Knob-and-tube wiring is everywhere in Toronto's older neighbourhoods — The Annex, Cabbagetown, Riverdale, The Junction and much of the pre-1950 housing stock. This early ungrounded system was fine for its era but is now a real safety and insurance concern, and replacing it is one of the most common big jobs we do for owners of century homes across the city.
Knob & Tube Wiring in Toronto: local know-how
Knob-and-tube was the standard wiring method in Toronto homes built before roughly 1950, and a surprising amount of it survives behind plaster walls, in attics and in untouched parts of older homes from The Beaches to The Junction. The problems are well known: there's no ground conductor, the insulation becomes brittle with age, and the system was never designed for the loads of modern kitchens, appliances and electronics. A particular Toronto issue is blown-in attic insulation packed around knob-and-tube, which traps heat the original open-air design relied on to stay cool. Insurance is often the trigger for action — many Ontario insurers won't write or renew a policy on a home with active knob-and-tube, or they require an electrician's certification that it's been removed. We replace it with modern grounded wiring, properly junction-box old runs, and coordinate the required ESA notification and inspection so you have documented proof the hazard is gone.
What's included
- Assessment of existing knob-and-tube and how much remains active
- Phased or whole-home rewiring to modern grounded wiring
- Updated outlets, switches and grounding
- Documentation insurers typically require
- Coordination of ESA permit and inspection
- Drywall-conscious approach to limit patching
Serving every part of Toronto
We cover Downtown, The Annex, Leslieville, The Beaches, Etobicoke, East York, The Junction and Yorkville — and the rest of Toronto. Call (289) 799-3802 for same-day and emergency availability.