Old Home Rewire


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Old 01-22-05, 08:23 AM
ZIGGIE
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Question Old Home Rewire

I am currently in the process of getting things together to rewire an older home. Currently the home has a 60 amp service & will be upgraded to 200 amp. This will be a complete rewire (4000 + sq. ft.), new service, wiring, etc. I am currently living in the home. I will be wiring in new ceiling light fixtures in most of the rooms. Some of the rooms currently have a fixture in the center now, how do i go about installing the new wiring in the same spot? My intentions are to rewire whole house, have inspected, then have service changed over. I have yet to call about a permit yet due to wanting to have everything laid out on paper first (electrical diagrams of each room). Another question is on the 6ft rule of installing new recepticals, while moving along a wall toward a corner, does the measurement go to the corner & back out or can the measure go across at 45 degree to next wall? Hope ok explained this one ok.
 
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Old 01-22-05, 10:18 AM
J
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You are correct about the
Two ways to do this. Put a new 200 amp main panel outside and feed the existing 60 amp panel from it. (if its a fuse box consider replacing it with a small mainlug breaker panel). Then put most of your larger loads (Heat & AC), stove, water heater, an dryer if poss, on the new panel. Existing light & recep loads will be undisturbed, any new circuits need can come from the new main box, or even the 60A box, if you have removed most of the larger loads.
2nd way, as you said, complete rewire, consider removing all or most interior drywall to have full access, it's really the cheapest and safest way to properly rerwire an entire house. And the 6 foot rule says a recep must be accesible within 6 foot along the perimeter of the wall, that means every 12 feet, and you go to the corners on your measurement, not across. Every wall 2 foot wide or wider needs a recep, this means even if there is a pocket door inside the wall, even on the backside of an interior chimney counts as wall space, I've had to install recepts in the floor to cover this rule. Note this rule does not apply in hallways. One recep is required in every hallway 10 ft or longer.
Also, obey all applicable local and NEC guidelines.
 
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Old 01-22-05, 04:25 PM
ZIGGIE
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Thanxs jedi9,
I'm planning on going with the 2nd option of doing a complete rewire due to the house being over 100 yrs. old. Most of the rooms only have a switch when entering & maybe two recepticals. Some of the bedrooms only have one receptical and are 205 sq.ft. in size (i know i have to use arc-fault). All rooms have base board 12" high, I removed one & will be able to run all wiring thru studs (walls are plaster & wood lath). So on thinking of installing new recepticals, as long as i have one every 6 feet i will still be within code, right? In my last statement, i questioned the distance between recept. due to some are 6-7 feet away from each other so as to evenly space on walls. Is this correct?
 
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Old 01-22-05, 05:04 PM
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Originally Posted by ZIGGIE
So on thinking of installing new recepticals, as long as i have one every 6 feet i will still be within code, right? In my last statement, i questioned the distance between recept. due to some are 6-7 feet away from each other so as to evenly space on walls. Is this correct?
The receptacles need to be no more than 12 ft apart so that a lamp with a 6ft cord can plug in from anywhere along the wall without the use of an extension cord. This is the minimum. More is certianly be better, so 6-7 ft between would be great! I suggest that you put in the service first, then all of your new wiring would land in the new panel and wouldn't have to be moved later.
 
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Old 01-23-05, 02:22 PM
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I have a question about Jedi's first possible way to redo the wiring. If a new 200 amp main panel was installed and sub-fed the exisitng 60 amp fuse box, wouldn't the fuse box have to be gone through to isolate all neutrals and ground wires? Of course if it was replaced with a new mainlug breaker panel this should be done anyway.
 
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Old 01-23-05, 05:24 PM
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Been there

Not an electrician but have done what you are doing. Please consider adding service and feeding existing box. Did this over a period of time and it worked out great.
 
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Old 01-23-05, 05:59 PM
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Originally Posted by trs4594
I have a question about Jedi's first possible way to redo the wiring. If a new 200 amp main panel was installed and sub-fed the exisitng 60 amp fuse box, wouldn't the fuse box have to be gone through to isolate all neutrals and ground wires? Of course if it was replaced with a new mainlug breaker panel this should be done anyway.
Yes, but how many grounds are actually present in the box. My house was built in '27 and had only a few grounds to move.
 
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Old 01-23-05, 06:51 PM
ZIGGIE
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All:
Due to the old wiring being the "knob & tube", I would much rather just leave it alone and not even use the old panel. I plan to install the new panel on the main living floor instead of basement for easier access (scary down there). In the end, I want the whole house using only the new system. As I noted earlier, I haven't called the elect. inspector about getting a permit due to wanting to have everything on paper & prepaired for any questions he has. Will he need to come out to inspect house before issuing permit?

thanxs.
 
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Old 01-24-05, 05:06 AM
J
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Originally Posted by trs4594
I have a question about Jedi's first possible way to redo the wiring. If a new 200 amp main panel was installed and sub-fed the exisitng 60 amp fuse box, wouldn't the fuse box have to be gone through to isolate all neutrals and ground wires? Of course if it was replaced with a new mainlug breaker panel this should be done anyway.
Here's how we do it here. Anytime you make changes to an existing system you must bring it up to current code, if your not altering the system and the system met code when it was installed then you are ok. In this situation there probably is no ground going to the panel, its probably SE cable with the outside bare covering being used as a combo neutral/ground. What we do here is if it is feasibly possible to replace the cable feeding the 60A box then you replace it with a 3 cond/w grd cable, since as you say the neutrals have to be isolated from the grounds after leaving the first disconnecting means. If major demolition would have to take place to replace the cable, our local jurisdiction lets us leave it in place, in this case you wouldn't bother to seperate the neutrals and grounds because it would do no good.
 
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Old 01-24-05, 06:40 AM
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Thx for the input. The question by Ziggie brought to mind a past situation, as follows:

An older house was purchased and an immediate determination was made to upgrade the electrical "situation"---being, it was a 100 amp service that had been expanded from the original fuse box to add on an old ITE pushmatic, and then a smaller SD breaker box. It was apparent the previous owners were seeking more breaker space. Yes, it was ugly...The solution was to install one new 100 amp box with ample breaker space to contain all the ckts, which were rewired or otherwise cleaned up.

Time goes by and a new garage was built/attached in which a new 200 amp service with main breaker panel was installed-from which the 100 amp panel was subfed. The purpose of the 200 amp service was to convert the gas-fired hot water tank over to electric, along with multiple other ckts.

Now, in the spirit of abiding by code, is it not true that now that the "old" 100 amp breaker box had become a subpanel and it may be necessary to comb through it and assure that all ckt neutrals were isolated from ckt grounds? Or would this be a moot issue.

Thx
 
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Old 01-24-05, 10:42 AM
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It would be moot unless the cable feeding the 100A panel had a seperate neutral and ground. If the existing cable does not have separate neutral and ground conductors I definatly would change the cable, if poss. then separate the neutral and grounds, remember to isolate the neutral bar (not ground it to the panel enclosure.
 
 

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