Full rewire needed? First time home owner

[bd1777]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the helpful advice in this forum. We've recently bought our first house - yay! With that being said, our building survey highlighted the wiring in the house, and an electrical installation report from 2017, when a new consumer unit was installed, suggested a rewire was necessary. We used this to reduce the sale price a bit, but I'm wtill wondering if it is needed. We will likely be replastering the house, so any chases shouldn't be a problem. I am a little worried about disruption to floorboards and things like kitchen tiles. With that being said, the house does have a new consumer unit, and so the grounding should be ok. The wiring looks like maybe 1970s uPVC? I've attached a picture. I've also attached the installation report from the new consumer unit, but I can't find what on it suggests new wiring may be needed. My thoughts are the circuit layout is not great, so a rewire would fix that, and we could add things like mains wired fire alarms, ethernet, etc. It's a 1904ish 3 bed semi that appears to have had the last major renovation in the 1970s.

Any thoughts based on this, or any questions I should ask the electricians we are having come in to provide quotes? Also, since we are going to replaster, would it help to have the plasterer strip the plaster before having the electrian in? I would think this should speed things up a bit and make it easier.

 

[Mike Johnson]

We are but here to delight and entertain. ?

You have to envisage double the size of the Board for the GTL that is normal on a new build, so a dedicated cupboard is quite normal.

As in the UK RCBO's are becoming more frequent, but are rare at the moment, and yes as with most UK boards several circuits are liable to be taken out by a single RCD. The majority of UK boards do not have protective devices that break both poles or provide earth leakage protection to individual circuits, because the vast majority are not full RCBO boards, getting a bit ahead of yourself and the UK normal installation there, I would akin the French boards more like a Lincoln, Continental that is. ?

 

[nicebutdim]

I just fail to understand the logic behind post #8.

It suggests that 40 circuits protected by 5 RCCBs is a significant improvement on the OPs existing installation, without offering any suggestion as to why this would be the case. The only benefit I can see is that no circuit would be without earth leakage protection. Setting aside the differences in wiring conventions and nature of supplies, surely in France it would be more desireable to protect those circuits with individual RCBOs, rather than hanging 8 circuits off each RCCB?

Going back to my previous post; after a full reqire and the addition of any new circuits, the OP could gain more suitable protection at significantly less cost. Even if they don't rewire, and assuming all wiring is satisfactory, the OP could fit a new board that provides more suitable protection than found in said 2 bed flat and still save a load of money and space.

 

[nicebutdim]

The majority of UK boards do not have protective devices that break both poles or provide earth leakage protection to individual circuits, because the vast majority are not full RCBO boards, getting a bit ahead of yourself and the UK normal installation there, I would akin the French boards more like a Lincoln, Continental that is. ?

The point I'm making is that, division of circuits aside, the only benefit from the French example is that two remaining circuits would be RCD protected.

It is also worth pointing out that the flat in question has been upgraded, when being compared with the OP's older installation. While it's not common for RCBOs to break both poles in the UK, there are reasonably priced options that do just that.

 

[Creamy Goodne5]

sons. First, there are some ceilings that could use a make-over, some rooms with plaster that sounds blown, and the added peace of mind by getting everything redone in breathable lime plaster to match the solid wall construction. The current state of the house doesn't require a full replaster - likely a partial one would be ok. However, if the benefits of the rewire are big enough, then certainly it would tip the balance to just replastering everything. It's one of those issues, though, that snowballs...if we replaster, we would likely also replace the central heating pipework to make sure everything that is very invasive is done at the same time. A damp survey highlighted that some areas likely had past leaks that were subsequently fixed, so probably not a bad idea to update everything. The downside is that it takes away from the budget we were planning on using to replace a very dated and ready

Just a thought for you, full rewire doesnt mean full replaster, especially with the right electrian where you can walk round and explain where you want everthing.

Even the messiest electrican is only going to be chasing channels out of walls that can be reskimmed and look like new.

For me its a no brainer if you in full renovating mode. Just imagine the alternative that in 3 years a circuit fails and your then chasing walls out after youve remoddeled and redecorated.

 

[pc1966]

If you are rewiring and they are going in to plaster chases, etc, it is worth considering PVC conduit as well as then it is often possible to replace a cable later without major redecoration as it ought to pull through.

 

[chris50450]

32 circuit breakers in a 2 bed flat is frankly ridiculous. Do the French regs really demand this?

No they don't, it is quite excessive.
Average for a well appointed 2 bed appartment with electric heating would be 15-20 on 3 RCD's

 

[freddo]

No one has answered what is going on with that RCD type thing in the centre of the consumer unit, why has it been blanked and defaced? Is it even an RCD?

 

[naylorpd]

I think a rewire would be a good idea to help future-proof the house for many years. 1970s twin & earth is probably OK, just sockets and lights won't be in the right place. I remember being given advice on sockets - it's better to look at them than for them.

Here are some suggestions:
1) Maybe a small patch panel under the stairs with ethernet cable running to all the TVs, desks and wifi router
2) consider whether you will ever have CCTV, and how you might power it. Include cabling for POE back to your panel. Even if you can get wireless cameras, they still need power.
3) channel in cables for burglar alarm sensors in all rooms, at least downstairs - although there are some good wireless systems, the best are still hard-wired. Now is the time to do it.
4) rewire light switches so here is a neutral cable at the light switch - many smart lighting systems require it and most UK wiring doesn't have it.
5) Look carefully at where you might have TVs and put enough sockets etc. for TV, sound bar, DVD, XBox, Sky box etc. Mine looks like the photo - on the left of the sockets is a buried trunking for connecting DVD to TV etc. Arguably I could have put more sockets.
6) Build in speaker cabling for surround sound in the living room - no trailing cables makes it much easier

All in all, if you are ripping the wiring up and doing plastering, now is the cheapest and most practical time to do this.

 

[littlespark]

When we had an extension built, i meticulously planned where the TV was going... extra sockets, telephone point for the old sky box, satellite coax, network cabling for the smart tv, xbox....

2 years later, the wife decided she wanted the tv in a different corner.

2 years after that... she wanted it on the wall...

 

[telectrix]

When we had an extension built, i meticulously planned where the TV was going... extra sockets, telephone point for the old sky box, satellite coax, network cabling for the smart tv, xbox....

2 years later, the wife decided she wanted the tv in a different corner.

2 years after that... she wanted it on the wall...

serves you right for not anticipating this and providing TV points in every possible place a woman might change her mind for. then again, 200 TV points in a room is expensive on materials

 

[Mike Johnson]

That explains it, the French are female they even legislate that the Loo has to have a telephone point and all rooms have to have an RJ45 connection, they have obviously not heard of WiFi yet.