PART OF THE HOUSE IS ROMEX AND THE 1950 PORTION IS STILL ON KNOB AND TUBE. nEED SOME POINTERS ON HOW TO REPLACE THE OUTLETS AND LIGHTS WITH ROMEX. I'M HOPING i CAN JUST FISH DOWN FROM THE EAVES BUT HAVE READ ABOUT FIREBLOCKS??

there is a national electric code, but there are many areas where local codes differ. KnT is one of them.

it would indeed be the rare house in which you don't have to open up some walls and drill some holes to rewire. in general, unless you live in East Stumpjumper Junction, you need a permit. in most communities large enough to actually have electricity to bring into the houses, a licensed electrician has to pull that permit, at least supervise the work, and have the inspector pass it before the wall, ceiling, and potentially floor damage is repaired.

if you have a toy 1940s entrance panel, four circuits and a "range" circuit on fuses, that would have to be brought up to current code as well.

short version: if you have to ask, you have to ask the local inspectors. my money is they will tell you to get 3 bids and pick one electrician.

fireblocks and infiltration points in the the attic can be fixed with a lovely little product called firestop silicone caulk. twice the price, but ain't it nice!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: swschrad,

Thank You for the quick response, I should of asked is this something that I can do myself. In other words could i do all the grunt work and then have an electrician complete the final connections. I originally wanted to blow in insulation or use foam and was told I could not untill I replaced the wire. At this point very disappointed and this has been going on for too many years left undone. I've also been told that in order to ever sell this place it would need to be up to code or sold 'as is". What should I or could I do first to get this project going besides pulling the city into it?

Knob and tube went out of general use in the 1930's. Is your house older than the 1950s in your original post?

In my town I can actually to all the electrical work on my own house. In nearby Durham to pull an electrical permit they wanted me to take a test to be able to do the work. So whether you can do your own work is very much a local thing. Also finding an electrician willing to cut you a deal and let you do the grunt work while he does the connections and takes the liability might be a challenge.

Has the incoming main line been up graded.
Got a picture of the newer panel you have now?
How many amps. is the new panel and are there empty spaces avalible?
How far is the area that still needs to be changed from the panel?

How hard it's going to be depends on access.
How bad a shape is the siding and plaster in?

Here is my two cents, not that I disagree with what others have posted. The advice is correct, the norm for this board.
Contact your local code enforcement officer and schedule a walk through and pose all questions you have about your upgrade. As in what you can or can not do on your own, and what work an electrician can perform for you. The COE has the final say, no matter who does the work.
You may also want to include talking to your homeowners ins. agent as to what they may like to see. Many homes in this area pay much higher policy rates when K & T is present. And also higher premiums on 60 amp services {4 mains & range} the slang term of that set up, as that is about all it could power. Which you may or may not have.
Good luck. If you can do the work many on board here will help plan out your project.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CommonwealthSparky,

I second what Commonwealth Sparky wrote about the homeowners insurance issues. When I recently changed carriers for my father's house and my house, the questionnaire required information on the type of electrical service, as well as whether we had circuit breakers or fuses.

At one point a major insurance carrier denied coverage for my house unless I upgraded to circuit breakers. But at about the same time it extended coverage to my father's house which still has fuses, but is not as close to Detroit.

When I challenged them on this, they refused to back down and I found another carrier for my HO.

I didn't have the time or desire to file formal complaints or go after the carrier which wouldn't insure my house, and the one I eventually chose offered a much better deal and at less cost.

My point is that the type of electric service you have could make a difference in homeowners' coverage, and despite Michigan regulations, one carrier got away with discrimination based either on geographic area or lack of circuit breakers (although they would deny it's discrimination).

filing complaints would not make any difference... as long as an insurance company is basing their rates or coverage on the ISO and does the same to everybody in the same class, they're off the hook.

KnT was a question every year as the folks renewed their homeowners insurance. it matters. if the insurance companies hate the dickens out of KnT, they have claims payouts that decided the issue for them.

as in, burn baby burn.

Home was built in 1950. Has a Cutler Hammer 100 amp panel with breakers and no fuses. I will get some pictures together and attach soon. There are four breakers that have knob & tube, one 20 amp and three 15 amp. I called the city inspector and I was surprised how supportive is was. He didn't mention about needing a permit at this point. I had asked him about running a sub panel off the main panel and he said a 40 or 50 would work. I thought it would be easier to spider down from the eaves in the attic to each room.

Well it does sound like you can do your own work as long as permits are issued, you follow the NEC guidelines and inspections are performed. I am reading into this, or you would have been told different by the local inspector.
Yes, making your Romex drops from above is a common practice. Really depends on the situation present. And running a sub panel closer to the work may be a big help. Tugging one cable to a box then branching out to all your points of new work can be a big help as well. As long as all point are always accessable, that is.