This appeared in the Nanaimo/Parksville/Port Alberni local newspapers

ELECTRICAL SAFETY MATTERS: AN INSPECTORS PERSPECTIVE

In this first installment we will have a look at an old wiring system called 'knob and tube'. This wiring is now on the radar of the Insurance Industry. They have issued this in the Broker Underwriting Guide that specifically states 'We do not insure risks with knob and tube wiring or aluminum'. The Insurance Industry of British Columbia may follow the lead of other provinces and reject all knob and tube wiring and require it replaced. Knob and tube wiring is found in older dwellings around 60 years of age. Knob and tube is a two wire system consisting of a 'hot' and a 'neutral' wire. There is no ground wire and it is readily identified by the old style receptacles having only two prongs, where the ground prong on most modern appliance cords cannot be inserted. Where you have access to the actual wiring itself (usually an attic) both insulated wires are separated and each wire is supported on the wood structure by non conducting insulators, spaced accordingly throughout the runs. In my previous employ as an Electrical Safety Officer with the B.C. Safety Authority, we came across a great array of installations involving knob and tube and most had been altered in some fashion. If found not to be in compliance with the Canadian Electrical Code, we referred to them as safety hazards. We found most homeowners were not qualified to deal with the complexities, or understanding, of making this system safe. Most of these non complying installations are what we and the BCSA refer to as 'handyman' alterations, and deemed illegal. Once knob and tube has been tampered with the insulation can be brittle and the cables may show signs of damage, situations where excess heat can create a potential fire, or shock hazard. The Canadian Electrical Code deals with the use of three prong receptacles used in place of the old two prongs. If the wiring is deemed defective, or it does not meet the electrical circuit loads required in the dwelling, it must be replaced. All this is to be done under a permit, issued by the BCSA, and a subsequent inspection process is then put into place. At the very least the Insurance Bureau of Canada, in bulletin # AM 96-04, suggest a safety safety inspection by a qualified electrical agency before insurance is denied, but this is only a recommendation. 

We are Kenrick Electrical Solutions Ltd. and we do exclusively electrical safety inspections. Please visit our web site at www.kenrickelectrical.com. or call 250-619-8069.