Your insurance company isn’t being difficult. They know what you’re dealing with. Knob and tube wiring was installed when homes used a fraction of the electricity they do now. No grounding wire means your modern electronics aren’t protected. Insulation sitting on top of old wiring creates a fire hazard that keeps underwriters up at night.
Here’s what changes after we replace knob and tube wiring in your Exeter home. Your insurance stays active. You can finally insulate your attic and walls properly. Every outlet gets grounded protection for computers, TVs, and kitchen appliances. The constant worry about whether your electrical system can handle another device goes away.
Most homes in Exeter were built when electrical needs looked completely different. You’re not doing anything wrong by living in an older home. But the wiring underneath needs to match how you actually live now. That’s what this upgrade does.
We’re Rhode Island licensed electricians who’ve worked in enough Exeter homes to know what you’re dealing with before we open the walls. The construction styles, the common wiring routes, the typical scope of work for homes built in different decades here.
Lightning Electric holds full licensing through the state of Rhode Island, carries comprehensive liability and workers’ comp insurance, and belongs to the Rhode Island Electrical Inspectors IAEI Roger Williams Chapter. That means every job gets done to current code, inspected properly, and backed by real credentials. Not a handyman with a voltage tester.
When you’re dealing with old home electrical wiring replacement in Exeter, you want someone who’s done it before in homes like yours. We have.
We start with a full assessment of your current system. That means checking every circuit, identifying all the knob and tube runs, and figuring out what needs to stay accessible and what we can route differently. You’ll get a clear scope of work before anything starts.
The actual removal means running new wire through your walls, attic, and basement. We install a modern breaker panel if yours is outdated. Every circuit gets proper grounding. We add capacity where you need it, especially in kitchens and home office areas that didn’t exist when your house was built.
Most knob and tube wiring removal projects in Exeter take one to three weeks depending on your home’s size and layout. We’ll walk you through what to expect each day. Some walls may need small access holes that we patch and prep for paint. You’ll have power throughout the process, though we’ll need to shut off specific circuits while we work on them.
After the new system is in, we schedule the inspection with your local building department. Once it passes, you get documentation to send your insurance company. Done correctly, done to code, done so you don’t think about it again.
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A complete knob and tube upgrade in Exeter, RI means removing all the old wiring and installing a modern electrical system that meets current National Electrical Code standards. You get a new breaker panel with enough capacity for how you actually use power. Every circuit includes a ground wire for safety and equipment protection.
We install new outlets and switches throughout your home. If you’ve been dealing with two-prong outlets, those get replaced with properly grounded three-prong receptacles. GFCI protection goes in bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoor areas where water and electricity mix. AFCI breakers protect against arc faults that old wiring is prone to.
Exeter homes built before 1940 typically need 100 to 200-amp service depending on size and usage. If you’re planning to add central air, an electric vehicle charger, or a home addition down the road, we factor that in now so you’re not upgrading twice. The work includes all permits, inspections, and documentation your insurance company or mortgage lender needs. Most carriers in Rhode Island require this upgrade within 30 days of discovering knob and tube wiring, so timeline matters.
Most knob and tube wiring removal projects in Exeter run between $12,000 and $36,000 depending on your home’s size, layout, and how much of the system needs replacement. Pricing typically works out to $10 to $20 per square foot. A 1,500 square foot home usually falls in the $15,000 to $30,000 range.
Here’s what affects cost. If your home still has knob and tube throughout, that’s a full rewire. If previous owners already updated some circuits and you’re just replacing what’s left in the attic or one section of the house, the scope is smaller. Access matters too. Finished basements and homes without attic access require more labor to run new wire.
Your electrical panel factors in. If you’re still running a 60-amp fuse box, that needs upgrading to a modern 100 or 200-amp breaker panel. That’s included in most full rewire projects but adds cost if you’re doing partial work. We price every job individually after seeing your specific situation. No two Exeter homes are identical, and your quote should reflect what your house actually needs.
Most insurance companies in Rhode Island either refuse to write new policies on homes with knob and tube wiring or require you to remove it within 30 days of closing. If they discover it during a routine inspection on an existing policy, you’ll typically get a notice requiring removal within 30 to 60 days or face cancellation.
Insurance carriers see knob and tube as a fire risk. The wiring is 70 to 100+ years old. The cloth or rubber insulation degrades over time. There’s no ground wire, which increases shock risk. And the system wasn’t designed for modern electrical loads, which leads to overheating. From an underwriter’s perspective, it’s not worth the liability.
If you’re buying a home in Exeter with knob and tube wiring, address it before closing or negotiate for the seller to handle it. If you’re already living in the home and just found out, get it scheduled fast. Your insurance company isn’t bluffing about cancellation. And finding new coverage with knob and tube still in place is nearly impossible. Replace the wiring, send them the inspection certificate, problem solved.
No. Covering knob and tube wiring with insulation is a fire hazard and violates building codes in Rhode Island. The old wiring was designed to dissipate heat into open air. When you bury it in insulation, the heat has nowhere to go. That causes the wiring to overheat and significantly increases fire risk.
Many homeowners discover their knob and tube problem when they try to add insulation to reduce heating costs. The insulation contractor takes one look in the attic and stops the job. You can’t legally insulate areas of your home that still contain knob and tube wiring. That means you’re losing energy and money every winter until you replace the system.
This is one of the main reasons to prioritize old wiring removal in Exeter homes. You’re not just dealing with an insurance issue. You’re also stuck with poor insulation and high heating bills. Once the knob and tube is gone and you’ve got modern wiring in place, you can insulate properly. Your home becomes more comfortable and your energy costs drop. The electrical upgrade pays for itself over time through lower utility bills and proper home efficiency.
Most knob and tube wiring removal projects in Exeter take one to three weeks from start to finish. A smaller home with good attic and basement access might be done in a week. A larger two-story home with finished spaces and limited access can take closer to three weeks. The timeline depends on your home’s size, layout, and how much wiring needs replacement.
Here’s how the process typically breaks down. Day one is assessment and prep. We map out the existing system and plan the new wire routes. Days two through ten (give or take) involve the actual removal and installation work. We run new wire, install the new panel, connect all circuits, and make sure everything is properly grounded. The final few days cover finishing work, cleanup, and scheduling the electrical inspection.
You’ll have power throughout the project. We work on individual circuits and only shut off power to specific areas while we’re actively working on them. Some dust and disruption is unavoidable when we’re accessing walls and ceilings, but we contain the mess as much as possible. Most families stay in their homes during the work. If your insurance company gave you a 30-day deadline, we can usually meet it as long as we schedule promptly and don’t run into major surprises once the walls are open.
Your insurance company will typically require you to remove all knob and tube wiring from the home, not just the visible sections. Partial removal doesn’t solve the safety issue or satisfy most insurance requirements. If any knob and tube remains, you’re still dealing with the same fire risk and code violations.
Some homeowners think they can just replace the wiring in the attic or the circuits that are easiest to access. That doesn’t work for a few reasons. First, insurance companies want confirmation that the entire system has been upgraded. Second, you can’t insulate the areas that still have old wiring, so you’re only solving part of the energy efficiency problem. Third, the remaining knob and tube is still aging and still a hazard.
There are rare cases where a small section of knob and tube might remain if it’s in an area that’s completely inaccessible without major demolition and it’s not carrying any load. But that’s the exception, not the rule. For most Exeter homes, a complete electrical system upgrade means removing all the old wiring and bringing everything up to current code. That’s what protects your home, satisfies your insurance carrier, and gives you a system that’s actually safe for how you live now.
If you don’t replace knob and tube wiring after your insurance company requires it, they’ll cancel your policy. Once that happens, you’re uninsured and in violation of your mortgage agreement if you have one. Your lender will force-place insurance on your home at a much higher cost, or they could technically call your loan due. You also can’t sell the home easily because most buyers can’t get a mortgage on a property with knob and tube wiring.
Beyond the insurance and financial issues, you’re living with a legitimate safety hazard. Knob and tube wiring causes house fires. The insulation deteriorates, the system isn’t grounded, and it’s not designed to handle the electrical load of modern appliances and electronics. Every year you delay increases the risk that something goes wrong.
You also can’t do any meaningful home improvements. Want to renovate your kitchen or add insulation? You’ll need to address the electrical system first. Building inspectors won’t sign off on work that involves knob and tube wiring. So you’re stuck with an aging home, rising insurance costs or no coverage at all, and limited options for updates or resale. The cost and disruption of replacing the wiring is real, but the cost of not replacing it is worse. Get it done, get it documented, and move on with a home that’s actually safe and insurable.
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