Whats the oldest type of wiring sytem you have had to work on/repair/replace

[Pete999]

Carrying on from the types of cables etc got me wondering, what are the oldest types of wiring you have worked on?
Myself I can recall working with Lead covered cables, cleated singles, capping and casing (no not PVC trunking) TRS, VIR Bare MICC apart from us old timers, the list wont mean much to many of you.

 

[Sparkgap]

Stripped out a load of stuff from an explosives factory 20 years ago. The nitro mixing tubs (lead lined wood) still had the original 1920s cast iron switchgear and oil bath switch still in use until the place closed.
When we rewired the local scout hall (first place in town to have electric) there was tons of old wiring still in the original wooden trunking, plus pipework for gas lights, concrete bases for the generators which we had to break out and found the exhaust pipe and silencer still buried in the ground. Some wiring was still in use as it had been a photo studio since the 1930s and a cinema before that.
On the subject of old stuff, anyone come across ballast lamps in use with old fluorescent fittings? Grandparents house had some in the attic, looked like silvered bulbs in a bayonet fitting except they had 3 locating pins not 2. Never sure how they worked unless they were similar to a modern starter.

 

[littlespark]

As an apprentice, same as others.. old farmhouses, VIR in imperial conduit.
Metal rocker switches. Our job one day was to remove the switches, solder a trailing earth wire on the back of the plate, drill a hole in the back box, M4 thread, and screw in an earth stud.
We had rewired in singles back to an existing joint box.. with cpc's.
The biggest gripe of the homeowner was us lifting a frayed of carpet off the landing. 100 year old and then some. Frayed, threadbare and faded.

I've never seen those wooden fuseboards.

Got to work on an old 1930's (i think) servants bell system recently. 24v dc on bellwire. Pushbutton in each of the main rooms to a bell-and-flag board in the kitchen. All but one original pushbuttons worked perfectly.. last one got damp, and is all rusted inside.
Reminded me of the other things you find in old farmhouses;- Original mechanical wire and pulley systems for calling the servants. The wires just got in the way trying to crawl through the cobwebbed attics.

 

[Pete999]

Wooden capping and casing, a surface method slotted wooden base with o wooden lid with VIR singles

 

[Midwest]

Got to work on an old 1930's (i think) servants bell system recently. 24v dc on bellwire. Pushbutton in each of the main rooms to a bell-and-flag board in the kitchen. All but one original pushbuttons worked perfectly.. last one got damp, and is all rusted inside.
Reminded me of the other things you find in old farmhouses;- Original mechanical wire and pulley systems for calling the servants. The wires just got in the way trying to crawl through the cobwebbed attics.

I recall bell & flag system in my parents house, a four bed semi built early 1900's. It was ripped out, when they had the place rewired in the 1960's. Wasn't a place you would of thought, that would be having servants, but I expect it was the latest much have gadget at the time. The old wiring was a mixture of rubber insulated & sheathed and singles drawn in slip conduit, not sure or the correct terminology. I've attached a picture of a switch drop in the kitchen.

The property had a 210' rear garden, which my Dad used mainly to grow his own veg. Sadly, the two semi's are due to be knocked down, and flats built for student accommodation. He'd be turning in his grave.

 

[Pete999]

I recall bell & flag system in my parents house, a four bed semi built early 1900's. It was ripped out, when they had the place rewired in the 1960's. Wasn't a place you would of thought, that would be having servants, but I expect it was the latest much have gadget at the time. The old wiring was a mixture of rubber insulated & sheathed and singles drawn in slip conduit, not sure or the correct terminology. I've attached a picture of a switch drop in the kitchen.

The property had a 210' rear garden, which my Dad used mainly to grow his own veg. Sadly, the two semi's are due to be knocked down, and flats built for student accommodation. He'd be turning in his grave.

View attachment 38130

I can just about remember being taught how to prepare those wooden blocks the switch is fixed to, drill the holes where you want the single cores to come through from the back then the fixing holes, a right ball ache it was.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

anyone come across ballast lamps in use with old fluorescent fittings?

They took the place of the choke for ballasting on DC mains, negating part of the efficiency benefit of fluorescent but at the time there was no alternative to a resistive ballast. Obviously they would work on AC too. There was also the 'Starterlamp' which was a 4-pin starter with a GLS ballast lamp mounted on it.

 

[Pete999]

Anyone remember twin rubber cable, we used to use it at Christmas time to string temporary decorations on shop fronts, also the lamp holders that you screwed down on to the cable, they had two spikes which perforated the sheath of the cable and made contact with the conductors, think they were called something like B&T lampholders, anyone know the correct name for them?

 

[ruston]

Yes I remember that , was it called festoon cable? It was used on market stalls too.

Ps. @Strima will remember that too lol.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

'Beeantee' is the trade mark, they are still available. They have to be used with the correct 6192P festoon cable to ensure correct contact and sealing.

 

[Pete999]

'Beeantee' is the trade mark, they are still available. They have to be used with the correct 6192P festoon cable to ensure correct contact and sealing.

Good Man Lucien thanks, that's been bugging me for years.

 

[Midwest]

The lamps were called 'Rough Service', I think?

 

[ruston]

Yes, we used those in the hand held inspection lamps on the plant.

 

[telectrix]

used to see that festoon cable and spike lamp holders on 110V site lighting.

 

[David M]

About 10 years ago I went out to a lighting fault on a rental property. When I got there I found an old wooden re-wireable fuse board, VIR cable..., The lighting fuse had blown. The cable looked in very poor condition so I decided to do a quick visual inspection throughout the property. There was no floor covering down on the landing area and I could see exposed cables in the gaps of some floor boards. So I decided to pull up a long board which had evidence of being up before. As a I pulled up the board I could smell and hear the flow of gas.

Some idiot had nailed the floor board down through the main lead gas pipe along its length - around half a dozen nail holes. In addition the VIR cables had perished, conductors exposed and were draped over the lead pipe, trapped between the floor board, pipe and joists.

I have never seen anything like it before or since. This was a rental property and the tenant was a young woman with 2 toddlers!

It gave me nightmares, to think what could have happened.

Hasten to say, we got it re-wired pretty sharpish!

 

[littlespark]

David M, That's a hell of a way to get a job - nailing the gas pipe like that.
Is your mate a gas fitter too? Both got work out of it?

I jest