Does your house need to be rewired?
Many houses in Bristol have old wiring. This is not only unsafe and a potential fire hazard, but also less efficient compared to modern wiring systems.
If you have old wiring in your house such as old fabric or rubber coated cable, you should seriously consider a full rewire.
Have a read through the check list to see if you may need a rewire
- Does your fuse box have replaceable fuse wire?
- Does the property have adequate earthing?
- Does your fuses regularly blow ?
- You have a consumer unit with wooden backing?
- Have less than two plug sockets per room?
- Do you have to use extension leads and adapters ?
- Do you have round black plug sockets and switches ?
- Does your lighting circuits have an earth cable ?
- Do you have rubber covered cables ?
- Have you had your electrics checked in the last 10 years ?
- You have a pre 60's house ?
If you have answered yes to any of the above then you could need a rewire
What is involved in a full rewire
An average time on a rewire is 5-10 days, a lot of time is spent on running the cables correctly, majority of the time cables are concealed in walls and floor/ ceiling voids. During the house rewire a lot of dust is created as the cables will be chased in to the walls complying to the building and electrical regulations, floor boards will need to be lifted to get cables to various areas of the property. We also have to ensure the fuse box and earthing complies to current regulations
After completion of the rewire, A plasterer is required to fill in any voids in the walls to a good standard. An electrical test will be carried out and you will receive a certificate and the works will be notified to building control.
Finding the right person to do the job
It is extremely important to hire a registered electrician to rewire your house. Electricians in England are legally obligated to comply with the building regulations called Part P.
Ensure the electrician you hire is registered with with a competent person scheme such as NAPIT, NICEIC and ELECSA and have public liability insurance
Using a cheap or non registered electrician could end up costing you a lot more in the long run.Faulty or poorly installed wiring can be extremely dangerous.Insurances could be void and you have the risk of being fined or having the work redone.
You should get an electrical installation certificate after the work is completed and a building control notification to prove the work has been carried out using the right procedures.