Rewiring your House – What You Need to Know

Having your home completely rewired is a costly and time consuming process, however if your home has not been rewired in the last 25 years it is absolutely essential!

So, how do you know if your home needs rewiring?

Well, to start with, if your consumer unit (which is the main control centre for your home’s electrical supply, called a “fuse-box” in the good old days), has a wooden backing, this would be considered unsafe and a fire hazard by today’s safety standards, and would need to be replaced by a metal-clad one. This law came into effect in July 2015, and ever since 1st January 2016 all consumer units have been metal clad. Your current consumer unit may also have cast iron switches, a black electricity cable, or no labeling.

You may have outdated plug sockets which are broken or cracked, or have rounded entries instead of the 3-pin ones. Your lights also may be temperamental and flicker on and off or go dim occasionally, with light bulbs needing to be constantly replaced, or the breakers might trip regularly.
You might have old cable colours or aluminium wiring – check to see if your home contains an earth cable/path.

Why it is important to maintain up-to-date wiring in your home

Old wiring, and also faulty wiring, is very dangerous and is responsible for around 750 accidents in the home, 12,500 house fires and more than 30 deaths per year.

What is involved in the rewiring process?

The rewiring of a house is a major undertaking and must be done by a qualified electrician with proper insurance. Under no circumstances should you ever attempt it yourself, unless you have had training. The job can take 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the size of your house and how many rooms it has. The electricians carrying out the rewiring will need access to all your switches and sockets, and new cabling will be hidden under the floors and inside walls. You will have to carry on your day to day life with all this going on. All old fittings and wiring will be removed and replaced, with a new consumer unit also being installed.

How much does it cost?

The cost of rewiring depends on a number of different factors, including where in the country you live, the size of your property and number of rooms, and the individual electrician doing the job.

For experienced and highly trained electricians in Dorset, CONTACT us at Dorset Electrical Solutions for a competitive quote.