Last Updated: September 25, 2026
Knob and tube wiring is an older electrical system that was common in homes built before the 1950s. It consists of individual copper wires run through ceramic tubes and supported by porcelain knobs attached to wooden joists and beams. This simple system was the standard for residential electrical installation for decades.
Homes in the early 1900s didn't have air conditioning, electric dryers, or multiple appliances running at once. A few lights, a refrigerator, and basic outlets were all most households needed, and knob and tube wiring was sufficient for those demands.
However, modern homes are completely different. Today's electrical load is exponentially higher. You're running air conditioning, multiple televisions, computers, dishwashers, and dozens of other devices simultaneously. That's where knob and tube wiring dangerous becomes a serious problem.
Look for these telltale signs:
The easiest place to spot knob and tube wiring is in your attic. If your home was built before 1950, climb up and look around. You'll see the distinctive ceramic knobs and tubes if the original wiring is still there. Another common location is the basement or crawl space near the electrical panel.
Modern electrical wire comes in a sheath that bundles multiple wires together; knob and tube consists of individual wires with visible insulators.
If you're buying an older home or your property hasn't been inspected in decades, getting a professional home inspection is wise. A licensed electrician can confirm whether your home has knob and tube wiring and assess its condition.
Why knob and tube wiring dangerous matters: the system poses genuine fire hazards that shouldn't be ignored.
Cloth and rubber insulation deteriorate over time. After 70-100 years, insulation becomes brittle and can crack or flake away.
When insulation fails, exposed copper wire can contact wood framing, creating a fire risk. The wires also overheat more easily than modern wiring.
When you run today's appliances through a system built for 1920s usage, the wires heat up. Combined with degraded insulation, that heat can ignite nearby wood or insulation materials.
Many insurance companies and fire safety experts treat knob and tube wiring as a serious liability.
Modern electrical code requires grounding, a third wire that provides a safety path for electricity. Knob and tube wiring has no ground wire, leaving appliances and devices without this critical safety feature.
Insurance companies treat knob and tube wiring as a material risk factor. Understanding how insurers evaluate and respond to this system is critical for homeowners, especially those buying, selling, or filing claims.
When you disclose knob and tube wiring during underwriting, insurers typically request a detailed electrical inspection report and assess whether the system is still in use, its condition, and any modifications that increase risk.
You have a legal obligation to disclose knob and tube wiring when selling. Failure to disclose is fraud in most jurisdictions and exposes you to liability claims from the buyer.
If a fire or electrical damage occurs and your insurer discovers undisclosed knob and tube wiring, they may deny your claim entirely, even if the wiring wasn't the direct cause.
Contact your insurance agent now to ask whether they'll insure the property as-is, what exclusions apply, and what timeline is required for replacement. Get answers in writing. If your current insurer won't cover the home, shop for a different carrier; some specialize in older homes and are more flexible about knob and tube wiring.
Knob and tube wiring isn't illegal to have in your home. However, it's illegal to install new knob and tube wiring. Modern electrical code prohibits it entirely.
Rewiring is the permanent solution to knob and tube wiring hazards. Before committing, understand your options.
Partial rewiring replaces knob and tube wiring in specific areas while leaving the original system intact elsewhere, reducing scope and immediate disruption.
Partial rewiring makes sense if:
Full rewiring replaces all knob and tube wiring with modern, code-compliant wiring and eliminates the problem entirely.
Full rewiring is the better choice if:
The decision depends on your timeline (selling soon vs. long-term), budget (full cost now vs. phased), and risk tolerance (partial solution vs. complete elimination).
Planning and Inspection: Your electrician will inspect the existing system, map new wiring routes, identify obstacles, and assess whether your electrical panel needs upgrading.
A full rewire typically takes 2-4 weeks; partial rewiring of a single area takes 1-2 weeks. Plan for periods without power to certain areas. Once complete, you have a modern electrical system that's safe, code-compliant, and capable of supporting your home's electrical needs for decades.
Start with a professional inspection. An electrician can assess your wiring's condition, identify safety risks, and recommend a timeline for replacement.
Consider your situation:
Yes, purchasing a home with knob and tube wiring presents significant risks. The wiring poses fire hazards due to brittle insulation and lack of grounding, making it a liability for homeowners. Most insurance companies will not provide homeowners' insurance for properties with this wiring still in place. If you're considering such a purchase, budget for a full electrical rewiring by a licensed electrician and factor that into your offer.
Most major homeowners' insurance providers will not insure homes with active knob and tube wiring systems. Some carriers may offer limited coverage with significant restrictions and higher premiums, but this is increasingly rare. Insurance underwriters view this wiring as a fire hazard that violates modern electrical codes and NEC standards. You'll need to have the system replaced to obtain standard homeowners' insurance coverage.
Knob and tube wiring becomes dangerous because the insulation deteriorates over time, becoming brittle and prone to cracking. When insulation fails, the copper wires can contact building materials, creating fire hazards. Additionally, the system lacks modern grounding and cannot handle today's electrical loads, when modern appliances draw excessive current, the wiring overheats. Insulation contact combined with thermal dissipation issues makes electrical fires a serious risk in older homes.
Partial rewiring is sometimes an option if knob and tube wiring serves only non-essential circuits. However, modern electrical codes and insurance requirements typically demand that you address all knob and tube wiring in active use. A licensed electrician can evaluate your specific situation and recommend whether a full rewire or strategic partial replacement makes sense for your home's electrical panel and load capacity.
Older homes have character and charm, but outdated electrical systems create real risks. If your property has knob and tube wiring, addressing it protects your family, preserves your insurance coverage, and prepares your home for modern living. Electric Falls specializes in residential rewiring and electrical upgrades that bring older homes up to current safety standards. Contact us for a professional assessment and honest guidance on what your home needs.
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Gerry T.
Dustin came over to our house and helped us hook up a hot tub. His quote was well below others that we had come over and he was super easy to work with. I would recommend electric falls to anyone who needs a great electrician at an affordable cost!
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Quick response and fixed the problem efficiently. Would use him again with any needs.
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We had a great experience with Electric Falls. We had a need to replace an old fuse box with a breaker box. Dustin was quick to respond, was reasonable in his quote, and did exceptional work. We were pleased with his coordination with us and with Idaho Falls Power. He performed the work when he said he would do it and completed the work within the timeframe that was estimated. Overall, we are extremely satisfied with Electric Falls and will be calling on them again for future needs.
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Dustin is everything you wish for in every small business owner! He went above and beyond right out of the gate by coming by to do my quote in the evening when he was leaving for a long weekend the next morning. He explained everything about the quote. Price was fair for work being done. He and Cameron showed up as promised and did quick, quality work. Highly recommend!
Robert N.
Dustin was professional from bid thru install of our emergency home generator. In the future I'm going to call for a bid to do the electrical install in our unfinished basement. I'm thinking I don't want you to know about him because he will become too busy to help me. But, go ahead and do with this review as you will but I'm keeping his name at the top of my contacts list. :-)
Korky F.
We had Dustin from Electric Falls come out and install the wiring for a hot tub as well as install a whole home surge protector. Dustin was awesome. He was super informative and got us all set up right away. We are so thrilled that we found a great and reliable electrician. His workers were awesome as well. They were very helpful.
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Wonderful customer service and very professional yet personable technicians.
Said what they would do and for how much and they did it
Thank you for all your work
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Quick and Efficient! Was able to find the problem and get it all taken care of within the same day so we had our power and utilities working properly again.
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Keree A.
Great to work with! Very knowledgeable, great at explaining the issue, and got the job done fast!
Ryan S.
Dustin was at our home this morning to repair several light issues. He was here on time, got the job done quickly and made several helpful suggestions for upgrades in our home as it is over 40 years old. Very professional and knowledgeable. Will use again.
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These folks worked with me on a very short timeline, even did the job on Sunday. Price was explained in detail and was very reasonable. They went above and beyond to take care of me. I would highly recommend them for any of your electrical or generator needs.
AC
Great service and a good recommendation to solve my problem!
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Great friendly, professional, and local service. Prompt scheduling and arrived as promised! Diagnosed my electrical problem quickly and resolved the issue for a fair price.
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Electric falls responded quickly and they worked with me to get my house in much better shape. Dustin was very knowledgeable, the cost for the services were reasonable and he finished everything very quickly.
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Great Service!
Richard J.
Dustin and Cameron came to look and see what they needed to hook up our garbage disposal, and within 30 minutes they had put in a new outlet and hooked up the disposal to a switch. Very kind and respectful gentleman who make electrical problems a breeze for a fair price.
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Super fast and very friendly!
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They are very good to work with. Always called to let me know exactly when they were coming. Came on time and finished earlier than expected.
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Dustin was recommended to me and within a few hours of calling him he was out to my house in Shelley and fixed the issue. The cost was fair and Dustin was so kind and professional. He was able to work with my schedule and even let me know when he was on his way. Highly recommend if you are in need of an electrician.
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Highly recommend these guys. Cameron and Dustin were fast and efficient and answered all our questions we installed a home surge protector because recently the power went out and blew our furnace.
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Very personable service. We had a couple of light fixtures changed out to ceiling fans, had a fan installed in a bathroom and a few other light switch modifications done and the work was very good! And they cleaned up any mess well! Would recommend using them.
Susan M.
Dustin was great to work with. Their pricing was fair, they were great to communicate with, and they were prompt to get the work done with a schedule that worked great for me.
Kelly S.
Highly recommend Electric falls, they came out next day, gave us a couple of options with what works in our price range, and got us squared away extremely fast. We will definetly be calling them again very soon for some future needs. Thank you for everything.
Casey D.
Communicated very well. Friendly and easy going. He worked with my schedule. Lead time was only a couple of weeks. I look forward to using his service on the next step of my project.
Andrew M.
Dustin solved our electrical problems with one call. His response was quick and the cost was reasonable. We're very satisfied.
Frank W.
Since I used to DO this work and medically can’t do it myself, it gives me great pleasure to say that ElectricFalls.com will give you the same professional, ethical and proper service to you when you need electrical work done that they gave me. And will give me in my next project.No job too big or too small, all you need to do is ASK.
Carol B.
We had an electrical issue with a heater in our downstairs toy room. We called Dustin Thurman of Electric Falls, and he came out that same day; he was able to diagnose the problem and fix it quickly and completely. He explained what he thought was probably the problem, and it turned out to be exactly that. He was courteous and professional, explained everything to us, including how to avoid the problem in the future, and we would not hesitate to call Dustin again for any electrical problem. We would highly recommend him to friends and family.
Gail I.
This was a great experience! We called around and didn't get call backs from anyone. We needed a EV charger installed. Electrical Falls answered immediately made it out to our home for a quote within an hour. We agreed on a honest and fair price. Install was done properly and within a time frame that worked perfect for us! Thank you Electric falls you will be our first call in the future and will be highly recommended!
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Mary Ann C.
Dustin with Electric Falls was absolutely amazing to work with. He answered all our electrical questions while buying a home, and then helped us fix them after closing. His flexibility and kindness made him super easy to work with. I would recommend him for any job, and we will be utilizing him for future projects on our new home. Such a great experience!!
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Danielle S.
Dustin has helped us with several electrical jobs and knocks it out of the park every time. He is efficient, professional, friendly, and cleans up after he's done – not many do this these days! If and when we need more work done we will never hesitate to call Dustin at Electric Falls. Thanks
Madeline
Prompt, efficient, knowledgeable, tidy, honest, friendly, reasonable rates. After all the electricians we have tried, Dustin at Electric Falls is by far the best in every way. I will never call anyone else ever again for our electric needs.
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Debbie H.
Dustin is very responsive, he's a great communicator, and he is reasonably priced. I have hired him for four separate jobs in the last four months, and I plan to hire him for more jobs in the future.
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Dustin is great to work with and very fast. He squeezed me in very quickly and worked quickly and efficiently until it was done. Also reasonably priced. I would highly recommend Electric Falls
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Rachael J.
Dustin jumped in and took amazing care of us on short notice! He was able to squeeze us in and took care of business quickly and efficiently without overcharging. We are so appreciative of the work he did! If you ever need a great electrician to help you with your home, whether a new build or a place you’ve been in for years, Dustin is your guy! Give him a call; you won’t be disappointed!!!
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Jarod P.
Dustin has great customer service and is a knowledgeable electrician. He fixed our wall heater, installed a ceiling fan, and corrected some crossed wires on a two-way switch. He also checked out some outlets I had concerns with. He was friendly and professional. I highly recommend.
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Electric Falls is professional,friendly, and fair priced! We will definitely be using them for all our electrical needs in the future.
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Chandler L.
Great company to work with for any electrical needs you have. On time, professional, fair pricing and very knowledgeable. We will definitely use them again!!
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Heather K.
If you're looking for a competent, courteous, and thorough electrician, look no further. Dustin definitely exceeded all of our expectations!
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Mike G.
Very knowledgeable and professional. Would recommend to others.
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Trena T.
Dustin was very pleasant and did an excellent job
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Robert T.
Dustin does excellent work!! Quick, efficient. Very flexible!!
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Lance L.
Very knowledgeable and professional service. I will be using him again and will definitely recommend him to others.
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Donna T.
Dustin is professional, timely, and friendly.
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DJ D.
They were prompt and did a good job.
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Wood F.
Outstanding service, not waiting, answers inquiries fast and to the point.
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Rubi F.
Very happy with their work.
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Glenn W.
We lost all Power at the last outage. It fried our panel and breakers. We also lost a thermostat. He replaced all of that plus put a surge protector so we wouldn't have that problem again. He was very professional and explained things very well along with price before doing anything. I would definitely use them again for electrical problems. I trust them and so can you.
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Bonnie M.
Thank you!
Positive Quality, Professionalism
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Cody F.
Fan installation, Light fixture repair, Electrical outlet & switch installation
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Darin T.
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Welcome to Electric Falls, where our commitment to excellence in electrical services has been illuminating the Southeast Idaho community for several years.
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