Important Things to Consider in Your House Rewiring Project

Every electric wiring wears out with time. As it becomes no more capable to serve its purpose you have to think of corrective measures. These are the times when you have to consider rewiring – either partial or full. Rewiring is the only option to make sure your electrical installations are compliant with the safety regulations. As your electrics comply with the latest regulations the property is electrically safe and the system is less likely to undergo a failure.

As far as your home rewiring projects are concerned, you need properly qualified, trained and experienced electricians as safety of lives as well as your property is of highest concern here. On rewiring projects electricians not only have to provide a high standard of work but also have to comply with the latest electrical safety regulations. Thus it is easy to understand their job is not exactly easy. Dealing with the large number of electrical installations that are to be fitted to the highest safety standards while maintaining the compliance aspect is no doubt a challenging and complicated job. As far as the UK is concerned, electrical rewiring must comply with the BS7671 Wiring and Part P of the Building Regulations.

In the following section of the blog post let us explore both partial and full house rewiring projects – like vital ground realties – so that you can better understand what you may need to do.

How do you make out that your home needs a rewiring?

There are quite a number of factors that you should consider before deciding upon a rewire – either full or partial. Those factors are basically related to safety concerns that can rise over time. Because of these factors your electrics are no more able to perform its designated task efficiently. Those are as following –

Normal wear and tear – a section of homeowners goes for years without having their homes inspected by qualified electricians. In course of time natural wear and tear sets in as the wiring, connections and other component parts of the electric system of a property gradually deteriorate. Thus, the electrics system becomes increasingly less efficient and even dangerous to use since a point of time. 

Electrical shocks – are you experiencing electric shocks whenever coming in contact to certain appliances or fixtures in your home? If the answer is yes than this is a tell-tale sign that your electrics have turned unsafe and it is high time to get a rewiring done. This issue must be sorted out urgently because it may lead to a severe disaster any time.

When the insulation gets cracked – as an electrical wiring ages and becomes less and less inefficient with time, it can also develop cracks on the insulation jackets or covers. This issue itself may give rise to many other problems. Insulated PVC cables are more modern, free of hassles and safer. But older versions of electric cables are more likely to have a rubber jacket. In long course of time the rubber dries out leading to cracks. In such circumstances you need to replace the wiring without delay.

Damaged insulation – we just came across how older electrical cables get damaged resulting from cracking on the outer rubber insulation. But newer PVC cables are also likely to get damaged because of regular wear and tear. Moreover accidental damages are common at homes resulting from DIY electrical works. In such cases two thing are vital – first a part rewiring may be needed to ensure the wiring is safe to use; second measures must be taken to provide insulation to the cables. Electrical cables without proper insulation are too big a risk to undertake.

Outdated or obsolete wiring – it is also seen that the electrical wiring at certain homes is configured to a standard that is now obsolete. That is a rewiring project in these properties has not been undertaken in a long time. For example a house that was last wired before 1966 will lack Earth in a lighting circuit. This makes the wiring grossly incompatible with almost every modern light fitting. At the most a few limited Class 2 lighting fixtures may found to be compatible. But it is certainly a smarter approach in this circumstance to rewire the property thoroughly.

Fire damaged properties – when a home or property is damaged by fire, it may perennially show deficiency in electrical safety. In such scenario a thorough rewiring of the property proves to be the best solution to make its electrics system safe again.

Frequent tripping of circuit breakers and blowing of fuses – if you are experiencing frequent tripping of circuit breakers or blowing of fuses you should never take those things lightly. These are warning signs in bold that your existing electrical installation is no more being able to supply your current demand of power. Perhaps you have recently added extensions to your property or have invested in heavier appliances that consume a lot of electricity.

There could also be other possibilities – perhaps there are too few power outlets in the building and there is extensive use of multi socket adapters or extension cables. To put it in simple words the symptoms indicate the electrical situation in the property is pretty dangerous. You must hire a registered and licensed electrician to look deep into the matter and ensure electrical safety once again.

Other matters related to electrical rewiring   

Rewiring a home or property is never easy, it involves too much of unavoidable disruption. It may also require changing some or – as in many occasions – all the components of the electrical system of the building concerned. The list of these items is never very crisp as things may include sockets, circuits and even consumer units (also known as CU or fuse box).

However skilled and efficient electricians only recommend a full house rewiring only when it is found to be absolutely necessary. Channelling electrical cables through the walls may require some plastering and decorating later. But all these issues make rewire projects undeniably dusty and disruptive. And this is why it is always better to have an electrician come in and make a thorough physical inspection of the property from inside to suggest you the best options to make the rewiring project as little disruptive as possible. If you want to talk to our licensed electricians at the Electric Works London, you are welcome. We have handled a large number of rewire projects successfully and are confident about our skills and insights.

Final words

As you continue living in the same house, you will gradually realise that it needs constant maintenance. Every year or two there are renovations or fixing issues that you should never postpone. Hence, you should check on every corner of it every now and then. Some fixes may not be that urgent while others are home fixes you should put on top of your priority list. Rewiring is one such a priority which needs immediate action and careful measures. This article elaborated on all important things you should know when doing a rewiring project.

Guest Contributor: Tim Tylor