The old 100 amp service in my 1950s bungalow was a real mess.

I bought the house in Tacoma last year and the panel was full of double-tapped breakers and cloth-wrapped wire. I spent a weekend last month upgrading it to a new 200 amp panel with AFCI breakers. The difference in safety and peace of mind is night and day. Has anyone else tackled a full service upgrade on an older home and found something surprising in the old wiring?

3 comments

3 Comments

samjohnson21d ago

Yeah that "fire waiting to happen" feeling is way too real. You did a huge thing getting that sorted.

milal1824d ago

Oh man, that sounds so familiar. I did the same thing on my 1962 ranch. The biggest shock was finding a whole circuit just wrapped in electrical tape where it went through a floor joist, no box or anything. It was basically a fire waiting to happen. Putting in that new panel with all the safety breakers felt like putting a real lock on the front door. Totally worth every sore muscle from crawling in the crawlspace.

bettywood24d ago

Holy crap just wrapped in tape? That's terrifying. I found some janky stuff in my place but a whole live circuit like that is next level. Makes you wonder what else is hiding in the walls. Good on you for fixing it, that peace of mind is everything.