Rewires - what age do you suggest it and is there an age you condemn at ?

[BrianDB9]

I'm tending to favour an approach of time to start smelling the coffee at 30 and start saving / planning and rewire at first convenient oppurtunity but don't let domestic wiring get over 40 (for management purposes)
I realise that you can test and still say wiring is "ok" for a lot longer than that and other factors kick in eg sparse provision of sockets leading to overloading etc just wondered what the general feeling was ?

 

[Deleted member 9648]

If it's wired in PVC,it's still in good condition,circuits are correctly installed and all circuits have cpc's why rewire?.....I work in plenty of properties with imperial wiring 40 years old which will probably go on for another 40 with the usual updates to circuit protection etc.
Only time I would automatically condemn is rubber/vir or lead.....there arent many of those left now thankfully......oh and pre-70's lighting circuits with no cpc's unless there is no likelyhood of class 1 fittings.

 

[Steve_P]

This is a joke thread isn't it? Maybe we should suggest a rewire instead of respecting. Change the stickers from next inspection date to rewire due date. Should a 1920 Rolls Royce be taken off the road because it doesn't have ABS, satnav or air bags?

 

[Farmelectrics]

Steve Brian was only asking a question

 

[Steve_P]

I was only answering it mate.

 

[27_craig]

Just rewired my house! Wiring was 50 years old, aluminium conductors throughout and no cpc's in lighting.

 

[londonlec]

One problem with older installations is there is often not enough points/in the wrong place.

I recently rewired a ring final cct on a 25/30 year old installation just because there wasn't much difference in price between adding extra sockets to the existing, and carrying out a rewire.

I worked for a local authority who deem 30 years as the end of an installations life. I didn't always agree with it, but it was their policy.

 

[oldtimer]

One problem with older installations is there is often not enough points/in the wrong place.

I recently rewired a ring final cct on a 25/30 year old installation just because there wasn't much difference in price between adding extra sockets to the existing, and carrying out a rewire.

I worked for a local authority who deem 30 years as the end of an installations life. I didn't always agree with it, but it was their policy.

The 30 year figure is based on a job that comprises of conduit and VIR cable that could be easly rewired without much disruption as it was felt that the cabled would dry out and break down now its down to the environment the cable is run in and at the end of the day it down to testing if its fine then it is servicable

 

[Engineer54]

The 30 year figure is based on a job that comprises of conduit and VIR cable that could be easly rewired without much disruption as it was felt that the cabled would dry out and break down now its down to the environment the cable is run in and at the end of the day it down to testing if its fine then it is servicable

Agree, ...the only thing i would add is ''Inspection'' & Testing'', the inspection for obvious reasons...

 

[oldtimer]

Just to add this theory was based on a Government building I know this because I served my time on the government term contract with Mathew Halls and we had the job in the late 70,s early 80,s to rewire a lot of building mostly in conduit or micc

 

[BrianDB9]

Guess a moderator didnt like my reply lol

 

[Engineer54]

Just to add this theory was based on a Government building I know this because I served my time on the government term contract with Mathew Halls and we had the job in the late 70,s early 80,s to rewire a lot of building mostly in conduit or micc

Now those were the day's when things were done properly!! lol!!

 

[gnuuser]

i dont go by age unless visible decay or heat damage is present. (except for old rubber insulation)
I rely on insulation testing with a good megger
if even questionable readings occur i replace the wire immediately

 

[BrianDB9]

This is a joke thread isn't it? Maybe we should suggest a rewire instead of respecting. Change the stickers from next inspection date to rewire due date. Should a 1920 Rolls Royce be taken off the road because it doesn't have ABS, satnav or air bags?

I would suggest considering whether generally speaking installations above 30 have adequate provision of sockets that promote safety by way of reducing use of extension leads, adaptors, and therefore indirectly slips trips and falls / risk of Fire etc.

It would be embarrassing if you just passed an installation off as ok with one single unswitched socket per bedroom and the fire service did an advice visit and suggested overloading.
I dont think the occupier is going to feel they were professionally advised ?

Do you consider who is likely to be living in the property - bungalow is likely to be elderley or disabled does that affect your professional judgement ?

I also consider the installation from the customers point of view - if an electrician tells me its fine and i move in, and spend all my savings decorating then find major repairs are needed causing me to take time off work, maybe i'm not going to spread the good word about the advice given ?

Electrical safety shouldn't be treated as a joke ? but thats only my professional opinion.

 

[oldtimer]

Brian please don't hide behind electrical safety yes it is not a joke but if you are going to be "professional" about it you have to understand that you cannot insist on a rewire because you do not think there is enough socket outlet . If the installation passes all the tests then its good to go now you may want to suggest the customer get RCD protection or more socket outlets instead of using leads fine but you cannot condem an installation on these grounds as the customer could take legal action on you or your company for forcing them to have work done that was not necessary.

Remember we as electricians do have the same rights as the gas guys were we cannot isolate anything without the customers consent also you are on dangerous ground if you try and impliment change on the grounds of your interpitattion of electrical safety. Yes I know we could have a better system but these are the regulations that we must comply with

 

[Smudge]

if it passes the inspect and test, then fine. BUT, i always give my personal opinion. If i wouldnt be happy with it in my house, then i say so. Surly even though its ok by the book, your personal HONEST opinion stands some bearing. They may act on it, they may not.

 

[kingeri]

I remember when I moved into my current house about ten years ago, there were 4 sockets in the whole house all on one circuit, one in the living room, one in the kitchen, one in the cellar and one in the first bedroom. The two bedrooms on the top floor had no sockets at all, the previous owner used to have an extension lead running up the stairs. One of the first jobs I did was change CU and add more circuits and obviously sockets. The old installation tested fine though....only reason I rewired was for practical reasons. I left the lighting circuits as they tested fine and at the time had other things to spend my time and dosh on.

 

[Steve_P]

So the NatWest tower now needs a rewire because it's over 30 years since completion and there's a possibility of there not being enough sockets and people in there using "GASP" extension leads.

Oh, hang on, it's probably only houses you're talking about.

cba with this or most of the other threads at the moment and for that reason, once again, I'm out.

 

[BrianDB9]

Brian please don't hide behind electrical safety yes it is not a joke but if you are going to be "professional" about it you have to understand that you cannot insist on a rewire because you do not think there is enough socket outlet . If the installation passes all the tests then its good to go now you may want to suggest the customer get RCD protection or more socket outlets instead of using leads fine but you cannot condem an installation on these grounds as the customer could take legal action on you or your company for forcing them to have work done that was not necessary.

Remember we as electricians do have the same rights as the gas guys were we cannot isolate anything without the customers consent also you are on dangerous ground if you try and impliment change on the grounds of your interpitattion of electrical safety. Yes I know we could have a better system but these are the regulations that we must comply with

Thats right oldtimer but we are professional and also human hopefully we can go beyond mere regulations that are only regulations and not law and advise customers of other aspects that electrical work has an impact on, eg I would consider just a board upgrade and enhanced smoke detection where a tenant was frail and a management rewire would cause more harm than good.

I would question if it is good customer service to carry out an EICR or similar and just hand it to a householder (who can not understand them ) and just say "its good to go" is that really what they expect ? Its like going to the doctors and they say your hearts beating and your breathing everything is fine !

 

[BrianDB9]

So the NatWest tower now needs a rewire because it's over 30 years since completion and there's a possibility of there not being enough sockets and people in there using "GASP" extension leads.

Oh, hang on, it's probably only houses you're talking about.

cba with this or most of the other threads at the moment and for that reason, once again, I'm out.

The management of the nat west tower who ask for it testing would be well advised to consider those aspects yes ! Closed mind methinks