Cloth wiring, Help


I’m looking for information on this wiring it looks like cloth-covered nm cable to me. Would this be a fail on an inspection and should it be replaced?

Older ungrounded wiring, usually in pre 1962 houses. Here is the comment I include in my reports:

COMMENT: Ungrounded receptacles outlets/wiring were observed inside the building, which is typical for the period in which the building was built.

Note: Grounded outlets/wiring is a safety feature that was introduced around 1962, which minimizes the risk of electric shock, and allows surge protectors to protect your electrical equipment, such as televisions, computers, stereos, and other sensitive electronic devices. Modifying these outlets with a working ground would require adding a third wire to each ungrounded outlet or rewiring these outlets with newer wiring that contains the ground wire. Depending on the number of outlets and accessibility to each outlet this could be an expensive upgrade. I recommend you get an estimate from a qualified electrician if you wish to explore this option

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Looks like it says the word “with” on the jacket which might indicate that it is a 3-wire cable. What does the insulation on the individual conductors look like?

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Thank you. That helps me alot most of the wiring is new on this box I will find what they power outlet ext.

I think the wires have only 2 in them.

The wires are plastic coated i will update with a pic

NMD 3 was introduced containing a ground conductor.

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No. No. …

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NM (Non-Metallic) Sheathed Cable was always constructed with plastic coated conductors even the cloth sheathed variety.

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I checked the cables and they are 3 wire. 2 plus one ground.

Since it’s thermoplastic insulation and has an EGC there is no issue other than it being old.

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Afternoon, David.
No worries about the wire/conductors. Cables should be secured/fastened within 12" inch of the panel.
Any images of the service panel and circuits.


All the wires look loose. There is room to staple them from what I can tell.

They should be stapled (secured) within 12" of the cabinet exit…as far as I remember. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Perhaps I’m just tired from a long day, but I am only seeing PVC sheathed NM conductors. Where are the Cloth (Braided) sheathed NM conductors and grounds you claim to see??

They are mixed there is only about 5 cloth cables, and the lower pice of PVC on that wire was used as a label😂


The one circled is the one I pulled to show if it was two wire or three wire

You pulled it, the missing clamp with the nice sharp edge?

There is a clamp there it’s on the other side loose. You can still see the clamp in the hole part of the clamp is underneath the black and white wire. There is slack on the wires. Pulled is a crude term I’ve maneuvered the wires till there was no more slack. Sorry to stress you out with the way I worded it. Whomever wired the panel bent the ground wire down towards the back of the panel.

Tip with cloth wiring: It could have been installed during WW2. With that in mind, the slack at the receptacle or switch may be very short; way less than 6" per code. Reason why is because they rationed metal for the war effort then. I’ve came across 1/2" slack at plugs before (working hot!).

Problem I see is that it appears that there is open access to wire termination without the removal of the deadfront. Was this located behind a door in a wall? I see no metal enclosure. Those are the code concerns. Stapling branch wire is a no-no and the 1’ rule is for MC cable or Romex.