You got the letter from your insurance company. They found knob and tube wiring during the inspection, and now you have 30 days to remove it or lose your coverage. That’s stressful enough without worrying about electricians tearing up your walls.
Most contractors will tell you they need to cut into your plaster to find the old wiring, then patch it back up when they’re done. If you have an older home in Coventry with horsehair plaster, you already know how that story ends—mismatched texture, visible repairs, and a mess that’s nearly impossible to fix right.
We don’t work that way. We use a specialized camera system that we insert through your existing outlets to inspect inside your walls. We can see exactly where the knob and tube wiring runs, locate any problem areas like mouse damage or covered junction boxes, and remove the old wiring without opening up your walls. You get a code-compliant electrical system, your insurance company gets the documentation they need, and your home keeps its original plaster intact.
We’ve been working on Rhode Island homes since before most electricians were using email. We’re licensed master electricians who understand how older homes in Coventry are built—and more importantly, how to work on them without causing unnecessary damage.
Coventry has some of the oldest homes in Rhode Island, including historic properties dating back to the 1770s. These homes weren’t built with modern electrical systems in mind, and they definitely weren’t built to be torn apart every time something needs updating. That’s why we invested in camera technology that no other electrician in the area uses.
When you’re dealing with horsehair plaster, original woodwork, and wiring that’s been hidden behind walls for 70+ years, you need someone who knows what they’re doing. We do, and we can prove it with documentation your insurance company will actually accept.
We start with an inspection using our camera system. We insert a specialized camera through your outlets and switches to see inside your walls without opening them up. This shows us exactly where your knob and tube wiring runs, whether it’s still active, and if there are any hidden problems like deteriorated insulation, mouse damage, or improperly covered junction boxes.
Once we map out the wiring, we remove it using the same non-invasive approach. The camera guides us so we know exactly what we’re working with—no guessing, no exploratory holes, no cutting into your plaster to “see what’s there.” In most cases, we complete the removal without any wall damage at all. If we do need to make a small access point, it’s minimal—think a small notch, not gaping holes that need a plasterer to fix.
After the old wiring is out, we install modern, grounded circuits that meet current Rhode Island electrical codes. You’ll have the capacity to run today’s appliances and electronics safely, and we’ll provide you with the certificate of completion your insurance company requires. The whole process is faster, cleaner, and far less disruptive than traditional methods.
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When we remove knob and tube wiring from your Coventry home, you’re getting more than just an electrical upgrade. You’re getting a process designed specifically for older homes where preserving the original structure actually matters.
Our camera inspection identifies every run of old wiring, even the sections that are spider-webbed behind walls or hidden in places you’d never think to look. We document everything so there are no surprises, and you’ll know exactly what needs to be replaced before we start the work. This is especially important in Rhode Island, where insurance companies won’t cover homes with any active knob and tube wiring—even if it’s just one circuit.
The removal itself is where our system really makes a difference. Other electricians will cut exploratory holes, notch through studs, and leave you with a repair job that’s almost as expensive as the electrical work. We don’t do that. Our camera-guided process means we can pull the old wiring out through existing access points, keeping your horsehair plaster, original trim, and wall surfaces intact. If you’ve ever tried to match 100-year-old plaster, you know how valuable that is.
You’ll also get a complete installation of modern wiring that’s up to code, a final inspection, and the documentation your insurance company needs to reinstate or maintain your coverage. Some of our clients even see their premiums drop after the fire risk is eliminated.
Yes. We use a specialized camera system that we insert through your existing outlets and switches to see inside your walls. This lets us locate the old wiring, trace where it runs, and remove it without cutting exploratory holes or notching through your plaster.
In most cases, we complete the entire removal without any wall damage. If we do need to create a small access point for a particularly difficult section, it’s minimal—usually a small notch that’s easy to touch up, not the kind of damage that requires a plasterer to come in and try to match 100-year-old horsehair plaster.
This is a completely different process than what other electricians use. Traditional methods involve cutting into walls to find the wiring, pulling it out, then patching everything back up. That approach works fine in newer homes with drywall, but it’s a disaster in older Coventry homes with original plaster. Our camera system was specifically designed to avoid that problem, and it’s the only one like it in the area.
It depends on the size of your home and how much wiring needs to be replaced, but most jobs take between two to five days. The camera inspection itself usually takes a few hours, and once we know what we’re working with, we can give you an accurate timeline.
The process is faster than traditional methods because we’re not spending time cutting into walls, waiting for plasterers, or dealing with unexpected issues that come up when you start opening things up. The camera shows us exactly what’s there before we start, so we can plan the work efficiently and get it done right the first time.
If your insurance company has given you a deadline, let us know upfront. We understand that most companies give you 30 to 60 days to remove knob and tube wiring or they’ll drop your coverage. We’ve worked with plenty of homeowners in that situation, and we can usually accommodate tight timelines when needed.
Yes. Insurance companies in Rhode Island require proof that a licensed electrician removed the knob and tube wiring and that the new installation passed inspection. We provide both.
After we complete the removal and install your new wiring, we’ll schedule the required inspection with the local authority. Once it passes—and it will, because we’re licensed master electricians who know the code inside and out—we’ll give you a certificate of completion that documents the work.
That certificate is what your insurance company needs to reinstate or maintain your coverage. We’ve done this for hundreds of Rhode Island homeowners, and we know exactly what documentation insurance companies expect. You won’t have to chase us down for paperwork or worry about whether it’s sufficient. We’ll make sure you have everything you need to satisfy your insurer’s requirements.
Knob and tube wiring was a perfectly fine system when it was installed 70 to 100 years ago, but it wasn’t designed for the electrical demands of modern life. The insulation deteriorates over time, the wiring can’t handle the load from today’s appliances, and there’s no grounding—which is a safety issue.
Insurance companies refuse to cover homes with active knob and tube wiring because of the fire risk. The system wasn’t built to carry the amount of electricity we use now, and when it’s overloaded or deteriorating, it can overheat. That’s why most insurers either won’t write a policy on a home with knob and tube, or they’ll give you 30 days after closing to remove it.
Beyond the insurance problem, knob and tube wiring just doesn’t give you the capacity you need. If you’ve ever had a breaker trip because you were running the microwave and the coffee maker at the same time, that’s your electrical system telling you it’s maxed out. Modern wiring gives you the capacity to actually use your home the way you want to without constantly worrying about overloading circuits.
Horsehair plaster is a completely different material than modern drywall, and it requires specialized knowledge to repair correctly. It’s made from lime plaster mixed with horsehair for reinforcement, applied in multiple coats over wood lath. When you cut into it, you’re not just dealing with a smooth surface—you’re dealing with layers that have been curing for decades.
Matching the texture is nearly impossible. Even skilled plasterers struggle to replicate the exact finish of old horsehair plaster, especially if your walls have developed that slightly irregular, hand-troweled look that comes with age. The repairs almost always show, either because the texture doesn’t quite match or because the new plaster cures to a slightly different color.
That’s the main reason we invested in camera technology for knob and tube removal. In older Coventry homes, preserving the original plaster isn’t just about avoiding a mess—it’s about maintaining the character and value of your home. Once you start cutting into horsehair plaster, you’re opening up a can of worms that’s expensive and frustrating to deal with. Our system avoids that problem entirely by letting us work inside your walls without opening them up.
That depends on your insurance company and your local code requirements, but in most cases, yes. Even if the knob and tube wiring isn’t currently in use, insurance companies in Rhode Island typically want it completely removed from the property. They don’t want any old wiring left behind that could potentially be reactivated or cause problems down the line.
During our camera inspection, we can tell you exactly which sections of knob and tube wiring are still active and which ones have been abandoned. We’ve seen homes where previous electricians just disconnected the old wiring and left it in the walls, thinking that was good enough. It’s not—at least not for insurance purposes.
The good news is that removing inactive knob and tube wiring is usually easier and faster than removing active circuits, because we don’t have to worry about keeping your power on during the process. We can map it out with the camera, pull it out, and document the removal so your insurance company has proof that it’s completely gone. That gives you a clean slate and eliminates any future questions about whether old wiring is still hiding somewhere in your walls.
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