Etobicoke · Toronto Hydro service area
Knob-and-tube wiring replacement in Etobicoke
South Etobicoke's lakeshore cottages and the Kingsway's 1920s and 30s houses are where knob-and-tube still turns up in Etobicoke. We trace what's left, make anything urgent safe, then replace it with grounded circuits under an ESA permit.
Etobicoke housing
Which Etobicoke homes still have knob-and-tube
Etobicoke grew in stages, and the wiring follows the stages. Along the lakeshore, Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch grew up in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with small houses and cottages that were often enlarged later. Inland, the Kingsway and parts of Humber Valley Village and Islington Village were developed from the 1920s through the 1940s with solid brick and stone houses.
Those two groups are where knob-and-tube still appears. Most of Etobicoke north and west of them, including Princess-Rosethorn, Edenbridge, Markland Wood and Rexdale, was built after the Second World War, when it was no longer used.
In a Kingsway house the original wiring often survives on the upper floor or in the attic. In a lakeshore cottage it may be in the original front rooms, with an addition at the back wired decades later.
By neighbourhood
What we expect to find, and how it changes the job
| Area | Typical house | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| The Kingsway and Humber Valley Village | 1920s to 1940s brick or stone, two storeys | Original runs upstairs and in the attic. Plaster walls, but good attic access for new cable. |
| Mimico, New Toronto, Long Branch | Early 1900s cottages and small houses, often enlarged | Old wiring in the original rooms. Additions usually newer. Basements can be tight and damp. |
| Islington Village | A mix of older houses and postwar homes | Varies street by street. The inspection settles it. |
| North and west Etobicoke | Postwar bungalows and split-levels | Knob-and-tube is unlikely. Ungrounded or aluminum wiring is the more common question. |
These are general patterns. Your house's own history matters more, which is why every job starts with an inspection.
Our process
From inspection to ESA sign-off
Insurers and homeowners both call us for this work. We begin with a full home electrical inspection to locate every live knob-and-tube circuit and check for damage, heat, buried runs in attic insulation and old circuits extended with newer cable. Anything unsafe is fixed first.
We then file the ESA permit and replace the old wiring with grounded copper circuits, built to current code. The original runs are disconnected at the panel so they can't be used again, and ESA's inspection ends with a Certificate of Acceptance you can send to your insurer.
If the house also needs more capacity, a panel upgrade in Etobicoke can be planned alongside. The full service is described on our knob-and-tube replacement page.
- Full home inspectionBasement, every floor and the attic
- Urgent fixes firstAnything damaged or overheating
- New grounded circuitsCopper cable to current code
- Original runs disconnectedMade dead at the panel
- ESA permit and certificateProof for your insurer
Questions
Knob-and-tube replacement in Etobicoke: questions
We bought a 1950s house in Etobicoke. Should we worry about knob-and-tube?
It's less likely. Most of the houses in central and north Etobicoke were built after knob-and-tube had fallen out of use. The more common find in those homes is ungrounded two-wire cable. An inspection tells you for certain, and our Etobicoke rewiring page covers that work.
Our Long Branch house was a cottage that's been added to. Does that matter?
Yes. Additions are usually wired newer than the original part of the house, so the old wiring tends to sit in the oldest rooms. Joins between the old and new parts are worth checking closely, because that's where old circuits were often extended.
Can you replace knob-and-tube in a house close to the lake?
Yes. Damp basements are more common near the water, so we also look at the condition of the panel and any corrosion on old connections. New wiring is run and protected to suit the space it's in.
How long will we be without power?
Only the circuits being replaced are off while we work on them. In most Etobicoke houses we can restore the bedrooms, the kitchen and the fridge at the end of each workday.
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