Is a rewire needed?

ElwoodP

Hi, I'm thinking of buying a property. It was built in 1950. Is it possible to tell how likely it is that a rewire will be needed from a photo of the consumer unit?:

Photo can be seen here, paste in browser address bar should work, forum won't let me post clickable link.
dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3454522/ConsumerUnit.jpg

silvercar

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3454522/ConsumerUnit.jpg

The unit on the right looks relatively modern.

The middle consumer unit is old. Switches are fuses rather than flippy switches.

The meter (on the left) also looks very old, though that would be the electricity board's responsibility.

Doozergirl

I'm sure someone electrically clever may be along - if not, the DIY forum will be better, but at the very least, new consumer units would be required so I would have a full test carried out. My gut also says a rewire as the wiring does have a shelf life and at least the middle unit wiring looks absolutely ancient.

Davesnave

All the wiring is in plastic which is good. If the inner wires are red and black it's older and if they are brown and blue they're relatively 'young' and won't need any renewal unless provision of sockets etc is inadequate..

While the middle fuse box is outdated, it may not be unsafe. If you have an electrical report done (under £150 in most areas) you'llbe able to work out a time scale for upgrading.

However, if you have plans for the house itself, it's always best to bring electrical work forward, because renewal/extension is usually disruptive where decoration is concerned.

HouseBuyer77

You can't say just from a photo, however there you appear to have a modernish consumer unit as well as an old fuse box, which is a bit odd. I do wonder if at some point they upgraded the electrical installation by adding a new one along with the old (i.e. Rather than rewire they added new sockets did new kitchen etc on what is an entirely separate installation).

Uncertain if this is considered a reasonable thing to do or not.

The wires look to be pvc insulation, you need to replace rubber wiring, though there's some wires with darker insulation that's maybe rubber and who knows what's actually in the walls.

All in all I'd say get an electrician in to take a look, may be a perfectly reasonably install you just need to switch the fuse box for a modern consumer unit and probably merge the two systems.

Or perhaps it's been poorly DIYed or had a cowboy in. Is does at least look neat so I'd lean towards reasonable but old and a bit odd.

ciderboy2009

If those ceiling tiles are polystyrene (they look like it) then I'd be planning to get rid of them as a matter of urgency.

Davesnave

silvercar wrote: »

The meter (on the left) also looks very old, though that would be the electricity board's responsibility.

The electric board's meter looks to me as if it's digital and it has a bar code on it, but I might be having a funny five minutes!

DaftyDuck

Those ceiling tiles above the wiring are a serious risk.....

I'd certainly say you need a new consumer unit, from what I can see. The one on the right isn't great, but the central box is ancient, and the wiring looks (which can be misleading) pretty ropey.

New consumer units will come with a full test, but may then require a rewire anyway. You might be able to part rewire, keeping the right box, but I'd guess that'd be false economy.

Worth noting the circuits are all labelled, so a further check could tell you which parts are on which box.

Old wiring isn't necessarily dangerous, and isn't necessarily in urgent need of replacement. You will find the circuits are likely unable to cope with modern demands, there may well be a shortage of sockets, and you may find an electrician unwilling (reasonably so) to add to the current consumer units.

No reason to believe it is currently not working, or actually dangerous..... What's the general condition of the house, how well maintained?

Budget for a rewire, then you won't face disappointment!

ElwoodP

Thank you guys. The polystyrene ceiling tiles will definitely go! The general condition of the house is that despite the decoration being very old there looks to be no signs of obvious neglect (property is being sold after elderly owner has died). It will need a new kitchen and bathroom and all rooms decorating.

I agree that despite some positive signs (PVC wiring) that we should budget for a complete rewire. How does this figure into making an offer/negotiating a price? Do I make a low offer and cite the possibility of a rewire as part of the reason?(In my opinion the property is currently overpriced. Despite being in a desireable area I think it is priced for a property in good condition, but I get the impression that the seller is open to negotiation and this new to market price is an initial hopeful attempt). Will a survey shed any light on the need for a rewire or is it possible to get a separate electrical report done at this stage?

HouseBuyer77

Do I make a low offer and cite the possibility of a rewire as part of the reason

In general negotiations are more successful if you can provide a concrete reason behind your price. Everyone wants things cheaper so 'I want it cheaper' doesn't help much.

A survey will simply say something like 'Electrical installing includes an outdated fuse box as well as a more modern but still old consumer unit. Recommend you get installation inspected by a qualified electrician, a rewire may be required, condition 3'. Basically the surveyor won't tell you anything this forum already hasn't. You need an electrician.

Is a rewire required though? If the wiring is in decent condition and sockets etc are sufficient then you'll just need a new consumer unit. This is a reasonably big job but nothing like a rewire (for one thing it won't require redecorating after).

Yes old insallations are sized assuming lower than modern power consumption but a 30A ring is a 30A ring. So if the wiring is in good condition there's probably no need to go ripping it up.

The one thing that can skupper you is old circuits may have their lives and neutrals a bit confused (e.g. one neutral shared over several circuits). This makes them unsuitable for use with RCDs (what you get in a modern consumer unit) so you'd need to rewire.

Were I the vendor and you reduced by a rewire price I'd hit back with really you only need a new consumer unit and say I'd only accept a rewire was required once you'd had an electrician look at the circuits and state they need replacing, rather than just requiring a consumer unit upgrade.

William_Donati

The house being older than 20 years I would suggest a complete rewiring