Rewiring, Knob-and-Tube & Aluminum Wiring

Rewiring comes up for two reasons in Metro Vancouver: an insurer that will not renew a policy on a house with knob-and-tube, and a renovation that opens the walls anyway. Pre-1950 homes in Kitsilano, Grandview, Dunbar and the older parts of New Westminster and North Vancouver frequently have knob-and-tube still live behind newer-looking outlets. Homes from roughly 1965 to 1976 across the suburbs often have aluminum branch wiring, which is not itself illegal but needs its connections corrected with approved connectors and compatible devices to be safe.

A full rewire replaces every branch circuit with modern cable, adds grounded three-prong outlets, brings kitchens and bathrooms up to current GFCI and AFCI requirements, and usually includes a new panel. In a finished house it is done by fishing cable through walls and ceilings with a limited number of access holes, and the drywall repair is part of the quote or arranged separately. In a gutted renovation it is far cheaper because the walls are open.

Aluminum wiring remediation is a smaller job: each connection at outlets, switches and fixtures is pigtailed to copper with an approved connector such as AlumiConn or a COPALUM crimp, and devices are replaced with CO/ALR-rated ones. Insurers in BC generally accept a completed remediation with an inspection certificate. Every rewiring job needs a permit and inspection, and the inspector will want to see the work before the walls are closed.