Question for electricians- what needs to be rewired by law because of this damage?

Question

I live in the state of Michigan and rent a home.

The home has 190 Amps of service which is broken up between four service boxes (they were added over the years). The original service was 60 A.

The 60 A wire leading from the electric company's meter to the main fuse box of the home has been damaged and needs to be replaced (water has corroded the insulation).

I know that the new 60 A wire will need to meet today's code but my question is: does everything following the wire need to now be up to today's code as well (fuse box, wiring throughout home, switches, receptacles, etc.) ?

I have asked this before and received conflicting answers. I know that old wiring is 'grandfathered in' but what about wiring that FOLLOWS wires that were repaired and are now up to today's code?

Also, who would I contact to check if the original wiring is up to the code of its day? Could any electrician do this?

Answer 1

If you do your own wiring in your own home you do not need a code at least you did not at one time. Existing box's should be ok.

If you hire an electrician to do work for you then he or she has to do it by the current code. This is because they are charging you for doing the job. They have to be Lic. and bonded by the State of Mich.

I have a nephew that lives in Big Rapids Mich. He is a Electrician and does home work, If he would be close enough to help you let me know.

Also any Electrician in the state of Mich. that does work for hire can help you out. Like I said if they charge money for work they have to be lic. and bonded by the state or they will get in serious trouble.

Answer 2

Any electrician will be clued up on this.

Answer 3

Just have an electrician come in and update the older boxes with new breakers, box, etc-usually around a grand, more or less,a piece. Local guys know local codes-Moonlighters love to do this for cash because its' easy money for them.

Answer 4

The housing authority in your area can answer all of your questions.   In the city that I live in the fire chief and his staff are responsible for making sure all buildings (new and old) are up to code.  I understand that you don't want to cause trouble for your landlord, but if he's unwilling to have the problem looked into and insure you that everything is fine, you'll have to take that bull by the horns.  I'm surprised that he can get affordable insurance considering the home still has (s***w in type) fuse boxes.  I work for a local funeral home, believe me, you want to have this problem looked into as soon as possible.  We handle about one death a month (two or three in the winter) related to faulty wiring, especially when a bad fuse box is present.

Answer 5

In every state there is some sort of Board of Electricity. There are also State Inspectors covering all areas. All new work must meet code requirements set forth in the National Electric Code book which is actually a chapter of the National Fire Protection Association. Check your local Blue Pages (government pages) and you should find a number for a state board. You can also call a local building inspector and they can get you in touch with an Electrical inspector. The inspector in your area has the ONLY word about code requirements in that area.