When Were Cloth Electrical Cords Used

The old style ballast and its wire could have dated from the 1950 s.

When were cloth electrical cords used. It was 1 of 2 popular methods of residential wiring in its time. Cord plugs and switches for electric lighting 1900 1940 s these rayon covered cords are the safe and modern versions of the old silk wrapped cord. In researching etcoflex use of asbestos in wire insulation i have not found confirmation that asbestos was used. Even the old knob and tube wiring that predates cloth wiring was perfectly adequate at the time.

It was standard insulation at the time and managed to keep homes electrical currents running for many years. In the 1930s a quicker installation method was developed. Some companies switched as soon as neoprene became available. You can also find some original rubber cordage from the very late 20 s.

Cloth covered wiring in residential buildings usually dates from the first half of the 20th century. In my own experience the cloth cord was used because it was a superior product for heat producing appliances such as toaster irons etc. Nonmetallic sheathed cable was born which incorporated a rubberized fabric coating sheath much like knob and tube wiring but here the hot and neutral wire were run together in this one sheathing. The plugs and switches are also specially designed specifically to work with these cords in the rewiring of all types of lamps.

Others continued to use cloth cord throughout the 30 s. Aluminum electrical wiring types click to enlarge any image. By the 40 s only certain things like clothes irons retained cloth cords. The other basic electrical wiring system of this era was a bare electrical house wiring system commonly known as knob and tube.

Many power systems installed prior to 1950 were built with cloth covered electrical wire.