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Had a job in a 100 year old brick building last month and the wiring was a nightmare. What's your go-to trick for old masonry?
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caseywalker5mo ago
My uncle still uses knob and tube in his attic.
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logan2715mo ago
My old apartment in Philly had that stuff running through the walls. Landlord refused to update it and we had a small fire scare one winter from an overloaded outlet. Seeing that post about the vacuum trick makes me wish I knew about it back then, cleaning up all that dust and debris without one was a nightmare. That old insulation just turns to powder and gets everywhere, you really can't see what you're working on. It's just not worth the risk to mess with knob and tube without the right setup.
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kimblack5mo ago
Honestly I used to think masonry bits and a lot of patience was the only way. Then I saw a buddy use a rotary hammer with a vacuum attachment to chase lines in old brick, total game changer for keeping the dust down and seeing what you're doing. That old knob and tube stuff @caseywalker mentioned is exactly why you need a clean workspace, one wrong move and you're in for a world of hurt. Now I won't even start on a place like that without my Hilti and a shop vac hooked up right to it.
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fionanguyen5mo ago
Oh man, that "world of hurt" line is SO real. I did a kitchen rewire in a place like that and the dust was so thick you couldn't see the old lines. Getting a vacuum right on the tool is the ONLY way to do it safe. You need to see every bit of that crumbling old insulation.
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