Lessons from 15 Years Rewiring Old Houses: What Newbies Need to Know

Been in the Chicago area my whole career, mostly dealing with these ancient knob-and-tube setups in bungalows from the 1920s. Started as a green apprentice and now I've got a crew of four, but man, the mistakes I made early on still keep me up sometimes. Like that time I didn't double-check the ground on a 240V dryer circuit and almost fried the whole panel, cost me $800 in parts from Home Depot to fix. Now I always torque every lug to spec, NEC 110.14, and teach the guys to use that Milwaukee M18 torque wrench religiously. Switched to PEX for runs behind walls after dealing with too many chewed-up Romex jobs, saves time and headaches. If you're just starting out, label your breakers like your life depends on it, because it does. Hit $120k last year solo before hiring help, feels good to pass on what I learned.

Proud to say I followed your advice on torque specs and haven't had a loose connection callback in two years.

Wish I knew about labeling breakers back when I was starting, got burned on a flip house in the burbs.

Solid tips, especially on the PEX switch, Romex gets eaten by rodents too easy.

Frustrated with the new code changes, feels like we relearn everything yearly.

Homeowners demanding cheap fixes but wanting code-compliant work, what a joke.

Insurance companies jacking up rates because of one arc flash incident in the news.

Same BS with suppliers hiking prices on breakers overnight.

Felt that, my back's killing me from crawling attics in these old builds.

Try labeling with that app from Electrician U, cuts time in half.

Ever dealt with aluminum wiring in those Chicago specials?

Collective sigh, yeah the old wiring is why I carry extra CO/ALR receptacles now.

Man, those unlabeled panels get me every time, commiseration.

Commiseration from a guy who's shocked himself twice on forgotten hots.

Haha, try telling a customer their 'vintage' wiring is a fire hazard without scaring them off.

Warning: always test for voltage, even if it 'looks' dead, saved my buddy from a nasty zap.

What's your go-to for upgrading service entrances on those old houses?

Use Southwire SIMpull for those tough pulls, makes life easier.

Warning on mixing brands of breakers, can cause compatibility issues down the line.

Commiseration, the apprenticeship grind is real, but worth it.

Those PE firms buying up shops, turning everything into a crap show.

Commiseration, missing family time on big rewires sucks.

Commiseration from another old house warrior.

Rage at the DIY videos on YouTube teaching wrong methods.

Commiseration, knees are shot from all the crawling.

How do you price out a full rewire these days?

Commiseration, learning curve is steep but rewarding.

SharkBite for electrical? Nah, stick to proper crimps.

Commiseration with the code updates keeping us on toes.

Commiseration, but proud of the crew I built.

Commiseration all around for the long hours.

Haha, nothing like a good arc flash scare to wake you up.

Commiseration from the trenches.

Warning: double-check load calcs before upsizing panels.

Eaton BR breakers are underrated for resi work.

Proud of hitting journeyman status last month.

What's the worst old wiring horror story you've got?

MC cable over Romex any day, more flexible.

Commiseration on the inspector BS.

Proud to say I never skip the torque step now.

Rage at homeowners who think they can 'fix' it themselves.

Collective rage towards those lead gen sites charging an arm.

Controversial take: AFCIs are overkill in garages.

Commiseration, back pain is the real killer.

Proud of mentoring my first apprentice.

Rage at the supply chain delays on conduit.

Controversial: wireless breakers are the future, deal with it.

Commiseration with the solo guys grinding.

Proud of that $5k panel upgrade job last week.

Proud moment when the inspector passed on first try.

Commiseration on the heat in summer attics.

Rage at fake reviews tanking your rating.

Commiseration, we've all been there.

Warning: never work live without proper PPE.

Use Klein ET40 for voltage testing, reliable as hell.

Warning on undersized wire for EVs, big fines.

Controversial: LED retrofits are a scam half the time.

Frustrated with apprentices who don't listen.

Collective rage at the big box stores' prices.

FieldPulse for scheduling keeps me sane.

Warning: arc faults in older panels are sneaky.