Water damage and rewiring

1122abc

Currently going through a home insurance claim for escape of water. There has been a great deal of damage, including to the cupboard that contains the fuse box for the house; the ceilings and therefore light fixtures; and the walls which have plug points and sockets on them. 

The house has had an EICR which states that the wiring is at least 50 years old and is unsafe. I can’t afford to have it rewired. 

I am trying to determine what is definitely necessary to ensure the safety of the home. Loss adjuster is helpful but conscious that they work for the insurer. Would hiring a loss assessor help? An independent electrician?

It’s less about the cost - the insurer won’t cover it - more about what is actually needed and what effect, if ANY, water damage would have on the electrics now that it has all dried out. 

BarelySentientAI

What does the EICR say?  Was it done after the drying?

1122abc

BarelySentientAI said:

What does the EICR say?  Was it done after the drying?

The EICR was done after the drying. 

The major ones are
- water not bonded C2
- fuse board and CC2 made from combustible material C3
- no RCD protection to all circuits listed a few times with C2 and C3 rating

Wiring estimated to be 50 years old, installed to a previous edition of BS7671

Rewiring will cost £5000 plus VAT and it’s for my pensioner mother who doesn’t have the money, but I’m finding it hard to understand what definitely needs to be done and if the escape of water could have any impact on these defects i.e would the water damage make them more risky than they already were 

BarelySentientAI

Well, water damage hasn't changed any of those defects.

A new consumer unit with RCBOs would fix the second and third ones, and adding a bond to the water main (if actually needed) is cheap.

Why has a rewire been suggested?  Just because it's old wiring?  Unless it is VIR (Vulcanised Indian Rubber) then that would be nice to do but not strictly necessary.  Almost everything is "to a previous edition of BS7671" because the standard changes almost every year.

1122abc

BarelySentientAI said:

Well, water damage hasn't changed any of those defects.

A new consumer unit with RCBOs would fix the second and third ones, and adding a bond to the water main (if actually needed) is cheap.

Why has a rewire been suggested?  Just because it's old wiring?  Unless it is VIR (Vulcanised Indian Rubber) then that would be nice to do but not strictly necessary.  Almost everything is "to a previous edition of BS7671" because the standard changes almost every year.

Thanks for your replies. 

It was suggested because the house is being stripped and now is the right time to do it as the electrics are not safe as per the EICR. 

Good to know that water damage wouldn’t have made these defects any more unsafe. Would you say these are truly necessary to fix? 

BarelySentientAI

C1 defects make a system unsafe.

C2 & C3 are potentially dangerous and could be improved to modern standards. 

Does your own house have a plastic fusebox?  That's C3 or C2 if in an escape route.  Do you think it's necessary to change your own based on that? 

Thousands of houses would probably get the same result from an inspection.  All could be improved and made safer, but unless you are a landlord it's up to you what is necessary and what is nice to do.

They're right though, a rewire is a messy process and best done when empty and stripped.