Knob and Tube Wiring Removal and Replacement
San Luis Obispo County has a large stock of older homes still carrying original knob and tube wiring, and we specialise in removing it and replacing it with modern wiring to current code. 5 Star Electrical Services is a licensed C-10 electrical contractor, license #973698, bonded and insured. Knob and tube has no ground conductor, its insulation degrades with age and heat, and most insurance carriers will not write a policy on a home that still has it. If a home inspector or insurer has flagged knob and tube on your property, we can assess what is still in service and quote the replacement in writing. Call (805) 215-4503.
Why Knob and Tube Is a Problem
Knob and tube wiring was installed in homes built before roughly 1950. It has no ground conductor, which means no path for fault current and no grounding for modern three-prong outlets. Its rubber and cloth insulation becomes brittle with age and heat, and it was never designed for the loads a modern household puts on a circuit. It is also frequently buried under blown-in insulation, which traps heat around conductors that were designed to dissipate it into open air.
Insurance
Most carriers will not write or renew a policy on a home with active knob and tube wiring. If your insurer has flagged it, they will generally want documentation from a licensed electrician confirming it has been removed from service. We provide that.
What Replacement Involves
We assess what knob and tube is still energized — in many homes some has already been abandoned in place and some is still live. We then replace the active circuits with modern wiring, ground the new circuits properly, and bring the panel and grounding up to current code. Current code requires two ground rods along with a cold water bond and a gas bond, which we rarely find present on a home of this age.
Cost
A full rewire on a 1,000 square foot San Luis Obispo home runs about $25,000, excluding demolition and repair of siding. Partial replacement of specific circuits costs less and depends on how many circuits are involved and how accessible they are. We quote flat rate in writing after an assessment.
Where We Do This Work
Throughout San Luis Obispo County, with the highest concentration in older San Luis Obispo neighbourhoods and in Cambria, Morro Bay, Los Osos and Arroyo Grande.
Will insurance cover a home with knob and tube wiring?
Most carriers will not write or renew a policy on a home with active knob and tube wiring. If your insurer has flagged it, they will generally want documentation from a licensed electrician confirming it has been removed from service. We provide that.
How much does it cost to remove knob and tube wiring?
A full rewire on a 1,000 square foot San Luis Obispo home runs about $25,000, excluding demolition and repair of siding. Partial replacement of specific circuits costs less and depends on how many circuits are involved and how accessible they are.