Insurance companies stop rejecting your applications. You can finally get coverage without paying double the premium or getting dropped mid-policy because an inspector flagged your electrical system.
Your outlets handle what you actually plug into them. No more tripped breakers when you run the microwave and coffee maker at the same time. No more extension cords snaking across rooms because you don’t have enough power where you need it.
The fire risk drops to nearly zero. Knob and tube wiring wasn’t designed for insulation, and when insulation gets added during renovations, the wires overheat. Modern wiring includes grounding, proper insulation ratings, and circuit protection that actually works. You stop wondering if tonight’s the night something goes wrong.
We’ve handled electrical upgrades across Rhode Island since before most companies in this space existed. We’ve rewired hundreds of old homes, and we know exactly what we’re walking into when we show up to a Central Falls property.
Central Falls has the oldest housing stock in the state—46.4% of homes were built before 1940. That means nearly half the city is dealing with outdated electrical systems. We’ve seen every variation of knob and tube wiring, every hack job previous owners tried, and every code violation that comes with decades-old installations.
We’re licensed, insured, and we provide certificates of insurance on request. We’re members of the Rhode Island Electrical Inspectors IAEI Roger Williams Chapter, and we follow NFPA’s Certification Code of Ethics on every job. You’re not hiring someone who watched YouTube videos—you’re hiring electricians who’ve been doing this longer than most people have owned their homes.
We start with an inspection to map out your existing knob and tube wiring. We identify every circuit, every junction, and every place where someone added onto the original system. This tells us exactly how much work we’re looking at and where the biggest risks are.
Then we plan the new system. Modern homes need more circuits than houses built in the 1940s. We figure out where to run new wire, how to add capacity for things like air conditioning and dryers, and how to do it without tearing apart your entire house. Most of the new wiring runs through your basement, attic, and walls with minimal damage to finished surfaces.
We pull out the old knob and tube wiring and install new grounded circuits with proper breaker protection. Every outlet gets upgraded. Every switch gets checked. When we’re done, a licensed inspector reviews the work to make sure it meets current Rhode Island electrical code. You get documentation that proves your electrical system is safe and compliant—exactly what insurance companies want to see.
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You get a complete electrical system that meets 2024 code requirements. That includes grounded three-prong outlets, GFCI protection in bathrooms and kitchens, and AFCI breakers that prevent arc faults. These aren’t extras—they’re required, and they’re what keeps your home safe.
You get enough circuits to run a modern household. Old homes in Central Falls typically have 4-6 circuits total. We install 15-20+ circuits depending on your home’s size, so you’re not overloading anything. Dedicated circuits for major appliances. Enough outlets that you’re not daisy-chaining power strips.
You get documentation for your insurance company. We provide detailed records of the work, inspection certificates, and proof that your home no longer has knob and tube wiring. In Central Falls, where 71.4% of residents rent, this matters for landlords trying to maintain coverage on older properties. For homeowners, it’s the difference between getting dropped and getting approved.
The median home in Central Falls was built in 1944. Most of these properties still have original wiring or modifications that don’t meet current standards. Replacing knob and tube wiring costs between $12,000 and $35,000 depending on your home’s size, but Rhode Island offers financing programs up to $1,000 for pre-weatherization electrical upgrades. We can walk you through what’s available.
Yes, assuming the rest of your home meets their requirements. Insurance companies reject knob and tube wiring because it’s a documented fire hazard—it lacks grounding, it overheats when surrounded by insulation, and it wasn’t designed for modern electrical loads. When you replace it with code-compliant wiring, you eliminate their primary concern.
After we complete the work, you’ll receive inspection certificates and documentation showing your electrical system meets current Rhode Island code. That’s what you send to your insurance company. Most insurers will approve coverage once they see the upgrade is complete.
Some companies still factor in your home’s age and other risk factors, but the knob and tube issue goes away entirely. If you’re currently paying inflated premiums or getting rejected outright, this is the fix. We’ve worked with dozens of homeowners in Central Falls who were in the exact same situation—once the wiring was updated, insurance became a non-issue.
Most homes take between three days and two weeks depending on size and complexity. A small single-family home with an accessible attic and basement goes faster. A multi-family property with finished ceilings and limited access takes longer.
The timeline depends on how much of your home still uses knob and tube wiring. Some houses only have it on one floor or in specific rooms. Others have it throughout the entire structure. We map everything during the initial inspection so you know exactly what to expect before we start.
We work in stages to minimize disruption. We don’t shut off power to your entire house for days—we rewire section by section so you still have electricity for essentials. If you’re living in the home during the work, we coordinate around your schedule. For landlords with tenants, we plan the work to avoid displacing anyone unnecessarily. You’ll have a clear timeline before we touch a single wire.
No. That’s exactly what creates the fire hazard. Knob and tube wiring was designed to be exposed to air—the heat dissipates naturally when there’s nothing surrounding the wires. When you add insulation, the heat has nowhere to go, and the wires overheat.
This is why so many Central Falls homes have knob and tube problems. Someone added insulation during a renovation without upgrading the electrical system first. The wiring that worked fine for 60 years suddenly becomes a fire risk because it’s trapped in fiberglass or blown-in cellulose.
Building codes prohibit insulating over knob and tube wiring for this exact reason. If you want to improve your home’s energy efficiency—and you should, given Rhode Island winters—you need to replace the wiring first. Then you can insulate safely. Trying to skip the electrical upgrade doesn’t save money. It just moves the fire risk from “possible” to “likely,” and no insurance company will cover you once they find out.
Expect to pay between $12,000 and $35,000 for a complete knob and tube wiring removal in Central Falls, RI. The range depends on your home’s square footage, how much wiring needs replacement, and how accessible your walls, attic, and basement are.
Smaller homes on the lower end of that range. Larger multi-family properties or homes with difficult access on the higher end. We price every job individually because no two Central Falls homes are identical—some have partial updates already done, others haven’t been touched since 1944.
Rhode Island offers financing assistance up to $1,000 for electrical upgrades under pre-weatherization programs. It’s not enough to cover the full cost, but it helps. Some homeowners finance the work through home equity loans or personal loans, especially when the alternative is losing insurance coverage or selling at a loss because buyers won’t touch a house with knob and tube wiring.
This isn’t a repair you can skip. Your home’s value drops when buyers see outdated wiring, and you can’t get insurance without fixing it. The cost is significant, but it’s a one-time investment that solves multiple problems—safety, insurance, resale value, and electrical capacity.
You need to replace all of it if you want insurance coverage and a safe home. Some homeowners ask if they can just upgrade the worst sections and leave the rest, but that doesn’t solve the underlying problems.
Insurance companies don’t care if you replaced 80% of the knob and tube wiring—they care that it’s still present anywhere in the house. Their underwriting guidelines treat partial upgrades the same as no upgrade at all. You’ll still get rejected or charged higher premiums.
From a safety perspective, leaving some knob and tube wiring means you’re still running ungrounded circuits with outdated insulation. The fire risk remains. The inability to handle modern electrical loads remains. You spend money on a partial fix that doesn’t actually fix anything.
We’ve seen homeowners try the partial approach, and they always end up calling us back to finish the job. It’s better to do it right the first time. We’ll map out your entire system during the inspection and show you exactly what needs replacement—but the answer is almost always everything if you want the insurance approval and peace of mind you’re looking for.
Check your basement, attic, or crawl space for white ceramic knobs with wires running between them. The knobs are usually porcelain, about an inch in diameter, and they’re nailed to floor joists or wall studs. The wiring runs in straight lines between the knobs, with individual hot and neutral wires separated by several inches.
You might also see ceramic tubes where wires pass through wooden framing. The tubes protect the wire from rubbing against the wood. If you see this setup anywhere in your home, you have knob and tube wiring.
Another sign is two-prong outlets throughout the house. Knob and tube systems don’t include a ground wire, so they can’t support three-prong outlets. If your entire home has two-prong outlets and was built before 1950, there’s a strong chance you’re dealing with knob and tube wiring.
If you’re not sure, we can inspect your electrical system and tell you exactly what you have. Most Central Falls homes built before 1940 still have at least some knob and tube wiring unless a previous owner already upgraded it. Given that 46.4% of Central Falls housing stock predates 1940, the odds are high if you own an older home here.
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