I finally got the nerve to rewire my old porch light myself

After watching a guy at the hardware store in Springfield do a quick demo on a test board, I shut off the main breaker and swapped out the fixture in about 45 minutes. The old wiring was a real mess of cloth-covered wires, but I just matched the new black to black and white to white. Has anyone else tackled an old house electrical project and have tips for dealing with that old cloth insulation?

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gavincampbell6mo ago

Logan's right about the cloth turning to dust. One thing I never see mentioned is the smell. When that old insulation heats up or crumbles, it gives off this weird, musty odor. It's a good warning sign you've got a problem before you even see it. I keep a small bottle of electrical cleaner spray handy just to wipe down the old wires before I touch them, helps with the dust too.

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loganw857mo ago

You should always test the wires with a voltage tester even after shutting off the breaker. Old houses can have weird, shared circuits. Also, that cloth insulation gets brittle. You need to be really careful not to crack it when you bend the wires.

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the_alex7mo ago

Can't stress this enough. Found a live wire in a "dead" box just last month. That old cloth covering turns to dust if you look at it wrong. You're not just testing for your safety, you're saving the next guy a major headache. Cheap tester is way better than a trip to the ER.

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