Re-wiring house

cherry76

Might need to re-wire the house I have just purchased. I understand it will be very messy. The house is in good decorative order and the carpets in excellent condition. I have been told I will need to re-decorate and replaster the walls after the re-wiring. I am not sure what to do whether to get an electrical report and upgrade the electrics or go for a full re-wire as the house is very old. The reason I bought the house is that nothing needs to be done and I could just move in as it is, I was wrong, It has a new kitchen and bathrooom and will be a shame to have to do them again. What really involves when re-wiring, does the whole house needs redecorating afterwards? Thanks

amarg

Normally a full rewire makes a right mess. The walls will need replastering, or patching up at the least and lots of floorboards will also need lifting.

MX5huggy

What sort of fuse board do you have?

Are your wires lead, rubber or pvc covered? Are your sockets modern square 3 pin or round pin?

themanbearpig

Are the wires entering the electricity box black? If so, you should rewire. If they are white or grey, they are made of PVC and are fine.

Rewiring is a messy and expensive job. Usually best done when a house is being refurbished!

zax47

Great advice there, 'themanbearpig' - not! What you have suggested tells them NOTHING about the state of the current electrical installation. Could you tell if a house is structurally sound by looking at the colour of a brick??

Cherry76, Get a proper, qualified, electrician in and have a PIR (Periodic Inspection Report) done for the current electrical installation. It will tell you so much more than "are the wires black, white or grey" (ForFcuksSake!!)

Depending on the size and age of the property and number of circuits, a PIR could take from a couple of hours to half a day or more (plus write-up time) and cost between £120-£250. I do a couple a month and you would horrified at some of the things I find, even if the 'wires' are "grey or white" (!!!!!!!!).

LilacPixie

Cherry

you have my sympathies. The house we are looking at would also appear to need rewired. Apparently the wiring is 'mixed' whatever that means. Thankfully this house is just a shell so it would be the perfect time to do it if needed.

vaio

if the visible wires are black rubber don't waste your money on a pir as you do need to rewire.

If they are grey or white pvc then a pir will identify any faults when you can decide to repair or re-wire completely.

Bijjy

If you do need to re-wire, check that the sparky is listed on the niecc website.

I had my house re-wired recently from an approved contractor. He nonetheless issued a green testing certificate not the red. Given the basic problems he has had I am now going to the expense of getting his work independently assessed.

Moral of the story, get someone who is recommended.


All the best.

baldelectrician

LilacPixie wrote: »

Cherry

you have my sympathies. The house we are looking at would also appear to need rewired. Apparently the wiring is 'mixed' whatever that means. Thankfully this house is just a shell so it would be the perfect time to do it if needed.

With reference to the previous post. SELECT are more relevant in Scotland. The NICIEC have less contractors listed than SELECT have. The NICIEC are based in England and came on board with the Scottish building standards certification system well after it was introduced- no Part P here

In Scotland the app contractors list is at:

http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/SearchCo.asp?T=Construction&ID=2

Hope this helps

cherry76

There are so many which ones to go with, napit, elecsa or niciec, confusing for a newbie? Thanks

zax47

It doesn't matter - they are all companies running government approved registration schemes for "competent persons" (electricians in this case). An electrician registered with any one of them is fine. I'm with NAPIT, but that doesn't mean I'm any better or worse than someone registered with NICEIC, as we're all supposed to be assessed to the same common standards.

It's the fact that they ARE registered with someone that matters. They will be "Part P", have public liability insurance and be able to offer you an insurance backed guarantee on their work - all things that your local "cowboy" cannot!