Downers Grove Electrician for Knob-and-Tube and Panel Upgrades
Family-owned electrical contractor for Downers Grove homes since 1979. Knob-and-tube replacement, full rewires, fuse box swaps, and 200 amp panel upgrades done to code.
Electrical work that fits an older Downers Grove home
Downers Grove has some of the most charming pre-war homes in the western suburbs. A lot of those homes still run on wiring that was put in before color TV. Tritan Services is the family-owned electrical contractor that knows how to bring that wiring up to today's code without ripping the house apart.
Owner Ted started Tritan in 1979 in nearby Naperville, and the same family still answers the phone today. Every job in Downers Grove is handled by a licensed Illinois electrician who does the work to code, talks to ComEd when the meter has to come down, and cleans up before leaving. No subcontractors and no surprise charges.
If your Downers Grove home still has knob-and-tube, an old fuse box, a 60 amp service drop, or two-prong outlets all over the place, this page is for you. Call (630) 687-3335 for a free walkthrough. We will tell you what really needs to come out and what can stay.
Knob-and-tube wiring and how we replace it
Knob-and-tube wiring shows up in a lot of Downers Grove homes built before 1950. Two single insulated copper wires run through ceramic knobs and porcelain tubes. There is no ground wire. The rubber and cloth insulation has been sitting in your walls for eighty or ninety years and most of it is brittle.
That matters because old wiring is a fire risk. Modern appliances draw more current than the system was ever sized for. Outlets get warm. Splices in attics and basements come loose. Many homeowner insurance carriers in Illinois will not write a policy on a house with active knob-and-tube. Some drop coverage at renewal once they find out.
Our crew has been pulling knob-and-tube out of Downers Grove homes for more than four decades. Here is how the work goes start to end.
- Full attic, basement, and crawl assessment. We trace every active circuit so you know what is live, what is dead, and what is hidden in the walls.
- Circuit-by-circuit replacement plan. We map a swap order that keeps your kitchen, fridge, and main bedroom on power while we work room by room.
- Done to code. Every rewire follows the current NEC and Downers Grove rules. We test the work before we close the walls.
- Romex install with proper grounding. We replace old wires with modern NM cable, install grounded outlets, and add GFCI and AFCI protection where code requires it.
- Drywall and trim restored. We open as few holes as we can. When we do open a wall, we patch the drywall, prime it, and leave it ready for paint.
A full whole-house rewire on an older Downers Grove home usually runs five to ten working days. We work in stages so you can stay in the house for most of the job. The lights only go off for short stretches while we tie in new circuits at the panel.
From a 60 amp fuse box to a 200 amp panel
A lot of Downers Grove homes still run on a 60 or 100 amp service drop. That was plenty for a 1950 kitchen with a fridge and a toaster. It is not enough for a modern home with central air, an electric range, a hot tub, and an EV charger in the garage. When the panel is undersized, breakers trip, lights dim, and the wiring runs hot.
We swap old service entrances for new 200 amp panels every week in Downers Grove. The day of the upgrade, we coordinate a power cut with ComEd, pull the meter, install a new outdoor service mast and meter socket, mount a new Square D or Eaton 200 amp panel inside, land every circuit, and test the work the same day.
Why upgrade? Three reasons. First, modern appliances and EV chargers will trip an old 60 or 100 amp service. Second, current Illinois code for new circuits requires AFCI breakers and proper grounding that an old fuse box cannot accept. Third, Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels (common in 1960s Downers Grove homes) have known failure rates and most insurers want them replaced.
Other electrical work we do in Downers Grove
Beyond rewires and panel upgrades, here are the day-to-day jobs we run for a homeowners.
-
EV charger installLevel 2 240V chargers for Tesla, Rivian, and any electric car in your Downers Grove garage.
-
Indoor lightingRecessed cans, chandeliers, vanity lighting, under-cabinet LED, and dimmer switches.
-
Outdoor lightingLandscape lighting, soffit lights, motion floodlights, and porch fixtures wired for any weather.
-
Ceiling fansCeiling fan install with proper bracing and code-approved boxes in any Downers Grove room.
-
Outlets and GFCINew outlet runs, dead outlet repair, GFCI in kitchens and baths, and grounded-outlet swaps.
-
Code correctionsHome inspection repair lists, open splices, double-tapped breakers, and missing AFCI fixed.
-
Emergency repair24/7 service for sparks, burning smells, dead power, and storm damage in Downers Grove.
A look at our Downers Grove electrical work
Real photos from older-home rewires and panel upgrades. Click any image to view a larger version.
Three steps for a Downers Grove rewire
Rewiring an older Downers Grove home looks like a big project. Broken into three clear stages, it is very manageable.
Assess
A licensed electrician walks the whole house. We pop covers, trace every circuit, and write up a clear scope. You see the plan and the price before any wire comes out.
Plan and power
We schedule a power-cut window with ComEd if needed, and lay out a staged swap so power stays on in your kitchen and bedrooms during the work.
Replace and test
We pull old knob-and-tube, run new Romex, land new circuits at a modern panel, patch the drywall we opened, and test every circuit before we finish.
The full job, handled for you
We handle panel upgrades, service entrance changes, rewires, and new circuits to the current code. Every job is done the right way, from the first wire we run to the last circuit we land.
Tritan coordinates the meter pull and reconnect with ComEd, so you do not have to deal with the utility. We test the work and leave you a clean, labeled install. When the power is back on and the job checks out, you are done.
What homeowners say about our electricians
Tritan electricians across the surrounding areas
Same family, same trucks, same fair pricing. Pick your city below for an electrician page that fits your area.
Downers Grove electrician FAQ
Quick answers to the questions we hear most often about older-home electrical work in Downers Grove.
Do I have to rewire my whole home if I have knob-and-tube
Not always. Many Downers Grove homes have a mix of old knob-and-tube and newer Romex from past repairs. We assess every circuit and tell you which ones are still safe to leave alone and which ones really should come out.
If only a few attic circuits are still on knob-and-tube, we can replace those alone. If the wiring is everywhere and the insulation is brittle, a full rewire is the safer call. We will give you both options with clear pricing.
How much does a panel upgrade cost in Downers Grove
Panel upgrade cost in Downers Grove depends on the size of the new service, the condition of the service mast and meter base, and whether the panel location moves. Every Downers Grove customer gets a free written estimate before any work starts, so the number is locked in writing before tools come out.
We come out, look at it, and give you a free written quote. You will know the full price before any work starts.
Is a knob-and-tube rewire done to code
Yes. We replace knob-and-tube with modern copper wiring that meets the current code, and we test every circuit before we close the walls.
Will my home insurance drop me if I have old wiring
It is a real risk. Most Illinois homeowner carriers ask about knob-and-tube, aluminum branch wiring, and Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels on the application. Some refuse to write a policy. Others write the policy and then drop coverage at renewal once they find out the wiring is old.
If your insurer has sent you a letter about old wiring, call us. We can write a scope of work for the carrier so you know what has to be done to keep the policy.
Can you replace a fuse box with a breaker panel
Yes. Fuse box to breaker panel swaps are one of our most common jobs in older Downers Grove homes. We pull the old fuse box, install a new 100 or 200 amp breaker panel, land every existing circuit on the right size breaker, and add AFCI and GFCI protection where code requires it.
The swap takes about a day with a short power-down window. ComEd pulls the meter, we do the swap, we test the work, and ComEd restores power the same day.
Is asbestos a concern around old electrical work
It can be. Some older Downers Grove homes have asbestos-wrapped wiring or asbestos in old wall and ceiling plaster. We do not disturb or remove asbestos. If we find suspect material during an assessment, we stop, point it out, and refer you to a licensed asbestos abatement contractor.
Once any asbestos is handled, we come back and do the electrical work. Your safety is the priority and so is doing the job the right way.
What's behind the walls of your home, by decade
Downers Grove houses span more than 130 years of building styles. The wiring inside maps right to the era the home was built.
Downers Grove has homes from the 1880s through brand new construction. The year your house was built tells us almost everything about what is in the walls. Electrical code in Illinois changed in big steps every decade or two. Each step left a different kind of wire, a different kind of panel, and a different set of risks.
That matters when you plan electrical work. A panel swap on a 1955 ranch is not the same job as one on a 1995 split-level. New circuits run differently in plaster walls than in modern drywall. Aluminum wiring from the late 1970s has its own quirks. Use the guide below to spot what is likely in your home and what should come next.
The earliest Downers Grove homes
Pre-war and wartime homes
The post-war ranch boom
Three-prong arrives in Downers Grove
The aluminum wiring years
Back to copper, first GFCI rules
Modern code in Downers Grove
Mixed wiring is common
How to find out what wiring your home has
Open the panel cover and look at the breakers or fuses. Pop a faceplate off an outlet and look at the wire jacket. Walk the attic with a flashlight and check for ceramic knobs. Test a few outlets with a three-prong tester from a hardware store. Or skip all of that and call Tritan at (630) 687-3335 for a free walkthrough. We will tell you exactly what is in your walls and what to plan for next.