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What Is A Rewire?
A rewire replaces some or all of the electrical wiring of a house.
A ‘rewire’ is rarely just a rewire; householders often replace, or add, electrical items, for instance sockets, light switches and fuse boards.
How Often Should A Rewire Be Done?
There are many different opinions about how often you should rewire a house:
· After a specific time period usually about 25 years.
· When a specific problem requires the householder to replace the wiring. This is a similar argument to only servicing your car after it breaks down.
· Only when you have specific types of wiring, for instance rubber insulated wiring, otherwise wait for a problem. Rubber insulated wiring shows the wiring is old – rubber insulation has not been used in the UK since the early 60’s.
· When a series of problems suggest the need for a rewire, for instance constantly tripping RCDs or constantly blowing fuses.
· When an electrical test and inspection says that a rewire is needed. Electricians can carry out an inspection of a house to assess the state of the wiring, if the inspection fails a rewire may be needed.
Think of your house in a similar way to how you treat your car – Do you wait for a problem before putting your car into the garage? Do you regularly service your car?
The householder should remember that faulty electrical wiring can cause fires or damage electrical appliances when making the decision over whether to do a rewire.
Problems That Suggest A Rewire Is Needed
How Much Does A Rewire Cost?
The Judge Electrical ‘guideline price’ for the full rewire of a 3 bedroom house is £2500. The rewire takes about one week.
A one-bedroom flat will cost about £1000, a 2 bedroom house about £2000 and 5 bedroom house about £4000.
Householders should get at least 3 quotes for a rewire; the quote should include exactly what the quote includes and does not include, for instance does the price include moving furniture, laying carpets and a cleanup?
It is hard to compare prices between different jobs; it is also difficult to compare prices for the same job.
Using servicing a car as an analogy – how much is it to service a car? Why does the main dealer charge more than a local garage? The obvious points are that no 2 cars are the same and a main dealer provides, usually, a better service. Unless you are being ‘ripped off’ you get what you pay for.
Householders also need to take account of the cost of ’extras’, for instance, of new light switches, new sockets and new light fixtures. Some electricians may include the cost of ‘extras’ in the quote, some may not.
Who Should Do A Rewire?
The rewire of a house is a big job.
The Judge Electrical opinion is that the rewire should only be done by a competent, professional electrician who has experience of rewires. The electrician should be a member of a professional body, for instance NICEIC, and be ‘Part P’ qualified.
Who Should Not Do A Rewire?
For good reasons the Judge Electrical opinion is a rewire should only be done by a competent, professional electrician who has experience of rewires.
This means the following people should NOT do a rewire:
· A DIY enthusiast – a rewire is a big job, there are many pitfalls for the inexperienced.
· An electrician who is not qualified to ‘test and inspect’ the rewire after the job. Having no officially recognised ‘test and inspection report’ can hinder a later house sale. The householder should also ask ‘why can’t this electrician issue a recognised test and inspection report?’
· An electrician who is not a member of a recognised professional body, for instance NICEIC. Ask yourself why the electrician is not a member of a professional body.
· A suitably qualified electrician with no experience of rewires – many electricians can do a rewire in theory, the practise is different. Ask for examples of previous rewires, seek references.
Common Pitfalls
Some common pitfalls:
· Going for the cheapest quote – unless the electrician is ‘ripping you off’ one quote is cheaper than the other for a reason, find out why.
· Not checking the electrician is a member of a professional body – this can cause problems when selling a house. Would you buy a house with wiring done by an electrician who could not prove there credentials?
· Not keeping a copy of the ‘test and inspection report’ – may be needed when selling the house or for insurance purposes.
· Changing the job after it has started, for instance increasing the number of wall sockets – make a plan before the job starts, this will allow the electrician to allow the right number of hours and prevent unnecessary trips to the wholesaler (extra costs).
· Not ‘future proofing’ – you may not need that electrical socket now but will you in 5 years? How many electrical appliances did you have 10 years ago – how many will you have in 10 years?
How Can I Save Money On A Rewire?
Given that a rewire should be done by a competent electrician the householder can save money by:
· Preparing the house for the rewire, for instance lifting carpets, moving furniture, placing dust covers and removing pictures from the wall.
· Doing the post rewire cleanup – rewire can create a lot of mess.
· Not insisting on having power available each night – a rewire will take more than one day, re-connecting power each day takes time (costs money).
· Lift floorboards – wire will need to be run under the floor.
· Clear the loft – wire will need to be run in the loft.
· Doing the post rewire decoration – rewiring involves making holes in walls, burying cables in walls – some decoration will be needed after the rewire.
Links
Problems That Suggest A Rewire Is Needed
Links – Domestic Electrics & Central Heating Advice
Find, Reset & Investigate Tripping RCDs
Home lighting Troubleshooting Tips
Judge Electrical Guideline Prices
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This web page provides information about electrical rewires.
Areas covered, and order, on this web page:
· What is a rewire?
· How often should a rewire be done?
· How Much Does A Rewire Cost?
· Who Should Do A Rewire?
· Who Should Not Do A Rewire?
· Common Pitfalls.
· How Can I Save Money On A Rewire? |
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House Electrical Rewire |
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