St. Louis Home Inspector Tips: Getting Wired in the Attic

We’ve been discussing making improvements in attics during this cooler season, and this week’s topic is the condition of wiring you may find up there.  In addition to the usual precautions about not going up there unless you’re nimble enough and comfortable going up there, wearing dust masks for the dirt, and a stout hat for the roofing nails. I’ll also note that electric shock can kill. 

If you are up to taking a look, I’ll give you some ideas of what to look for, but I recommend that you get a licensed electrician to make any corrections.  Most of what I’m going to point out was probably done by amateurs, and you need a qualified electrician to make it right and safe.

The three big mistakes that a home inspector is going to see in attics are open junction boxes, open splices, and extension cords in permanent use.  This is true both in St. Louis and everywhere else, especially in older homes where a previous homeowner has made “improvements.” 

An open junction box is just that, an electrical box with a wiring junction in it, but where there isn’t a properly secured lid.  Squirrels, mice, and other rodents can get up there, and they love to chew on exposed wiring.  A wiring junction or splice is usually the most vulnerable place for them to cause damage.

An open splice is a junction or connection between wires that is out in the open, with no protective box.  Besides animal damage, you or a service technician can snag exposed wiring with a foot, etc., and actually pull an open splice apart if it’s not properly secured in a junction box.

People will often put lighting, fans, etc. in attics, but instead of paying an electrician to do the job right, they’ll run an extension cord from a handy outlet, or even worse, a jury-rigged open splice.  Extension cords are often of a lighter gage that is not rated for the circuit, and their insulation, etc. is not designed for the heat and time they may be used like this.  They can be a fire just waiting to happen.

If you have a house built in the 1940’s or earlier, you may find “knob & tube” wiring in the attic, even if the rest of the house wiring has been upgraded.  The photo that shows individual wires, taped open splices, and ceramic stand-offs (the knob part of knob & tube) is an example of what this type of wiring looks like. 

If it hasn’t been modified, if its insulation is not brittle from age and heat, and if it’s not covered with insulation, then it could be perfectly safe.  But if it hasn’t been recently checked by a knowledgeable electrician, then it should be.  Also, if you are planning to add more insulation in your attic, fires have resulted from covering knob & tube wiring with insulation, and you really need to get it replaced.

AUTHOR:
Michael Chambers – St. Louis Area Home Inspector
BrickKicker Home Inspections
Email: Michaelc@brickkicker.com
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