7 Signs Your House Needs Rewiring
Its extremely important to spot the early warning signs that your house needs rewiring. Failing to spot these signs can be dangerous to your safety and properties safety. Wires and cables are susceptible to general wear-and-tear. Exposed and loose wires can present a real safety problem if left, especially with over 1200 house fires a year being caused by faulty wiring. The current guideline is that a house should be rewired every 25 years. However, you may need to rewire sooner if you are experiencing electrical faults or any of the signs mentioned below.
If you’ve recently purchased an older property or your current home still has old wiring, we strongly recommend having a qualified electrician run an inspection of your wiring. Not all faults are clear to see. However, there are signs that you can spot that indicate that your house needs rewiring. Here are our 7 most common signs that your house needs rewiring:
1- Electric Shocks
The major sign that there is a fault with wiring is if you receive a shock when plugging in an appliance. No small shock is a safe one. If you pick up even the smallest jolt when touching a cord or socket, you should contact an electrician. Electric shocks can lead to injury and even death in the worst instances. Never overlook this sign.
2- Noises
Any unusual sounds coming from plug sockets are a sign that some wiring has likely been exposed and needs addressing. There should be no sounds coming from any power outlet so if you detect any buzzing from sockets or light-switches, it’s best to have an electrician take a look.
3- Flickering or dimming lights
While it can be blamed on the light fitting or the bulb, brightening and dimming lights can be caused by the voltage they’re receiving. Sometimes, they may receive a spike of power that blows out the bulbs completely. The fluctuation in power could be down to bad wiring and other faults.
4- Appliance plug fuses blowing
A clear warning sign that your house needs rewiring would be regular surges that cause plug fuses to blow down to a sharp increase in voltage. If you experience a surge that blows a fuse, get in contact with an electrician to check if it was a one-off occurrence or an indication of a serious electrical issue.
5- Fuse box tripping
If your property experiences regular outages caused by your circuit breakers tripping, it could be a sign that there is a fault in the wiring. Regular trips are cause for concern. Modern appliances in the home may be overtaxing an older system, therefore meaning your fuses may need upgrading to a more modern system.
Old Fuse Board In a House That Needs Rewiring
Newly Installed Circuit Breakers
6- Discolouration
If you’ve noticed discolouration around light switches, sockets or other electric outlets, the cause could be sparking. Any sparking caused by faulty wiring is a fire risk and should be looked into immediately.
7- Age
If your property hasn’t been rewired in many years, that alone is a sign that an electrician should take a look at your wiring for your peace of mind. Cables and wires degrade over time and are a very common cause for house fires.
How often should a house be rewired?
If you are moving into a property, the electrical certification received from the previous owners should provide you with a breakdown of the last electrical inspection and any electrical work that has been carried out. If the home is over 40 years old, it’s a good idea to consider having your property rewired so it follows modern electrical safety standards. Most houses should be rewired every 25-30 years to keep inline with standards. EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) should be carried out every 10 years or every 5 years for Landlords. These intervals can differ depending on the use of the property and if any electrical work is carried out in-between tests.
New Cables In A House Being Rewired
Having Your House Rewired?
Rewiring a property can be a big job depending on how old the property is, how many rooms there are and if there will be any additional repair work required. There are many different factors to take into account which is why an initial survey is required to assess the situation at hand and get an idea of the full scope of the job.
At TJC Fire & Electrical, we have a team of fully qualified electricians at hand for any rewiring job. It’s important that a competent and experienced electrician carries out any rewiring jobs to a high standard, covering all necessary building and wiring regulations. We take safety extremely serious and any work carried out by us will meet the correct requirements.
For more information on our services, contact us or call us on: 01202 985 655
Home Survey
Our first step will be to run an inspection of your property. This includes testing your current systems to determine whether you need a partial rewire or you need a complete house rewire. You can book a survey online. We work around you so our electricians don’t disturb you at home while we check your electric systems.
Removing your old wiring and upgrading
As part of your house rewire, your old wiring and fittings will be removed and a new consumer unit (fuse board) will be installed. New cables will be run to the correct locations for plug sockets, switches and lighting, existing wiring will be replaced and back boxes and cable channels will be added to the walls.
Once this is done, sockets, switch faceplates and lighting fixtures will be installed. The installation will then be certified and signed off.
How much does a rewire cost?
The costs of a house rewire will depend on how long the job will take, the supplies used, how large the property is and whether the job is a partial rewire or a full house rewire. The average cost of full rewires is usually between £2000 and £6000 and depends on the size of the house. We quote for each job on an individual basis for this reason. Our quotes are non-obligatory and we don’t tie you into any contracts.
How long does a house rewire take?
How long house rewiring takes will depend on the size of the house and how many rooms it has. A single room rewiring can take around a day, whereas a three bed semi can take up to seven days to complete.
Arrange for your house survey today
Concerned that your wiring needs replacing? Act on it as soon as possible for your peace of mind. Get in touch with our team today and arrange for one of our electricians to survey your property.
What areas do you cover for house rewiring?
Based in Poole, Dorset, TJC Fire & Electrical offer a comprehensive house rewiring service across the South Coast of the UK. We cover, but are not limited to the following areas: