Thanks for the pointers!
I figured as much, re: no "flying splices" really allowed at all. So, basically, if I want to move an outlet box over a foot and not have a "blank cover" in my wall, I need to pull a new piece of wiring from the next box on the "short side" to my new location and shorten up the wire exiting the box as it will be a foot too long once the box has been moved.
Or did I misunderstand and I could basically use the old outlet box as a "splice box" and screw a flat steel cover over it (or plastic, if it's a plastic box), re-attach it to the wall stud so it fits behind the drywall and cover it up with a chunk of drywall? Or are there special "splice boxes" available which can be "buried" behind drywall? Or must I re-pull the wire or have the "blank cover plate" on the old outlet box?
The houses I'm looking at are 1920's - 1940's construction, most have had their electric service upgraded, no old pushbutton switches left that I've seen yet. Lots still have fuses, though.
Oh, reminds me: I've seen this twice now in places I've been looking at. The original main panel is in place, complete with the original 60 Amp main fuse block and circuit fuses. Follow a wire or conduit from that box and you find a smaller sub-panel with 4-5 breakers in it. Am I to assume that the sub-panel has no main breaker (all were 15-20 amp breakers) or can one put larger fuses in those old main fuse blocks? I've also seen another newer fuse panel (a Square D 100 amp one) that appeared to have four main fuse blocks with two circuit fuses next to each one, and a sub-panel with breakers. In both cases, the ratings on circuit fuses and breakers added up to more than the "nameplate rating" on the main panel. Heck, on the first one I saw that was like this, the sub-panel alone had more breaker amps than the main service panel was listed for!
Is this code? Common? Stupid? (I'd bet on the latter two.) Seems to me you'd have to either run a separate main breaker for the sub-panel or replace the main panel with a higher-rated unit.
Thanks,
-cajun
