If your house was built before 1950, the wiring may not be up to current standards. Prior to 1950, many wiring systems relied on rubber and lead and cloth-insulation, which deteriorate over time. Between the late 1800s to mid-1930s, wiring was held in place by metal conduit. You can find photos on the Internet. If you suspect that your house was wired before 1950 or has old style insulation ask a qualified electrician such as Residential Electrician Perth to check it.
How much does a house rewire cost?
Of course, it depends on how much work a particular home needs and where you live. Your local electrician is the best bet as they are probably familiar with many different styles and ages of residences. An exact cost for a house rewiring in your suburb will depend on many different things. Any electrical company is only too happy to inspect the house and provide an obligation-free estimate.
How long does it take?
This depends on factors like the size of your home. In general, for an average size house, with a 2-3 person crew, a complete rewire, where all the wires are replaced, takes about 2-7 days.
Will our home lose power?
The parts of the house where the electricians are pulling out your old wires and replacing them with new ones will need to have the power turned off. Experienced electricians will sequence the rooms so that only a specific part of the house is without power at any one time. They shouldn’t leave your home without power overnight.
Will a rewire increase the value of my home upon sale?
Very likely. If your existing wiring is unsafe, this issue will come up during the home inspection if selling. In this situation, you can expect fewer potential buyers and a lower price for your home. A rewire may make a higher price possible and a sale smoother. If you think you might end up doing a rewire before a sale, the best time to do it is as soon as you can pay for it. It will keep your family safer in the meantime.
Is an electrical inspection required?
Yes. Upon sale of the house, if a rewire has been done, legally you will need to be able to show a building inspection had been carried out and the work has been approved and passed. The electrician, fully licensed, should provide an inspection, or have arranged for an electrical inspection to make sure that the wiring follows the existing National Electrical Safety standards.
Can I rewire my house myself?
This depends on your knowledge and skills. A safe rewire and one which will pass building inspections requires knowledge of many parts of the Electrical Code as well as many electrical skills and special tools. Rewiring could be both a hazardous and lengthy undertaking for non-electricians. The work needs to be signed off by a licensed electrician anyway.
After how many years should a home be rewired?
There’s no set lifetime for an electrical system. A wiring system installed before 1950 should be checked out. But even a modern electrical system which was sound when originally installed should be checked every 10 years. Make sure that all electrical connections are still tight and in good working order.
If you feel that you would sleep sounder at night, get your electrical system checked. A qualified electrician may find that no work is needed, or that some connections need tightening, or that an older electrical system needs a rewire.
