About Fog City SF Knob and Tube
Fog City SF Knob and Tube replaces knob and tube wiring in older buildings across San Francisco and the East Bay: single-family houses, flats, apartment buildings and storefronts with flats above.
Fog City SF Knob and Tube manages each job; the electrical work is carried out by licensed and insured electrical contractors.
One wiring system, and what replaces it.
Every job starts by finding out which circuits are still live on knob and tube and which are abandoned. What follows depends on the building and on what an insurer, a buyer or a remodel needs.
- Knob and tube replacementFinding which circuits are still live and replacing them, planned around plaster and lath.
- Whole-house rewiringEvery branch circuit replaced and the panel sized for the new load, planned floor by floor around how the house is used.
- Knob and tube inspectionWhich circuits are still live, where they run and what they touch, written up for an insurance, sale or insulation decision.
- Plaster-wall rewiringNew cable fished through small, planned openings in plaster and lath, with the plaster patching included as its own line in the quote.
- Electrical panel upgrade100 A to 200 A service for the new circuits. A new panel on its own does not remove any knob and tube.
- Partial knob and tube replacementThe circuits still in use, when earlier work replaced the rest.
- Knob and tube removalDead runs taken out where reachable, or identified and terminated.
- Cloth wiring replacementCloth-insulated cable from the decades after knob and tube.
- Attic insulation and knob and tubeClearing the way for insulation under California's rules.
- Victorian and Edwardian rewiringTall walls, picture rails, plaster ceilings and original trim.
- Replacement during a remodelOld wiring replaced while the walls are already open.
- Grounded outlets in an old houseA real ground for three-prong outlets, not an adapter.
- Electrical inspection for insuranceA written account of the wiring for an underwriter.
- Apartment building rewiringUnit by unit, with a permit for each dwelling unit.
- Commercial knob and tube replacementStorefronts and mixed-use buildings with flats above.
The codes and methods the work follows.
California Electrical Code Article 394
The article covering concealed knob and tube wiring, including the rule against burying it in insulation without a certification.
San Francisco Electrical Code and DBI permits
An electrical permit before new wiring goes in, a pre-cover inspection before walls close and a final inspection before the Green Tag. East Bay cities permit through their own building departments.
Arc-fault (AFCI) and ground-fault (GFCI) protection
Protection on new and replaced circuits where the code calls for it, including kitchens, bathrooms, laundry and outdoor outlets.
Lead-safe openings
DBI presumes homes built before 1979 have lead paint, so openings in old plaster follow lead-safe practice.
Plaster-and-lath methods
Cable fished through attic, basement and garage routes first, and small openings placed for patching where a run cannot be fished.
From the first call to the Green Tag.
First call
Tell us what started this: an insurer's letter, an inspection report, a remodel, an attic you want to insulate.
The age of the house, the number of units and any deadline shape the next step.
Walk-through
Circuits are tested to separate live knob and tube from abandoned runs, and attic, basement and garage access is checked.
Plaster, trim and finishes are noted, and you get a written scope and price.
The work
The permit is filed with DBI. New cable is fished along the planned routes and openings are kept small.
The pre-cover inspection happens before anything is closed.
Patching, inspection and the Green Tag
Once the pre-cover inspection passes, the openings are patched. Plaster patching is included and shown as its own line in the quote.
After the final inspection and the Green Tag, old runs are removed or terminated and the panel directory is updated.
Ranges first, then a written price.
The site publishes typical San Francisco ranges so you can set a budget before anyone visits. The price for your building comes after the walk-through, in a written scope that lists the electrical work and the plaster patching as separate lines.
San Francisco and the East Bay.
San Francisco and the East Bay: Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda and Piedmont.
How to reach a person.
Mon-Sun 7am-6pm. Phones answered 24/7 for emergencies.
2141 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
office@fogcitysfknobandtube.com
Find out what is still live in your walls.
Call or send a request with the age of the house, the number of units and what prompted it: an insurer, a sale, a remodel or an attic.
Tell us where the house is, when it was built and what prompted the question: an insurer, a sale, a remodel or an attic. The walk-through is planned around it.
Fog City SF Knob and Tube2141 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
office@fogcitysfknobandtube.com