Is anyone out there aware of any knob and tube suppliers? I'm looking for tubes, knobs, as well as loom.

Whats goin on? Reminiscing? What use would you have for that? Remove all of that stuff. No inspector would allow you to extend it anyway. If you really need it try a museum. lol
Ron

If your near the Bay Area, SF or San Mateo go to Bayshore Supply.

Often need them for re-supporting / re-feeding existing K&T in most resi around here.

We'll often save the ones we demo in remodels and re-use them if needed.

Loom is more available, but some places have stopped carrying it too.

Norstarr


Unless there is a local amendment the inspector does not get a choice. The NEC allows extending existing K&T.

Bob,

We do repairs on K&T, and no problem with inspector.

Slightly off-topic, but I came across the following a couple months ago, does it effectively mean that the parts won't be manufactured anymore?
http://ulstandardsinfonet.ul.com/sot/b0511_6_20040331_sum.html

Bill

My UL books are from 2002. There are no manufacturers listed for these parts. I can only guess that nobody makes the stuff anymore, and anthing you find will be used.

I agree that for the most part, extending K&T should be avoided. In this case it must be terminated and the attic is not accessible, so my only choice is to extend it to the point where it is brought to the laundry room where no one gives a darn if a blanked off box is sitting near the edge of the ceiling. Trust me, all my feeds will be brought off a subpanel in modern day romex. It turns out that I did pull some K&T from a job that I demoed yesterday. The inspector gave me the okay to use these parts.

I remember the rosette I think it was called. It was allowed to use as an extension adaptor from the old B/X to the even older K & T

Can you run a third wire for use as the grounding (green) conductor in K&T? But if you could run the third wire all the way back to the panel you might as well use romex cable...

Rosette... Oh you mean "the Monkey Face"?!
Some guys I worked with way back called them that, and it stuck. I dont think they are made any longer...

Look kinda like a weather-head for 1/2" EMT, or BX, but straight out instead of down?

I Googled it, and found it on an older thread here at ECN: (Go figure...) https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000122.html

I've wrecked out K&T from old houses in the past. I used to use the tubes to sharpen my knives. Resently, I've had some people asking me about K&T. I would compare K&T to a Model "T" Ford. You can't just go down to the auto parts store, and buy parts. Why? Because it's old and out of date. I can see a use for it from time to time (and Calsparky's situation sounds like one of them), but modern wiring methods are the only way to fly, or drive (since we are talking about Model T's). Does anyone know what era that K&T was the predominant wiring method? I would guess the 20's.

With corn on the knob in my teeth,
Doc

Doc long time no see.

How is the wattmobile?

How are the wattkids?

Bob

My first house had among other systems k&t. In the basement I ran a third wire with the runs to use grounded recepticals. BTW when I moved in the house had a a box with main and range fuses and four edison based fuses. Two of thoes went to a water heater and the whole rest of the house was on one and one was spare. Replaced with a 200A housepower panel and a new 42 main panel. I believe that CORRECTLY installed K&T is a very safe method -- just too much of it is basterdised. At that time [1971] found the K&T supplies at an old hardware store.

iwire,
The load is balanced pretty well. The Wattmobile is still puttering along. I don't drive it much these days. I have a company truck. It's a 3/4 ton F-Watt-50. My 2 Watters are doing fine. Kailey is 9.5 watts going on 15 KVA, and Stephanie is just turned 8 watts. They're giving The Watt Mama a hard time, and from time to time I think the she is going to blow a fuse. It's good to hear from you.

Wattologically yours,
Doc

I stopped reading posts after a while. But, I think one of my favorite supply joints actually has the ceramic knobs and tubes in the bins. If you can't find them I could get you the company's info and they'll ship.

Sparky,
If you are extending that N&T to the laundry room how do you connect the extension to the existing N&T? Solder and tape? Loom into a jc box? I'm certain in my area the inspector would not let us extend N&T using the AHJ rule. We have always been able to find a way to eliminate it so I guess it never occurred to me to extend it.
Ron

It turns out that I'm a fairly large metro area that was built in large part during the depression --- lots of knob and tube. The inspectors around here have no choice but to deal with it. As such they've been very good about being very specific about what they want and here it is:
1) Splice tape and solder on joints
2) THHN is to be used
3) Wire from last knob to box is to be in loom.
4) All hardware related to the box must be non-metalic.
I have to be honest with you -- the loom thing kills me. I mean, honestly, why not just use ent with splice tape covering the openings if you are worried about pests frying themselves by getting into the ent at the openings -- oh well.
Related to this is that wiring method changes must take place at a box, which frustratingly enough comes right out of the NEC -- so much for ENT.

[This message has been edited by CalSparky (edited 01-20-2005).]