[AT] One additional wiring note

[DAVIESW739 at aol.com]

Most houses built before WW-II were all wired  with tube an pin wiring the 
reason for the tube an pin was that the wire was  just coated with a tar like 
substance that didn't have any insulation factor at  all.  It the common way to 
wire a house back then. they mostly had only one  30 amp fuse and only 120 
volts. Remember back then we had a few lights a small  fan and a radio. No we 
didn't have two radios they cost too much for poor people  to own more than one. 
A few richer people did have a record player also and a  fridge. 
I say before the the war because it was not legal to build a house  during 
the war. Guess what our house was built in 1943 with pin and tubing  wiring. 
Actually as far as the government new it was a barn not a house. Grmapa  lied 
alittle about how big a barn he wanted to build.
I  have owned two  old houses in my life the one in Salina, Ca was made in 
1938 and we had to place  all of the wiring as was a mess of old and new and 
everything in between. My  kitchen stove was wired with about 6 pieces of 
differant size wires all  connected together with solder and tape. That was the one 
we replaced  first.
My house now was built in 1871 but it didn't get any eletricity until  early 
1950 so it was wired with romex 2 wire no ground. We had all of the plugs  
rewired last year with new up todate stuff. Found where one connection right  
behind the where the wife sits was loose and burned could have been the end had  
we kept using it that way.
Most of these old houses the joints were soldered  but this one wasn't and 
every plug had smal tap wires running from the main line  to th plug. They were 
all on one fuse. 
The last owner had put in a 200 Amp  main but didn't do anything about the 
old system in 1989 I wonder why he didn't  just correct the system then. 
Wne I bought the huse in 1992 I hooked up me  220 12 in. table saw in the 
shop and when i turned it on all the light went dim  then slowing everything came 
to life again. I called the power co. and they  replaced the transformer 
outside on the pole it just wouldn't handle more than  30 amp at a time. they said 
it was the original transformer that put in back in  1950. 
If you buy an old house I strongly suggest that you rewire it before  moving 
in. 
What was good back in the old days is just shy of complete  insanity now. 


Walt Davies
Cooper Hollow Farm
Monmouth, OR  97361
503 623-0460