Old house questions (part 2)

[Pop_Rivit]

That's a typical, cobbled up mess that you find in houses of that vintage. They're marginal for rental units; in many areas that wouldn't pass rental code or inspection. The landlord "grabbing" a knob and tube wire proves nothing-test it with a non-contact electrical tester. If it's not live it should be removed. If it's live-it still should be removed. Some of that wiring going into the panel looks like it was done by someone's brother-in-law rather than a qualified electrician.

The asbestos covered with duct tape-while that might be acceptable in some areas, it shows that the landlord made the choice to jury-rig it rather than abate the asbestos properly. It speaks volumes about the landlord.

I'd guess it's so cold and drafty because there isn't any insulation in the walls, and the windows/door are typical of that vintage. A good restorer could make that a really nice place (if the neighborhood supports it), but unfortunately it's typical of rental units of that age.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
That old stove in the basement is a find. Too bad it isn't yours - I'm sure it would be a pretty penny, but a refurbished one would look awesome in an old home with a large kitchen... Even if just refurbished for looks and used as storage.

The bx/romex looks fine to me. When we moved into our home, the boiler had a circuit on BX, while the whole rest of the house was romex (save two k&t circuits which are now romex too). Inspector found the condition and rating fine, k&t in great shape, and had no concerns, nor did/does our home insurance. When we changed to a mod/con boiler, we rewired with romex, fwiw.

Since you're a renter, it's moot anyway. Not sure about Albany, but around here, landlords are subject to a once yearly safety inspection...


Actually, if you look carefully the boiler has a control circuit running on old individual cloth covered wiring. There is some of that on the old doorbell circuit (now disconnected) which is missing insulation. I'm wondering if to bring this up with the landlord as a concern or now.


Those should both be low voltage, like 12 or 48v systems. Cloth wiring is still used today in certain lighting fixtures like nicer chandeliers, where it is still 120v!

None of those things are intrinsically dangerous, until/unless the condition of it degrades. That's why they like romex these days. Not because it's God's gift to wiring (that would probably be halogen free low smoke or silicone insulated wires), but rather because those jackets don't degrade from time the way that cloth/tar wiring did in some cases. When I pulled my remaining k&t I was surprised how good of shape it was, how flexible the insulation, was, etc. but it has a stigma... And perhaps rightly so. But stuff in fine shape, left alone, is fine.

The asbestos, given the draftiness of the basement is a greater concern. Others, perhaps yourself included have indicated that if left alone, it's not a concern. Perhaps. And if stabilized well. That may be the case. But if you were going to bring up beef with the landlord (and were planning to rent there a while), that would be what I chase after.

 

[KevinP64]

The most important thing is to keep that dog happy. By the looks of it you have been on the right track with that issue for a while now.