I'm buying an older home, does it need professional rewiring?
We adore historic homes for their inherent charm and character – the wood built-ins, pocket doors, and exposed brick. However, we must be aware of the potential complications when purchasing one. Determining if your property requires rewiring is a significant factor in deciding whether you want to undertake a renovation project. So if the home you’re considering acquiring is more than 25 years old, it’s critical to conduct pre-purchase inspections of the wiring condition. This is because outdated electrics are inconvenient and they may also pose a safety risk. So if you’re still thinking ‘I’m buying an older home, does it need professional rewiring?’. Then the electricians in Swansea gathered some guides to older houses’ electrics to learn about the warning signals to check for and what is involved in full or partial rewiring.
Should I get regular checks?
Many people don’t think about how important it is to have good electrical wiring. If you have electrical problems, they might not be as apparent as other problems you might have. For example, wires, plugs, outlets, and so on aren’t as obvious as other problems. Although not all issues are deal-breakers, they are important to consider when living in an older home. So to guarantee that everything continues to function correctly, it’s good to have your electrics professionally tested every ten years. After this is completed, the electrician will generate an EICR (the electrical installation condition report).
House features that might mean you need a rewire
The electricity meter and the fuse box should also tell you if a house has been rewired recently. You can also look at exposed parts of the wiring and look at the electricity meter (now known as the consumer unit). A fuse box with oversized white ceramic-style fuses is a sign that the whole house could need to be rewired. Having different switches and sockets in the same room is another sign that it might be time to get a new wiring job done. It could be a sign that a partial rewiring has been done if surface-mounted wiring can be seen running along skirting boards and up walls. So people who live in old homes that haven’t been updated for a long time may still have old round pin sockets or dolly switches. This means they need to be rewired.
Visual inspections to carry out
If you notice a burning smell in your house and see burn marks on your electrical outlets, the problem may be with your wiring. Also, if your wiring has loose connections or damaged wires, sparks can form and ignite nearby cables, outlets, and walls. But with no visible symptoms of burns on your outlets, the problem is likely to be behind your walls. The fire department or a professional electrician should be called promptly, depending on the severity of the problem. For instance, electrical inspections are required for homes built between 1965 and 1973. Houses built around this period are more likely to catch fire due to the usage of aluminium wiring. Aluminium wiring should be replaced as soon as possible to prevent further damage.
Contact our Swansea electrical contractors!
Working with electrical wiring can be extremely dangerous to those who are not experts. Mishandling electrical wires can lead to electrical shock, destroyed appliances, and fires. For years, our Swansea electricians have been rewiring houses and our 100% satisfaction guarantee applies to all of our services. It’s not just re-wires, our electricians can install anything from new outdoor security lights to extra plug sockets. For additional information, please look through all our services on our website.