Vent: That "simple" electrical panel swap took me 14 hours

I figured I'd swap out an old Federal Pacific panel in a 1970s bungalow near Whyte Ave in one afternoon, but every single wire crumbled when I touched it and I spent 8 more hours than I budgeted running new home runs. Has anyone else dealt with antique wiring that just disintegrates on you?

2 comments

2 Comments

leebrown1d ago

Were the wires actually crumbling or was your wire stripper just set wrong?

bailey.xena1d ago

Swapped my wire stripper for a sharp utility knife and just scored the insulation lightly before pulling it off. Made sure not to nick the copper underneath at all. That stopped the crumbling problem for me, especially on older wire where the jacket gets brittle.