How Do You Update Old House Wiring?
The National Electrical Code (NEC) has existed for more than 100 years and establishes the standards for safe wiring practices. It is updated every three years, and wiring that was installed “according to code” 50 years ago may now be obsolete and even hazardous, according to today’s standards. Examples of outdated and possibly dangerous wiring include: ungrounded lights and receptacles, aluminum cables and exposed junctions. To update your house wiring and make it safe, start with the electrical panel. Replace the old fuse box with a grounded circuit breaker panel. Have the power company switch off the power to your house, then remove the leads from the old box and disconnect all the circuit wires. Be sure to label the circuits when you do this. Pound a metal ground rod into the earth, connect a 10-gauge ground wire to it, run it to the panel and connect it to the ground buss. Make sure the neutral buss is connected to the ground buss by tightening the factory lug, then connect the ho
