The utility room used to be called a pantry until I learned if it was called a pantry I would have to install GFI outlets (at 12 bucks a pop!) and run other special circuits.  To hell with that.  As all linguists know changing the verbal label changes the function.  ;-)

Some muttonhead in the 50s decided a neato-boffo idea would be to put the electric panel at one end of the house and all the major appliances at the other end of the house -- 45' away.  That meant a fine time crawling around in the dirt underneath the house replacing the 1950 style wiring with taped (!) connections with junction boxes and 12/2 or 10/2 for the heavy use circuits.  The same muttonhead taped all the connections in the walls, floors, and ceilings as well and left them lying freely.  (Junction boxes are pure swank, you know.)  On the second floor muttonhead decided if post-and-wire was good enough for gramps it was good enough for him and if you need to make a connection stripping the insulation off the wire and bare wrapping works just fine.  His outlets were the old paper insulated loosely entwined solid 2 wire stuff from the 30s dangling from the ceiling.  The source for the second floor came through 3 sets of "No-Blow" fuses.

All this junk was in use by the previous owners.

So all that garbage has been replaced.  Now when we flick a light switch the house won't burn down.  (Oh, they were from the 20s.  Not no more.)  

[In our next installment we discover the efficacy of using the right glue, proper gluing procedures, and the same size joins as pipe when installing plumbing.  Doing this keeps the fluids and guck on the inside of the pipe which, as we will learn, is The Point of It All.]