox w/a breaker panel is of little value, as the wiring in the walls remains inadequate.  A total rewire (including a new breaker panel) is the best way to go, but doing it with minimal damage to the walls and ceilings is expensive.  For example, meeting current Code mimimum requirements for a 2500 SF one-story house with crawl space (no basements here, usually) and mostly walkable attic in a urban area in California runs about 15-20K.  That's if a licensed, insured electrical contractor does the work.


Best of luck with the project,


Cliff Popejoy


www.ApexElectricalContracting.com


 


 


Edited 8/15/2005 6:47 pm ET by CAP

www.apexelectricalcontracting.com

(post #175769, reply #2 of 2)

by princessparchuke in reply to Anonymous [original] on Tue, 08/16/2005 - 06:16

Thank you so much for your courtesy..


I appreciate the time that you took out of your busy schedule...


AND I wrote down the latin..


I may stick it to my forehead..!!!..I tried to play your "video tip" but we are experiencing terrible thunderstorms and couldn't  get it to play properly...


So.. I cancelled tomorrow's team...and found another team, two young men in their thirties, who seem to be meticulous and, I hope, " hungry" ... they were a refreshing change from the parade of "gung-ho" "crash 'em and bash em", "let's get the money" contractors that I've interviewed in the last three weeks....I hope I don't have to eat my words...!!!...


................ ALEA JACTA EST...............................................


Gratefully......P.P...........


Edited 8/16/2005 2:18 am ET by princessparchuke