As summer ramps up, and the daily temperature is over 90°F, I’m trying to improve the natural and mechanical ventilation of this house. I got a super efficient 80 CFM continuous operation fan unit, and wanted to install a three button switch (fan, light, night light on/off separately). Of course this post WWII house cannot accommodate a new switch, so it became apparent I needed to remove the electrical boxes behind the walls and install new wiring. The older wiring is falling apart faster than I anticipated, and it may require a complete rewire and reboxing of this entire structure. Right now all the overhead lights are out of commission, while I get the switches and junction boxes sized to 2008 standards.
I figured out how this ancient house gets electricity. Instead of changing out the wire, i used a special 3M tape designed for wire insulation repair, and got a battery operated continuity tester from sears to check that the wires from the service panel actually delivered power and to what circuit.