Old and frayed cloth covered wires

[Mike Lamb 59]

What comments would you make if any about excessively frayed cloth wiring inside a panel?

And, does anyone remark in their reports that statistics show the older the wiring the greater the fire hazard?

[BADAIR 14]

Mike- try this pdf

www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v14i13.pdf

Edited February 8, 2018 by BADAIR

[Mike Lamb 59]

Thanks.

Electrical wire, cable insulation (30 percent) and structural member or framing (19 percent) were the specific items most often first ignited in electrical fires (Table 6).

[Marc 83]

13 hours ago, Mike Lamb said:

Thanks.

Electrical wire, cable insulation (30 percent) and structural member or framing (19 percent) were the specific items most often first ignited in electrical fires (Table 6).

I don't see how that reflects on the frayed cloth.  There's still some rubber or thermoplastic insulation beneath that, right?

The frayed material is not the ignition source, just the first thing to light up.  Perhaps recommend that the frayed material inside the panel be trimmed away, reducing the amount of combustible inside the panel.

Edited February 9, 2018 by Marc
Add a recommendation

[John Kogel 35]

I think the frayed material increases the chance of having open flames rather than just melting and dripping plastic. It should be not that hard to trim away the hairy stuff, altho it would be best the replace the old wire.

Edited February 9, 2018 by John Kogel