I bought a 105 year old house and it has it's share of electrical problems. My plan has been to bring things up to code one problem at a time. Last night I just wanted to knock out one of the quick problems... but I opened a can of worms.
I have 2 3-way switches/light fixture for the stairs (2 switches controlling 1 light). The light switch on the top level was "crackling" when being turned on so I figured there's a loose connection or bad switch. I took off the faceplate to find the there is no box at all--just that early NM cable pulled through a board in the wall and held in place by the face plate. That is, the board in which the NM cable passes through is not part of the wall, it's a loose board with holes for the early NM cable and the faceplate was screwed into that board with long wood screws (2 different types of screws at that). I've attached images.
Looking at that old cable and how little play it has, I'm thinking I probably have to drop a new line--which becomes a much larger project than I was anticipating. Second, I can't see any studs--though I've seen those retro-fit boxes but my lath and plaster walls are quick to crumble.
So, before I start hacking my house apart, I just wanted to see what y'all thought. Any tips and suggestions before I get started would be appreciated (Note: the other switch down stairs is in a contemporary box with modern NM cable).
Thanks
I have 2 3-way switches/light fixture for the stairs (2 switches controlling 1 light). The light switch on the top level was "crackling" when being turned on so I figured there's a loose connection or bad switch. I took off the faceplate to find the there is no box at all--just that early NM cable pulled through a board in the wall and held in place by the face plate. That is, the board in which the NM cable passes through is not part of the wall, it's a loose board with holes for the early NM cable and the faceplate was screwed into that board with long wood screws (2 different types of screws at that). I've attached images.
Looking at that old cable and how little play it has, I'm thinking I probably have to drop a new line--which becomes a much larger project than I was anticipating. Second, I can't see any studs--though I've seen those retro-fit boxes but my lath and plaster walls are quick to crumble.
So, before I start hacking my house apart, I just wanted to see what y'all thought. Any tips and suggestions before I get started would be appreciated (Note: the other switch down stairs is in a contemporary box with modern NM cable).


Thanks