Digging Through Decades: Updating Newfoundland's Electrical Past
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Last time, we shared a rather shocking story from Great-Grandad's era that highlighted how far electrical safety has come. While his methods are ancient history, his work – that old knob and tube wiring – is often still hiding right here in the walls of Newfoundland's beautiful older homes.
Fast forward a few decades from Great-Grandad's time, and here we are: his descendants, also electricians, working on The Rock. And what's one of the most common jobs, especially in character-filled, historic neighbourhoods? Carefully, painstakingly, tracing and removing that very same knob and tube he installed with such pride.
There’s a truly unique feeling you get. You're perched awkwardly in a dusty attic somewhere between Quidi Vidi village and the cliffs of Cape Spear, cobwebs decorating your hard hat, wrestling with a ceramic knob that hasn’t seen proper daylight since before Newfoundland even joined Confederation. You follow the brittle, cloth-covered wire through ancient timber, and you think, "Yup. This is probably his."
It connects you directly to the past, to the history of the house and the family who built it – and to your own family history. It feels like we're completing a long-term project he started all those years ago. He brought the first wave of electricity; we’re bringing it safely into the 21st century. Sometimes, when a particularly stubborn knob refuses to budge, or a wire crumbles at the slightest touch, you might hear us muttering things under our breath that, well... let's just say they echo the frustrations of tradespeople throughout history!
We call it "aggressively updating" his work. It requires patience, care, and a good understanding of how these old systems were put together. You can't just rip it out carelessly. You need to trace circuits, understand how they might interact with later additions (because houses evolve!), and plan the replacement meticulously to meet modern codes and homeowner needs. It’s challenging work, dealing with the quirks of old construction and brittle materials, but there's real satisfaction in making an old home electrically sound and safe for the family living there today.
Next time: In our final post of the series, we’ll tie it all together. We'll explore why this deep, hands-on connection to Newfoundland's electrical past makes Vinland Solas uniquely equipped to handle your modern electrical needs, ensuring safety and reliability for generations to come.