hi,i'm doing a preliminary search in buying a house in tucson, az, and have been looking at 1950s homes. none of the electrical is current/updated. does anyone know the year when codes were changed? i think it was in the 70s but i don't know exactly. this would help my first steps in searching, as i'm tired of looking at homes that have no ground or crazy wiring.
You might be going at it all wrong. Why not see what it would cost to upgrade the wiring in a house you like. The older homes were usually better built, more quaint and have mature trees and nicer neighbors. You can negotiate the asking price down, because of the wiring.
The National Electrical Code and most local electrical codes are revised every few years. Electrical systems started using Romex and 3 prong outlets in the 60's, with additional revisions to how they were used in the 70's. GFI's or GFCI's (ground fault current interrupting) were required in the 90's. I have a couple Victorians in San Francisco with wiring that is almost a century old. Some houses still have gas light fixtures. It all works and is not unsafe if used properly. Each code change is a small incremental improvement to safety. I am fine with my 2-wire knob and tube wiring with fuses instead of circuit breakers in my Victorians and only upgrade the electrical systems for a particular room when I am remodelling the room. Obviously newer systems are nicer. Prior to WWII there was only one receptacle required to be in a room, after that one was required on each of the 4 walls. Now there has to be one within 6' of any point on a wall and within 2' on a kitchen countertop. You sound like you will want an 80's or 90's house. Lead paint is on walls painted before 1978 (in California, not sure about the date in Arizona). Asbestos was no longer an acceptable building material about the same time. ( I think asbestos and lead paint are fine to live with as long as you don't eat the paint and break the asbestos.) Hope this helps.
