Old House Wiring ‣ MyFixitUpLife

By Tara Fix it Rooms

Last week’s blog outlined the joys of upgrading knob-and-tube wiring–and how to NOT upgrade it. Well, if your house is like mine you’ll upgrade more than the wire coming out of the breaker panel. You’ll probably upgrade the panel too, known in the industry as a “heavy-up.”

Most older homes I’ve renovated have a baseline electrical “service” of 100 amps. (service = the amount of juice, aka “amps,” the breaker panel / fuse box can disseminate throughout the house). A hundred amps will get you by, but most modern homes are wired with 200 amp service to meet modern electrical demands like flat screen TVs, microwaves, teenagers, etc. and still have enough space in reserve to handle and add-ons like garage shops, small additions, outdoor devices, yet-to-be invented gadgetry, and so on.

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