# (Closed - outdated information) Can homeowner (or friend) rewire in California?



## cvandewater (May 8, 2011)

Someone asked me if I can help to see if an old lady can get her house rewired, because it probably is wire and knob.
He is going to repaint her house, so will have all the fixtures off and he actually is scared to touch the wiring, even though he has installed wiring under supervision in the past.
I am not PE (consider becoming one later this year for volunteering with Habitat for Humanity but that is another subject)
He asked if it was possible (as I have heard about, but can't find) that
it is legal for a homeowner to replace wiring in his own property.
Now I have some questions, such as - building code and NEC have changed, so the wiring will likely need to be adapted for that reason alone.
In addition, it may be better to add some outlets and discard all the old
(two prong) ones.
I am not sure if it is allowed to run romex through attic and walls or that it
all must be conduit these days. I remember that conduit was only required
for exposed wiring.
I heard that the service panel was already rewired at some point, but I
still have to see what condition the house is. It is an old Californian house, I doubt it is more than 1200 sqft and 2 bedroom. So probably a few days work.


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## Saturday Cowboy (Nov 29, 2009)

talk to your local planning dept.


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## frenchelectrican (Apr 12, 2006)

If you doing this for your house that is not a issue if the local inspection officals allow it but to have someone come over for hire to rewire or someone come over for volenteer or donation their labour or both labour or materals that have to be done by licesened electrician.

Check with your local office for latest details on that 

Merci,
Marc


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

I am in SoCal. I pull owner-builder permit and can do my own electric work. For extensive work in main breaker box, especially if involving the service coming in - I get an electrician to do that portion of the work. I do most everything else - running cables, lighting, outlets, subpanels, etc. 

Conduit is typically not needed if not exposed. 

Talk to your building department. Get a good book on wiring and electric - I like ones with lots of illustrations. And the folks here are a hugely helpful and knowledgable resource - use the search feature as someone has likely had the same question/situation previously.

Sounds like what you are contenplating to undertake could be a sizeable endeavor. I would give careful consideration if you really want to take this on. Good luck.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

vsheetz said:


> I am in SoCal. I pull owner-builder permit and can do my own electric work. For extensive work in main breaker box, especially if involving the service coming in - I get an electrician to do that portion of the work. I do most everything else - running cables, lighting, outlets, subpanels, etc.
> .


the problem is; OP is not an owner or even known to the owner. It is a contractor (painting) and his buddy (the OP) wanting to rewire the house for a customer of the painter.

Unless this is 100% volunteer work, I am certain it is not legal without a licensed electrician. Depending how your area deals with this, if it is all volunteer work and the homeowner pulls the permit, it might be legal. They need to speak with the building department to determine the legality of their exact situation.


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

It's got to be said. But OP, if you and your friend do this for the nice little old lady it exposes all of you to an incredible amount of liability risk. You acknowledge that both you and your friend are not experienced in electrical work - some of the questions you are asking are pretty basic. If you make an error that results in injury or damage the homeowner could sue you. If you or your friend get injured while working on the old electrical system who is going to cover your injuries?

I admire your desire to help out one of our senior citizens. Until you get a lot more education under your belt - and determine if you can legally do the work - You would be better off trying to find a licensed electrician who is willing to work with you and pull the permits.

Good luck!


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

nap said:


> the problem is; OP is not an owner or even known to the owner. It is a contractor (painting) and his buddy (the OP) wanting to rewire the house for a customer of the painter.
> 
> Unless this is 100% volunteer work, I am certain it is not legal without a licensed electrician. Depending how your area deals with this, if it is all volunteer work and the homeowner pulls the permit, it might be legal. They need to speak with the building department to determine the legality of their exact situation.


Agreed the OP should check with the building department if the senario is ok/legal. The question posed by the OP was if a homeowner in CA can do the work - the OP's senario is not exactly that.

Furthmore, the question of liabilities that was raised is a very valid point to be well considered.


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## Gabriel24 (Feb 16, 2009)

*Can a homeowner or friend rewire in California?*

The question is if a homeowner in California can rewire his house. The answer is yes if he lives in the house. When he will sell the house or when he will rent the house, the city officials come and want to see the permit.
If there is no permit, then he can not sell the house nor rent it because the insurance will not cover it anymore. I live in South Calif. and I have done it, but in the long run, it is better to start by getting a permit and have a document by a licensed electrician.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

Gabriel24 said:


> The question is if a homeowner in California can rewire his house. The answer is yes if he lives in the house. When he will sell the house or when he will rent the house, the city officials come and want to see the permit.
> If there is no permit, then he can not sell the house nor rent it because the insurance will not cover it anymore. I live in South Calif. and I have done it, but in the long run, it is better to start by getting a permit and have a document by a licensed electrician.


but the question was a red herring since the homeowner is not one of the people planning on rewiring the house.


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

nap said:


> but the question was a red herring since the homeowner is not one of the people planning on rewiring the house.


I thought communism was the red herring. :wink:


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## The Deez (Jul 9, 2010)

nap said:


> the problem is; OP is not an owner or even known to the owner. It is a contractor (painting) and his buddy (the OP) wanting to rewire the house for a customer of the painter.
> 
> Unless this is 100% volunteer work, I am certain it is not legal without a licensed electrician. Depending how your area deals with this, if it is all volunteer work and the homeowner pulls the permit, it might be legal. They need to speak with the building department to determine the legality of their exact situation.



I'm pretty sure it isn't legal anyways even being volunteer work, your still rewiring a home without a license. i'm not sure about cali but NH has HUGE ramifications for performing electrical work on property that isn't your own. I don't want to sound like an ass or anything but like what Leah Frances said the OP is asking extreemly basic questions regarding electrical wiring in a home. This is not a DIY project imho, please if it looks like it may be an issue tell the painter to hire a professional for this one, it's not worth digging a deep hole here. This old wiring needs extreme care, especially if it's aluminum.


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## cvandewater (May 8, 2011)

Thanks for all the warnings and suggestions.
Indeed I ask a few basic questions, that is where I need to start, as I am not a PE and do not have recent experience with wiring a house. I have seen many house wirings up close and even helped (volunteered) in putting in the outlets, fixtures and switches in some houses post-Katrina, but there was a licensed electrician to sign off, after I populated and wired the service panel and hooked up all the wiring, that another volunteer already put in the wall, to the proper outlets & switches. BTW, I have MsEE as background but recently mainly done electronic designs. I can draw and read a schematic, but have not done a design of a house according any recent NEC, that is why I registered here, as well as the fact that I am not from CA. I lived here 5 years. Originally I am from Europe and my current house is in India. I will heed the advice about (absence of) permits and will contact the house owner to discuss about owner-builder permit or her desire to keep/sell the house, then advise to talk to authorities accordingly.
Again thanks for the advice!


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

> BTW, I have MsEE as background but recently mainly done electronic designs


then you are definitely not qualified to wire a house. Engineers do not think in the same dimension as an electrician. 

I think you need to think a bit more about this and realize you just are not qualified to rewire a house, regardless of whether the owner pulled a permit or not. If you screw it up and the house burns down, there will be somebody looking for you whether it be the police or the insurance company would depend on exactly what happened in the fire.


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## cvandewater (May 8, 2011)

nap said:


> Engineers do not think in the same dimension as an electrician.


Hi nap.
Agreed, but that does not mean that I can't understand an electrician or even do that work. I got no remarks after wiring up some houses post-Katrina from the licensed electrician inspecting them. That is why I said in my original post that I plan to get my PE to become licensed. I understand that I will need to learn some things and understand the recent changes in NEC before I can make a design for a house.
But wiring a house or inspecting work and signing off against an existing design should be no problem. I may be a volunteer, but I am not stupid,
I know where my limitations are and where I need input because my knowledge is lacking. That is why I registered here and ask questions.
Thanks for the guidance.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

> =cvandewater;644317]Hi nap.
> Agreed, but that does not mean that I can't understand an electrician or even do that work


. My apologies on the first comment. It was meant as humor. I often joke about the relationship between the engineers and field guys. It seems they just don't see things from the same perspective and it makes for some interesting conversations.






> I got no remarks after wiring up some houses post-Katrina from the licensed electrician inspecting them.


 yes but that is a world of difference that being in charge of the work, making your own decision, and being able to abide by the code.




> But wiring a house or inspecting work and signing off against an existing design should be no problem.


this is the engineer in you speaking. There is a huge difference between reading the code, even understanding the code, and putting that into a practical application and this isn't even addressing the work itself which is something that isn't even controlled by code but simply having learned how to do the work itself.



> I may be a volunteer, but I am not stupid,


I didn't say you were.



> I know where my limitations are and where I need input because my knowledge is lacking. That is why I registered here and ask questions.
> Thanks for the guidance.


Ok, from what I see:

1. you are not properly licensed to be able to do this work
2. your friend is not properly licensed to do this work

those things together mean you should not even consider doing this kind of work in any business setting. If you are helping a friend work on his house; fine but you are not allowed, legally, to do any of this work on any situation that you would be doing this work in any sort of business relationship.

Then, we come to what you are actually qualified to do.

First, we have this:


> Now I have some questions, such as - building code and NEC have changed, so the wiring will likely need to be adapted for that reason alone.


this shows your lack of knowledge of the code. The NEC does not require knob and tube wiring to be replaced simply because it is in there. It is allowed to remain wherever it is existing and in good condition. If in the course of performing electrical work you come across K&T, if you are not doing anything to that circuit, it does not have to be replaced or altered.



> In addition, it may be better to add some outlets and discard all the old
> (two prong) ones


.As a matter of course, an existing wiring system is allowed to remain as installed. Depending on why you are doing work, you may or may not have to add outlets. As well, you don't just change 2 prong outlets to 3 prong. There is important changes to the circuit that is required when you change to 3 prong outlets.



> I am not sure if it is allowed to run romex through attic and walls or that it
> all must be conduit these days. I remember that conduit was only required
> for exposed wiring.


This shows blatant ignorance of the codes. The codes aren't something you pick up overnight. There are many requirements within the code and if you are not aware of something this major, the chances of not knowing of some less addressed issues is not just possible but probable. It takes years to learn the nuances within the code. Heck, most people have trouble just trying to read the code and find simple answers without some serious time using the code. 



> It is an old Californian house, I doubt it is more than 1200 sqft and 2 bedroom. So probably a few days work.


and this really shows your lack of understanding of the requirements of the work. Best of luck trying to completely wire a 1200 sq ft home with the work being performed by a painter and an engineer that helped at a few houses trying to learn how to be an electrician in a few days. It isn't happening, at least with having a decent end product. Sorry but it just isn't happening.



So, regardless of your level of intelligence or what you might be training for or what other electrical work you might have helped with; you are not qualified to do this work and attempting it, beyond the legal issues, would be a disservice to anybody allowing you to do the work.


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

Sheesh. Two days to rewire a 1200 square foot house. I've spent two days before just trying to fish one circuit. :laughing:

Seriously, if OP is NOT the homeowner. He states he is not. Then he CANNOT do all the work and have the little-old-lady pull the permit. 

I can only imagine the look on the inspector's face when some 70 year old sweety shows up asking for a rough-in inspection of her entire house re-wire.


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## RST (Jul 19, 2009)

cvandewater, 

I have similar education to you. I worked a bit helping my father-in-law with wiring. I own half a dozen electrical books. But I have found it much more difficult to do the work on my own, simply because every house is different, the code is complex, and there are many decisions to be made. 

You can't go in there and simply replace the wire. You will have to add many new circuits and many new receptacles to comply with modern requirements. You will have to deal with layout questions, fishing wire, and AFCI/GFCI requirements. I have done these things and you can too, but they will require considerably more time, money, and energy than you might expect.

Ultimately the liability and permit questions raised by others will determine if you can do this at all, but as someone who's "been there" I wanted to warn you what is ahead.

RST


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## Grampa Bud (Apr 6, 2009)

WTF nap, the guy asked for an opinion. You don't have to rip him a new one just to show who you think you are. Relax, don't get your bra and panties all in a twist. It hurts.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

Grampa Bud said:


> WTF nap, the guy asked for an opinion. You don't have to rip him a new one just to show who you think you are. Relax, don't get your bra and panties all in a twist. It hurts.


WTF grampa!!!

OP continued to present justification as to why he believed he was capable and as an extension, had the right to preform the work he was suggesting. I simply explained why he was not either legally or practically qualified to do the work. It was not presented in a derogatory manner but factual. 

If you want him to come rewire your home, be my guest but what I see is a person that is not qualified to do the work nor legally allowed to do the work arguing as to why he is both. Due to that, I see some homeowner that is going to get shafted by an illegal contractor and end up with substandard, and possibly unsafe, work.

He may be the best EE in the world but he is not an electrician and whatever experience he has gained through volunteering on a few projects under Habitat for Humanity is not going to make him a qualified electrician.

besides, especially since you clearly stated he asked for an opinion, that was what I provided. I say it how I see it.


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## Grampa Bud (Apr 6, 2009)

Yes Dear.


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## FixitDragon (Feb 9, 2011)

Leah Frances said:


> ...Seriously, if OP is NOT the homeowner. He states he is not. Then he CANNOT do all the work and have the little-old-lady pull the permit.
> 
> I can only imagine the look on the inspector's face when some 70 year old sweety shows up asking for a rough-in inspection of her entire house re-wire.


I live in CA and have been researching what is required for me to do some of my own electrical work. In LA county, owners may pull permits, but you must be the owner, and the work will be done by you or an immediate family member. All this information is required on the permit application. Otherwise you must be a licensed contractor. Regardless of expertise, OP is not the owner, immediate family member, or a licenced tradesman. That means it is illegal for OP to do what he proposed in this location, and would be inviting substantial liability upon himself. In my opinion, not worth it. 

Also, OP keeps mentioning getting his "PE" which I take to mean "Professional Engineer" license, to allow him to do the work. A PE is a state license, in the same way that lawyers, CPAs, and contractors are licenced by their state for specific knowledge. The PE license allows a enginner to review or prepare, sign, and seal plans and drawings, and it is usually required for consulting. 

A PE _IS NOT_ a trade license like a C-10 Electrical Contractor license. That requires passing a C-10 specific exam and then a certain number of hours of hands on experience under a licenced electrician. 

The PE will let you design the house from an overall standpoint, it does not allow you to do the physical installation of the wiring and devices, which requires a different knowledge base than the PE.

Daniel


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## WillK (Aug 29, 2010)

I'm going to take a different tack in answering this.

Somebody is woried about touching electrical because fixtures need to be removed for a repaint?

I say the rewiring project is unnecessary. Take the fixtures off, paint, then replace them. Once you get inside the junction box, there's nothing substantially different about removing and replacing receptacles, switches or fixtures on knob and tube vs anything else.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's any requirement to fully upgrade if you're just replacing existing fixtures - such as if a duplex outlet broke or fell apart from removal you could replace it with a similar duplex outlet (2 prong presumably) Adding outlets or replacing cable would likely require following current code, and frankly is in the realm of work to leave to an electrician.

I think the question of whether the electric should be upgraded should be left up to the homeowner. I don't think it would be as helpful as you think to try to take this on because I suspect that you underestimate the scope and likely might be underestimating the expenses involved. And if you think it would be helpful, that almost implies that this is your idea without the homeowner having said they think they don't have enough outlets or whatnot.

Unless she's got a whole bunch of extension cords plugged into every outlet like this or something...


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## cvandewater (May 8, 2011)

OK nap, grampa, WillK, FixitDragon, RST, Leah and others who responded,
thanks for the info and advice - that was the reason I asked the question
since I did receive the question from another friend (NOT a contractor) who plans to repaint her house to help her and he suggested that rewiring it
may be a good step.
With your help and background info, I now have a better picture and it 
appears to be questionable whether it will help her, even though she may
find herself at some point in a tough spot due to the existing K&T wiring.
Oh I never said the whole design and checking NEC articles will be little work, as that will be the major activity in case of a rewire, when the house must be
brought back up to code and circuits added and such.
Just putting in the wiring usually does not take that long, unless there are
specific requirements. Since everything still needs to be repainted, you can 
easily open up a wall - preferably from stud to stud so both installation and
repair of the sheetrock is easy. I have laid on enough attics to know what fishing wire in a wall means. I've done up to 6 AWG (50A range).
But your information is helpful to point out that this installation is not for me unless someone licensed gets involved. Thanks for that bit of info.
Also good to know that *even* if homeowner or family does the work, then
upon renting or selling it will be an issue. There is no point in setting the
lady up for getting in hot water over this, apparently the desire from my
friend to help the lady is misguided.

There is no difference between theory and practice in theory. In practice there is. (I think this is what nap was hinting at with his different dimensions
for engineer and electrician. I have noticed the same difficulty in
communication in past projects and especially between different cultures)


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

cvandewater said:


> Just putting in the wiring usually does not take that long, unless there are
> specific requirements. Since everything still needs to be repainted, you can
> easily open up a wall - preferably from stud to stud so both installation and
> repair of the sheetrock is easy. I have laid on enough attics to know what fishing wire in a wall means.


:laughing::laughing::laughing: I have old and hard joists (chestnut). Just drilling ONE hole through them takes me 8 minutes with an hammer drill.

Glad you took the time to read all the advice you were given. I also, am 'learning by doing', though my background is in law, not engineering (read this to mean I have a graduate degree in interpreting and applying law - like the NEC). In order to feel comfortable properly applying the NEC to my electrical work I have spent over 50+ hours just READING. I am applying my knowledge to re-wire my house with Knob and tube (legally, btw).

The biggest caveat I have to people attempting these sorts of problems, is that you simply CANNOT anticipate what you are going to find once you start.

Any idea that this kind of project will go as expected is just wrong-headed.

It sounds unclear whether or not the little-old-lady needs a re-wire. Might be a good time to leave well enough, alone.

Good luck to you in your future endeavors.


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## RST (Jul 19, 2009)

cvandewater,

Thanks for taking the time to reply back. I appreciate hearing what you ended up deciding. Thanks also for not taking major offense to our suggestions. 

Robert


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## cvandewater (May 8, 2011)

RST said:


> Thanks for taking the time to reply back. I appreciate hearing what you ended up deciding. Thanks also for not taking major offense to our suggestions.


Hi Robert,
My pleasure. I am originally from The Netherlands and we are known to communicate rather directly. I had to learn how to adjust my responses when I started meeting different cultures, like in India where I spent most of last 3 years.
So, I understood 'nap' perfectly, even though he apologized after my jest back - but he ended up hammering me even worse in the same post.
I know he meant well, so although I needed to swallow a few times, I did not take offense. After all, I was the one asking for feedback and I got it!

BTW, every new home I move into, whether rented or bought, one of the first things I do is open the breaker box to inspect the wiring, shut off all breakers and start checking the circuits one by one which outlets and lights connect to which breaker and open most junction boxes to check the splices and invariably I end up correcting some dangerous situation, replacing some wiring with the correct gauge or other "minor" issues...:whistling2:


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

As a person who got the following qualifications in this order, BSEE, MSEE, Journeyman Electrician, Master Electrician, I'm well qualified to state that any sort of engineering degree is only marginally useful to the trade of being an electrician. It provides all the math skills and electrical theory, but that is about it. It gives nothing of the mechanical skills and techniques that can only be learned thru apprenticeship to someone who learned them from someone before him/her. Trade knowledge is not in a book. It's handed down from one to the next. Being an engineer also means that you are capable of reading and understanding text books. However, the NEC is not a textbook. It's arrangement is not intuitive and it is not cross referenced. To really learn it, you need to study it in school and use it daily as you encounter new situations in the field.

The other things a good electrician knows that are not needed to re-wire a small home are troubleshooting skills and knowledge of ALL available materials and methods, to be able to choose the best approach to a given situation. There a hundreds of code compliant ways to meet a given electrical requirement, but only one is the BEST.

To sum it up, there is NO substitute for a thorough apprenticeship followed by LOTS of experience.

Mark


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

The painter friend also needs to be licensed in CA. to paint the house. 
If he was, he would have known through his own licensing studies and test that this is not allowed. 

This is a perfect example on how hiring unlicensed contractors can quickly turn dangerous, literally. It just starts with a little painting job and the next thing you know the house burnt down and the old gal couldn’t get out.

Scary stuff.


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## cvandewater (May 8, 2011)

kwikfishron said:


> This is a perfect example on how hiring unlicensed contractors can quickly turn dangerous, literally.


You did not read my posts. *no* contractors involved.
Since when is it forbidden or dangerous to paint the house of a friend?
Regarding the rewire - that is a whole different story and the reason I asked for advice here.


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

cvandewater said:


> Since when is it forbidden or dangerous to paint the house of a friend?


If you've read anything about lead remediation, you'll know that painting can be hazardous to both the painter and the occupants.

Mark


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

Friend or not, like it or not, if there’s “any” compensation than you must be licensed, even for painting.
If you guys are willing to do all that work for free for the ole gal then my hats off to you for your generosity.



cvandewater said:


> Someone asked me if I can help to see if an old lady can get her house rewired


Sounds like your all a pretty tight bunch.


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## cvandewater (May 8, 2011)

Hi Kwikfishron,
I hardly know the lady, she is teacher at the school connected to my church. So I know she does not have a lot to spend to put it mildly. That is why I see how I can help her, and *not* how to get a new problem, that is why I did not start any work but asked advice first.
Indeed, no compensation - just acts of kindness without expecting something back. Though she may give us a glass of water :wink:
I hope that your advice might save her money as well as headaches.
Thanks!


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## Amazingglazier (Dec 27, 2011)

*Oh Yeah!*



busman said:


> If you've read anything about lead remediation, you'll know that painting can be hazardous to both the painter and the occupants.
> 
> Mark


Lead remediation in my business is BS, They want me to take a 8 hour class for $350, buy all sorts of containment gear a $3000 HEPA vacumn system and pay to print brochures of Govt regs and Hazard warnings to give homeowners. Then clean all the debris up ,bag it and then put it in the homeowners regular trash, so we can all enjoy the benefits of the said lead being incinerated by the dept of sanitation for us to breathe! The prescribed penalty for first time non compliance for putting a new window in a house $27,500 fine. Oh gee, that sounds profitable!:no: But as a homeowner you can go to HD or Lowes and poison the neighbors with no problem. All BS as incinerating lead is worse than eating it! Uh, how much exposure to lead do we get when they implode an old lead painted building? I'm a licensed contractor and will not put windows in homes. As far as painting, If you paint over it you are encapsulating it. Just Saying!


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## Anti-wingnut (Oct 18, 2009)

Amazingglazier said:


> Lead remediation in my business is BS, They want me to take a 8 hour class for $350, buy all sorts of containment gear a $3000 HEPA vacumn system and pay to print brochures of Govt regs and Hazard warnings to give homeowners. Then clean all the debris up ,bag it and then put it in the homeowners regular trash, so we can all enjoy the benefits of the said lead being incinerated by the dept of sanitation for us to breathe! The prescribed penalty for first time non compliance for putting a new window in a house $27,500 fine. Oh gee, that sounds profitable!:no: But as a homeowner you can go to HD or Lowes and poison the neighbors with no problem. All BS as incinerating lead is worse than eating it! Uh, how much exposure to lead do we get when they implode an old lead painted building? I'm a licensed contractor and will not put windows in homes. As far as painting, If you paint over it you are encapsulating it. Just Saying!


Chip on your shoulder?


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## Knauer (Jan 12, 2012)

Here is the thing, giving advice to you guys to help you work on your own home
Projects is sometimes fun and rewarding to give back advice. To ask us licensed electricians who do this for a living to help you rewire someone else's house. That's where I draw the line. Not only are you taking business from another EC there are a lot of things you can do wrong. Not having a permit eh been there done that but not something I'm proud of. Working on electrical with out a license or INSURANCE big deal, think of the cost of the house if it burns down, and think of the exposure to civil litigation and criminal charges if someone were to get hurt could be now or in 10 years. That home owner is going to point to you even if someone else comes in after. You will have touched pretty much everything in the house, even if you didn't screw up can you afford to defend yourself in court. Do what you are skilled at for other people with protection in place. Do what you want on your own house.


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## Bindaire Dundat (Apr 25, 2021)

cvandewater said:


> Someone asked me if I can help to see if an old lady can get her house rewired, because it probably is wire and knob.
> He is going to repaint her house, so will have all the fixtures off and he actually is scared to touch the wiring, even though he has installed wiring under supervision in the past.
> I am not PE (consider becoming one later this year for volunteering with Habitat for Humanity but that is another subject)
> He asked if it was possible (as I have heard about, but can't find) that
> ...


_Okay, right off the bat I'd say since you're asking the questions you are then DON'T do any electrical. DON'T get a book with lots of pictures and get a real electrician involved. 
All the knob and tube needs to be torn out. All the walls need to be opened to run the new electrical. All the lighting needs to be on circuits separate from the receptacles. The fridge, microwave, oven, disposal, dishwasher, washer, dryer or anything else with a significant draw needs to be on its own breaker. You should change every receptacle to 3 prong and the entire how will need at least 1 6 or 7 foot ground rod pounded to the ground less than 6 feet from the main panel and a hot water bond, cold water bond or both. ALL the Romex needs to be in the studs, in the walls that means drilling through every stud- even in the floor or ceiling. If they are unfinished walls anywhere there's wiring it has to be m/c cable- minimum. If the wiring is as old as oy sounds then you probably need to replace everything from the service (the pole on the street) on in so that's also a new head and main feed in rigid pipe at which point the city or PGnE will be involved. This is a LOT of work and will cost a LOT of money and you don't want just anybody that has "a book with abuncha pictures" doing it or that nice little old lady will get burned to a crisp!_

Mod Note : Information in the post is not consistent with the NEC.


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