Serving King and Snohomish Counties

There are many types of electrical issues over the years with homes. The information below is not meant to be all-inclusive. Electrical issues will typically be more prominent with an older home.

Earlier homes (pre-1960’s), typically had knob and tube wiring with screw in type fuses. Although the fuses were more reliable, they could could be easily manipulated and then result in an electrical fire. Knob and tube wiring does not have a grounding wire and can be easily damaged by external forces. The wires should not be buried in insulation as that is a fire hazard. It is common to find some knob and tube wiring in older homes even when mostly re-wired

Knob and tube wiring

Live knob and tube improperly buried in insulation

Many earlier electrical systems did not have a 3^rd “grounding wire” for outlets. It is very common to find 3 prong receptacles installed that are not grounded. There is a work around for this issue. "- There are several ungrounded (3) prong electrical outlets throughout the home. The National Electrical Code (NEC) 406.3(D)(3) allows ungrounded (3) prong outlets without a third (grounding) wire, but only IF you install a GFCI receptacle to replace the 2-prong receptacle, or install a GFCI circuit breaker for that circuit, and mark the outlets "GFCI Protected" and "No Equipment Ground"  Surge suppressors used for computers and other electronic equipment require a properly installed grounding wire to work correctly. It may be most efficient to install GFCI protected circuit breakers in the electrical panel"

Some of the earlier “circuit breaker” type panels essentially did not work or are a fire hazard due to loose connections. These panels are known as Federal Pacific and Zinsco. Some Zinsco type panels are labeled as Sylvania as they purchased the company.

Zinsco panel

"- The home is equipped with a Zinsco brand panel. Zinsco components are considered problematic by industry professionals due to their high failure rate. Failure of any component within the electrical system may result in fire and/or electrocution. Evaluation of the panel by a qualified electrician is advised to determine its safety, integrity and performance"

"- The home is equipped with a Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-lok brand electrical panel. Stab-lok load centers and their components are considered problematic by industry professionals due to their high failure rate as documented by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Failure of any component within the electrical system may result in fire and/or electrocution. Evaluation of the panel by a qualified electrician is advised to determine its safety, integrity and performance."

In the Vietnam war era, copper become scarce and costly. Single stand aluminum wiring was used for branch circuits. This type of wire would become loose and then arc resulting in fires. Multi-strand aluminum is not considered an issue and is still in use today. There is a repair for single strand aluminum wiring, however it can be expensive and not all electricians will have the proper tools to perform this work.

Single stand aluminum wiring

Double tapped or over-heating wiring will be identified by both visual and infrared observation. Many wiring issues are created by homeowner modifications.

Multiple tapped circuit

Overheating electrical; 165 deg F

I frequently get the question “is the electrical up to code ?”. Code for all items of a home constantly change and may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Therefore most homes are not up to “current code” and they are not required to be updated, with the exception when some modifications are made. 

Ground fault protection for wet areas is always recommended as it is a very inexpensive safety upgrade for older homes to prevent electrocution.

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