Electrical fault - wildly different assessments from two electricians

SocksMalone_2

My mum has had some lights stop working in one room in her house some time ago. Finally got around to getting an electrician in and he has told her that the whole house needs rewiring. Quoted almost five grand.

Mum got a second electrician in on the same basis that the lights in one room were not working. This one has quoted for fixing the lights and has made no mention of a full rewire. Mum even showed him the fuse box which is about 40 years old in case that might make a difference but nope.

We don't seem to know anyone who has used an Electrician recently that they can recommend, and it's bewildering to have picked 2 at random and get such different reports.

Anyone any suggestions? Mum lives in south Warwickshire if anyone knows a good sparky!

bridgedino

i suppose it could be looked upon as that he was actually providing you with the best advice regarding the age of your wiring. Wires don't last forever. On the other hand it's understandable to think someone is trying to rip you off due to the huge price differences quoted.

You'll probable have to decide wether you want a full rewire or just a repair. Just be mindful that 40yr old wiring won't be as robust as it once was

N9eav

Both are probably right. A neighbour of my parents recently died and her son inherited the house and decided to rent it out. He had to get the 43 year old house electrics upgraded with new consumer unit, before they would pass it safe to rent. It was fine to live in before and after, but not to rent....
I guess the latest best practise does not mean that older things are unsafe....

Gordon_Hose

It's just because regulations change.

We were told we need a new consumer box because there is no RCD present. Doesn;t make it unsafe because it was safe when it was installed in the 00's, it's just that regs have changed and no one requires an RCD.

If the wiring 40 years old, I would definitely be looking at getting the house rewired. As said above, wiring doesn't last forever.

Alias_Omega

Hi OP,

Sounds like you had 2 people visit the property.

1) They dont want the work, they are not interested in a repair and will quote you for a re-wire. They are probably busy.

2) They want the work, they are interested in the repair. Probably a small company who work month to month. They may be busy with smaller jobs (extensions, kitchens, call-outs etc) however have time at the end of the week.

I ask, just because Electrical Regulations have changed, does it make the electrical installation any unsafer? I would recommend that all circuits are checked for earthing, borrowed neutrals, rubber cables etc and a RCD fitted where applicable.

I would go with No 2.

(Borrowed Neutrals - I noticed in our house that we have a borrowed Neutral from the Upstairs circuit at the top of the stairs. The switching is wired in singles. This would be a nightmare however both Upstairs & Downstairs circuits are on the same circuit, therefore not an issue. With the introduction of LED lighting, with all the lighting on we may exceed 300watts).

Alias_Omega

N9eav wrote: »

He had to get the 43 year old house electrics upgraded with new consumer unit, before they would pass it safe to rent. It was fine to live in before and after, but not to rent....

The only requirement for a Landlord to Let a property is a Gas Safety Check. Electrical Checks are created by agents who take a cut of the profit, and the agent needs to be reminded so.

However, the Landlord should ensure that the property is safe to live in. There is no law/rules that state that a property has to have an electrical inspection, PAT Testing or meet a required standard before letting.

I have no doubt that the Letting Agent will quote some "Guideline" which was created by Letting Agents, for Letting Agents.

cyclonebri1

Alias_Omega wrote: »

Hi OP,

Sounds like you had 2 people visit the property.

1) They dont want the work, they are not interested in a repair and will quote you for a re-wire. They are probably busy.

2) They want the work, they are interested in the repair. Probably a small company who work month to month. They may be busy with smaller jobs (extensions, kitchens, call-outs etc) however have time at the end of the week.

I ask, just because Electrical Regulations have changed, does it make the electrical installation any unsafer? I would recommend that all circuits are checked for earthing, borrowed neutrals, rubber cables etc and a RCD fitted where applicable.

I would go with No 2.

(Borrowed Neutrals - I noticed in our house that we have a borrowed Neutral from the Upstairs circuit at the top of the stairs. The switching is wired in singles. This would be a nightmare however both Upstairs & Downstairs circuits are on the same circuit, therefore not an issue. With the introduction of LED lighting, with all the lighting on we may exceed 300watts).

Absolutely the best way to go in my view.

It's the consumer unit that needs attention first, sorting whats wired where etc.

At 40 years old the wiring should all be pvc but that can still overheat if incorrectly or loosely connected.

It's not uncommon to find the 2 way on the stairs sharing conductore from floor 0 and floor 1, but it's not at all good.

New consumer unit and health check

fluffpot

I think the first sparks is fishing for work. I would go with the second one and get him to fix the lights - and if you are happy with him, then ask his opinion about the need for more work - starting with testing.

I test plenty of installations that were wired 30 or more years ago and they test out fine - just a fuse board upgrade required. On the other hand, I've also seen electrics less than 5 years old that have so badly done that they all had to come out!

The lights not working might be something as simple as a loose connection - this doesn't require a full rewire

Ben84

Replacing the old fuse box with a modern one containing circuit breakers and RCD protection would give safety improvements. Having an RCD makes appliances safer as well, not just the wiring. We had ours done recently, it wasn't so costly. It also allowed us to discover a fault we hadn't noticed before. Our kettle needed a new element and was leaking a little water inside the handle. We only found this after the RCD kept tripping. Put in a new seal and element, and all is fine now.

Risteard

If the wiring is time expired then simply replacing the distribution board and leaving the wiring is not the correct action to take. A periodic inspection culminating in the issuance of an Electrical Installation Condition Report might be advisable.

lazer

Risteard wrote: »

If the wiring is time expired then simply replacing the distribution board and leaving the wiring is not the correct action to take. A periodic inspection culminating in the issuance of an Electrical Installation Condition Report might be advisable.

what exactly does this mean - us mere mortals don't understand spark's lingo