Must I rewire the whole house?

[telectrix]

then i think it's time to call in a local spark or 2 and get a couple of quotes. from what we can see from here, it's unlikely that a rewire is needed, but this can only be confirmed by personal visit.

 

[Yung]

That Report is a classic example of someone who should not be doing EICRs.

Here I am thinking I did due diligence by hiring an NICEIC registered electrician with NICEIC all over his van.

 

[Yung]

Hi Young and Welcome to the Fourum.
Sorry to say, I'm doubtful of the codes recorded and the conclusion that you need to rewire is also likely wrong. Might be worth a second opinion about the extent of work needed. Many good folks here will do free quotes

Thank you!! I'll be happy to let someone in East London/Essex/Romford area give me a quote and do the job.

 

[Yung]

Looks like the conclusion he has arrived at is, if you want all this work done may as well opt for a complete rewire, the only thing visible is the need for RCD protection, which would be a fairly easy and not at all that expensive job. - If the rewire isn't done now - how long before it needs doing?
Testing has been limited to the RFCs (Ring circuits) that's just my take after a look at the report, quick question how much did he charge for the EICR?

And the charge was £120.00

 

[Yung]

I note the reason for the report, is a mortgage application. Apart from the bathroom & kitchen refurbishment, your mortgage lender, on the basis of this EICR, might require to carry out the recommendations of the report for you to obtain your mortgage.

Who paid for the EICR?

It wasn't for mortgage application per say, it was because we were buying the house and we thought we should get it done before spending money decorating etc.

I paid for it.

 

[Yung]

At No. 4 under agreed operational limitations it is supposed to be agreed with the person ordering the work the items in that box. Did you actually agree to pay for a test that left out three of the circuits? Or did the mortgage company agree to such a poor inspection? Most unlike a mortgage company. Anyway the items listed can be done without a rewire from the information given here. I believe you can remedy the RCD protection but am not convinced it is necessary if equipotential bonding is in place and meets the formula in BS7671. It sounds like you may have to spend circa £500 max to remedy what is listed imho.

Wow!!! Thanks - some much needed reassurance!

 

[telectrix]

And the charge was £120.00

that's why it was a cursory inspection. £200 is a more realistic price for a thorough EICR. it's possible that the guy has gone in cheap there hoping to make a killing from a total rewire. several members in the london area. let's see if one can oblige.

 

[Yung]

then i think it's time to call in a local spark or 2 and get a couple of quotes. from what we can see from here, it's unlikely that a rewire is needed, but this can only be confirmed by personal visit.

Thank you! This will be my next step. Assuming the house was originally wired with PVC sheathed wiring - how long before a full rewire would be needed?

 

[Yung]

that's why it was a cursory inspection. £200 is a more realistic price for a thorough EICR. it's possible that the guy has gone in cheap there hoping to make a killing from a total rewire. several members in the london area. let's see if one can oblige.

That explains why. He just said I charge this amount and I paid. I'll wait and see what happens...or I might just post a job.

 

[telectrix]

how long is a piece of string?pvc wiring, if not subjected to detrimental influences, can remain in service for 50 years plus.

try posting on the "find an electrician" forum ( 2nd one down in the forums menu). bear in mind though that some replies may not be members and as such, will not be personally known.

 

[Pete999]

Thank you! This will be my next step. Assuming the house was originally wired with PVC sheathed wiring - how long before a full rewire would be needed?

How long is a piece of string, as long as the tests carried out are OK then you should be OK however old the install is.

 

[The Ghost]

Here I am thinking I did due diligence by hiring an NICEIC

Just to be clear, no one here can truly judge the state of your wiring adequately. I would err on the side of giving some weight to the opinion of the person who attended your property. It is a very marginal judgement call sometimes on an existing wiring where one will say rewire another upgrade and/or improvement.
I have attended wiring that is simply atrocious, and yet still salvaged what was good and replaced and repaired what is not. The state of insulation sounds fine on your cables. The protective devices are perfectly adequate from what I can glean from the information. There is no doubt, but not a requirement necessarily, that RCD can offer a significant improvement on safety. And if it were my house I would not hesitate to upgrade for the safety of my family.
In short without evidence especially to the contrary I must assume the person attending your property knows whereof they speak it is not for me to malign another without damning evidence.

 

[The Ghost]

duplicate

 

[David M]

Sometimes it can be a personal call when deciding whether to go the full hog. As the folks have already mentioned, to make a clear judgement on the state of and installation requires a site visit and a proper inspection. It could be the case that it is more economical in the long run to just re-wire. It can be a bit like fixing up an old car, where you can either patch up the old body work and salvage the good or you just have the lot done in one hit.

Personally if it was my house and I could afford to I'd have it re-wired before I did anything else. This way you can specify the whole install to suit your needs for now and maybe the future. You can get all the mess done and out of the way. You are also safe in the knowledge that the install will likely last most of your life (assuming you chose to live there for that long) but even so it, also adds value to the property and most importantly you can sleep at night knowing that you and your family are safe.

If money is tight and it is possible I'd probably have the work done in stages. This is a pain and will cost you more but at least it takes the pressure off getting all the finances in place in one go. If you really want to save money then the only option is to just get done what is essentially required to make the existing install safe and up to date (assuming this is an option).

At the end of the day as the home owner its your choice. My advise - get a couple of quotes in with a couple of options and then make decision.

 

[Yung]

Sometimes it can be a personal call when deciding whether to go the full hog. As the folks have already mentioned, to make a clear judgement on the state of and installation requires a site visit and a proper inspection. It could be the case that it is more economical in the long run to just re-wire. It can be a bit like fixing up an old car, where you can either patch up the old body work and salvage the good or you just have the lot done in one hit.

Personally if it was my house and I could afford to I'd have it re-wired before I did anything else. This way you can specify the whole install to suit your needs for now and maybe the future. You can get all the mess done and out of the way. You are also safe in the knowledge that the install will likely last most of your life (assuming you chose to live there for that long) but even so it, also adds value to the property and most importantly you can sleep at night knowing that you and your family are safe.

If money is tight and it is possible I'd probably have the work done in stages. This is a pain and will cost you more but at least it takes the pressure off getting all the finances in place in one go. If you really want to save money then the only option is to just get done what is essentially required to make the existing install safe and up to date (assuming this is an option).

At the end of the day as the home owner its your choice. My advise - get a couple of quotes in with a couple of options and then make decision.

I am not so keen on aesthetics of the house due to my budget. If I did decide to go full hog - Is it possible to do this without ripping the kitchen and bathroom apart? I mean full rewire but not have to fork out money on kitchen and bathroom till another time. I ask because I was told if I am doing a rewire, I should just start all over again. Rewire it all, I can manage to do that. But to get a new kitchen and bathroom cos of full rewire....no funds for that.