Quote Originally Posted by namvet View Post
if that's still the original wiring yes it can and will go bad. the wire insulation will get hard and brittle split open exposing bare wire !!! if i had the bucks i would have the entire house upgraded to romex. the wall sockets tell the story. old wiring didn't have a ground. so the socket is just 2 connecters. if you have the 3 pin connector then its probably been upgraded. so which is it??? 2 or 3 ??
If it's 40's and hasn't been upgraded, then it's not going to have a ground. Now, by code, everything has to be so grounded it's pathetic. Back then, your neutral (return) was considered the ground because both the neutral and ground are bonded at the service entrance to the facility. They still are. Having a separate ground is much safer.

Not sure I agree on the wire thing though. It's usually the devices that go bad first. I've worked on houses from the late 1800's (oh joy) that were fine but for the devices. But yeah, if you can afford it, having your service upgraded would definitely be the best route.