You’re not dealing with a construction zone. You’re getting a surgical upgrade to your electrical system while your home stays livable.
Most knob and tube wiring removal projects in Exeter turn into demolition jobs. Walls get opened up. Plaster gets damaged. You’re left coordinating with plasterers, painters, and dealing with dust for weeks.
That’s not how this works. We insert a specialized camera system through your existing outlets to locate, inspect, and remove old wiring from inside the walls. No cutting. No notching. No tearing apart your horsehair plaster that’s impossible to match.
You get a fully upgraded electrical system that meets code and satisfies your insurance company. Your home looks exactly the same. And if you’re in one of Exeter’s older homes—where that original plaster is part of the character—you’re not gambling with irreversible damage just to get safe wiring.
We’ve been handling electrical work in Rhode Island since before insurance companies started cracking down on knob and tube wiring. We’re licensed Master Electricians who’ve worked in hundreds of historic homes across the state—including plenty in Exeter.
Exeter has its share of pre-1950 homes with original wiring still running through the walls. We know what’s behind that plaster. We know how delicate horsehair plaster is, and we know what happens when it gets compromised during a typical rewiring job.
That’s why we invested in camera system technology that no other electrician in the area uses. It’s not about being flashy. It’s about doing the job right without turning your home into a repair project.
First, we insert a specialized camera through your existing outlets and switches. That camera goes into the walls and shows us exactly where the knob and tube wiring runs, where the connections are, and whether there’s any damage from rodents or deterioration.
Once we map everything out, we plan the cleanest route for your new wiring. Then we remove the old knob and tube system and install modern wiring—all through access points that already exist. No cutting into plaster. No creating new holes that need patching.
The work happens in sections, so you’re not without power in your entire home. We shut off specific areas for a few hours at a time, complete the upgrade, restore power, and move to the next section. You can stay in your home the whole time.
When we’re done, a licensed inspector verifies the work meets current Rhode Island electrical code. You get full documentation that proves the knob and tube wiring is gone—which is exactly what your insurance company needs to restore or maintain your coverage.
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You’re getting a complete knob and tube wiring removal and replacement with modern electrical wiring that handles today’s power demands. That includes inspection, removal of all old wiring, installation of new wiring and outlets, and a final inspection that confirms everything is up to code.
The camera inspection is part of the process—not an add-on. We use it to diagnose what’s happening inside your walls before we touch anything. It catches problems like open junction boxes, damaged insulation, or wiring that’s been chewed by mice. All of that gets addressed during the replacement.
In Exeter and throughout Rhode Island, most insurance companies won’t cover homes with active knob and tube wiring. Some give you 30 days to remove it or they cancel your policy. This service solves that problem and gives you the documentation to prove it. You’ll have certificates showing that licensed electricians performed the work and that it passed inspection—exactly what insurers require.
And because we’re not tearing into your walls, you’re not dealing with the secondary costs that come with traditional knob and tube removal. No plasterer. No painter. No weeks of coordinating trades to put your home back together.
Most complete knob and tube wiring replacement projects in Rhode Island run between $12,000 and $36,000, depending on the size of your home and how much wiring needs to be replaced. You’re typically looking at $10 to $20 per square foot.
The cost depends on how many circuits are involved, how accessible the wiring is, and whether you’re replacing the entire system or just specific sections. A 1,500-square-foot home will cost less than a 3,000-square-foot home with multiple floors and complicated routing.
What you’re not paying for with our process is wall repair. Traditional knob and tube removal requires opening walls, which means you’re also paying a plasterer and a painter after the electrical work is done. That can add thousands to the total cost. Our camera-based system eliminates that expense because your walls stay intact.
Yes. We use a specialized camera system that gets inserted through your existing outlets and switches. The camera goes into the wall cavity and shows us where the wiring runs, where it connects, and what condition it’s in.
Once we map out the old wiring, we remove it and install new wiring through those same access points—without cutting or notching your plaster. It’s a surgical process that works because we can see exactly what we’re doing inside the walls.
No other electrician in the Rhode Island area uses this system. Every other contractor will need to open portions of your walls and ceilings to access the wiring. That’s fine if you have drywall that’s easy to patch. It’s a disaster if you have original horsehair plaster in a historic Exeter home, because that plaster is nearly impossible to match once it’s damaged.
Yes. Insurance companies in Rhode Island require proof that licensed electricians removed the knob and tube wiring and that the new electrical system passed inspection. We provide complete documentation and certificates that meet those requirements.
Most clients see their insurance coverage restored within days of project completion. Some even get premium reductions because the fire risk associated with old knob and tube wiring is eliminated.
If you’ve received a cancellation notice or a 30-day deadline to remove the wiring, this process satisfies that requirement. The final inspection from a licensed Rhode Island electrical inspector confirms the work is up to code, and that’s the proof your insurer needs.
Most projects take one to three weeks, depending on the size of your home and how extensive the wiring system is. A smaller home with straightforward access might be done in a week. A larger historic home with multiple floors and complex routing could take closer to three weeks.
The timeline also depends on inspection scheduling. Once the electrical work is complete, a licensed inspector needs to verify everything meets code before the project is officially finished.
You can stay in your home during the entire process. We work in sections and only shut off power to specific areas for a few hours at a time. You’re not living in a construction zone, and you’re not without electricity for days on end.
The camera inspection shows us exactly where the knob and tube wiring runs inside your walls, where the connections and junction boxes are, and whether there’s any damage or deterioration. It catches problems that would otherwise stay hidden until someone opens the walls.
We see if mice have chewed through insulation. We find open junction boxes that aren’t covered. We locate joints that were never properly secured. All of that gets documented and addressed during the removal and replacement process.
The camera also helps us plan the cleanest route for new wiring. We’re not guessing where things are or making exploratory cuts. We know what’s behind your plaster before we start, which is why we can complete the job without damaging your walls.
Knob and tube wiring becomes dangerous over time, even if it seems fine right now. The insulation deteriorates, connections loosen, and the system wasn’t designed to handle the electrical load that modern homes require. That creates fire risk.
Insurance companies refuse to cover homes with knob and tube wiring because the risk is well-documented. If you’re forced into high-risk insurance, you could be paying two or three times what you’re paying now—and that cost adds up fast.
Beyond the insurance issue, knob and tube wiring makes it difficult to do any kind of renovation work. If you want to update a kitchen, add outlets, or upgrade your electrical panel, that old wiring becomes a roadblock. Replacing it now gives you a safer system and eliminates future complications.
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