Does my house need re-wiring?

80schild

Hi- just found this thread by searching. We have just bought a house-I think it was built in the early 60s. Looking at the fuse box, it looks to be a fuse box with switches and it had grey covered wires coming from it. However the lights upstairs still have those twisted wires (eek I know) and only 1 plug socket in the small bedrooms and 2 in the main bedroom (we don't have anything electrial upstairs other than lamps and CD players so we aren't over loading sockets by using multi plugs.
When we first viewed and put the offer in we kind of said 'think it will need a rewire but never mind the price is so cheap' . However in the end we got gazundered and ended up having to use all our spare money paying off the negative equity on our sale property.
The move has left us skint-although we could probably save the £2000 needed for a rewire within about a year or so. Would it be safe to wait this long or should I be sticking the rewire cost on a credit card (which I hate hate hate using!)

aboard_epsilon

if you want a bit of peice of mind

you could go around your sockets with one of these

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=socket+tester&_sacat=0&_odkw=socket+teser&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

all the best..markj

luap2411

Hi, thought that kind of outbidding went out a few years ago. Often this kind of wiring gets picked up by surveyors, and a rewire is often a condition of a mortgage.

Ideally of course the answer is to get it rewired straight away. I certainly wouldn't leave it as is though. Maybe as a worst case you could get a partial rewire done ASAP e.g. lights, earthing, and new consumer unit, and have the rest done later for peace of mind. The snag would be you would have the upheaval of having floors etc lifted twice, and the cost would be more than having it done in one go.

I like saving money, but some things just aren't worth taking risks with, sorry I would just get it done.

asbokid

80schild wrote: »

Hi- just found this thread by searching. We have just bought a house-I think it was built in the early 60s. Looking at the fuse box, it looks to be a fuse box with switches and it had grey covered wires coming from it.

that sounds like modern PVC T&E cabling, post 1970, probably much more recent. so long as it's not rubber insulated cabling.

However the lights upstairs still have those twisted wires (eek I know)

That's only the pendant wire. It's easily change for something more modern. You could DIY.

Would it be safe to wait this long or should I be sticking the rewire cost on a credit card (which I hate hate hate using!)

If you are sure that the existing cabling in the house is PVC insulated, I wouldn't be in any hurry to change it.

aboard_epsilon

I've heard that there is grey pvc ..and there is early grey pvc ..with no earth wire in it ..if it has that stuff ..get it rewired

there is also an early grey pvc which oozes green goo .

all the best.markj

Psychobabble

I would have thought that the best thing you can do is what Baldelectrician suggested in the 3'rd post in this thread, get a Periodic Inspection Report done, then you will know what the condition of the wiring is and whether you need a rewire or not.

muckybutt

aboard_epsilon wrote: »

if you want a bit of peice of mind

you could go around your sockets with one of these

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=socket+tester&_sacat=0&_odkw=socket+teser&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

all the best..markj

A socket tester ??? hmm ok to tell you if L is L and N is neutral etc, but doesn't tell you if cable is ok or not does it !
As suggested earlier get a Periodic test and Inspection done.

aboard_epsilon

The testers in the link ..at least a few of them will tell you if the earths are good.

all the best.markj

baldelectrician

I would suggest a new consumer unit and upgrading of the bonding to gas and water

When this is done the electrician should be testing the installation and you will have then a safer installation and know the condition of what the wiring is like

80schild

Well in a new development-last night I was trying to put a new light shade on. When I was unscrewing the lightbuld I must have done somethign to the wiring as as soon as I switched the light back on the fuse blew and fused all the lights on the top floor.
Got an electrician going to come out and fix this and have asked him to look at our wiring and what he thinks the minimum needs doing to make it safe. we are prepared to rewire though if that's what he says.
The consumer unit itself looks ok! I will post a pic so you can tell me what you think if that's ok?