Had a job go sideways last month when a homeowner's antique chandelier shorted out mid-install

I was swapping out old wiring in a 1920s house over in Portland and the whole fixture sparked when I barely touched the junction box, took me three hours to trace a hidden cloth-wire splice buried in the plaster, anyone else dealt with surprises from old knob-and-tube systems?

3 comments

3 Comments

skylerp311mo ago

Hidden cloth wire buried in plaster, sounds like a fun game of "find the fire hazard." I'm just glad you didn't end up as a human lightbulb.

paige861mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah that hidden cloth wire stuff is the worst. I used a cheap thermal camera on my phone once for a similar problem in a 1910 house. Pointed it at the ceiling and it lit up where the old splice was getting warm behind the plaster. Saved me hours of poking holes. Also learned to always kill the main before touching anything in those old places.

irismartinez24d ago

Oh man, my buddy tried that thermal camera trick on his knob and tube attic and found a live wire just sitting in the insulation like it was waiting for a party. He said the whole ceiling looked like a Christmas tree of dangers.