Remember when we used to run pipe instead of pulling MC? I miss those days sometimes.

Last month I had a panel swap in a 1950s house out in Eugene, and the old BX was so crusty it took me an hour just to get the clamp screws loose. I ended up cutting it back and using a connector bushing to save the wire... has anyone else dealt with that crusty old armor?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera_lewis24d ago

Oh man, that crusty BX is the worst. My buddy down in Salem tried to do a ceiling fan swap in a house from the 40s and the armor was so brittle it snapped off in his hands. He spent the next hour trying to fish new wire through the old pipe because the original stuff was just dust inside.

charles67824d ago

Dude tell your buddy I feel his pain. Tried swapping out an old pull chain light in my grandma's place last year and the whole BX conduit just crumbled apart like a stale cracker.

christopher40224d ago

That old BX is basically a trap waiting for someone to touch it. Once the rubber inside dries out and the armor starts flaking, you're better off just running all new Romex from the panel. Those old pipes might look solid until you realize they're just held together by rust and hope.