House Wiring

[johnny1230]

How can you tell when the wiring inside the house will need replacing?

What do you look for in the wiring when you are purchasing a property?

Thanks

[muppet]

Hi Johnny

Best to get an expert to check the wiring.

Regards

[Aston]

What do you look for in the wiring when you are purchasing a property?

Thanks

A good indication that the wiring will need attention is the state of the distribution board. If it's one of those great big old black things with those old fuse holders then I think you're pretty safe to assume that you'll need a rewire.

I presume you're looking at an older house and if you have any concerns about the wiring at all you really need to get it checked by a qualified person. This is an area that you can't afford to take any risks with.

It won't cost a lot to get an electrician to give you a verbal report.


Aston

[whitt]

There is a type of wiring in older houses you need to identify before your purchase. Looking at fuse board area etc can give you an idea on wiring type if you know what to look for. The wiring type in question has a tendancy to get brittle with age and have its insulation fall off. Thus the need on some to re-wire at several thousand dollars.
And a quote from elsewhere on PT.

There are basically 4 types of wiring you may find in a house in era order, oldest to newest.

1) Conduits with wire covered in a woven material of sorts (not always necessary to be removed but if needed to the job could be horrendous especially if you need to remove the conduit as well).

2) White rubber insulated wire - mandatory that this is replaced as by now the insulation it provides is basically non existent and I believe it may be a legal requirement to address re wiring.

3) Black rubber insulated wire - by now the insulation provided by the rubber is fading adn it is recommeded that the wiring is replaced.

4) 3 wire double insulated - the standard modern style flat wiring with red, black and green insulation covered with white - breath easy...still compliant

Rewiring a house can cost upwards of $5000.00 and with old houses you will need to also allow for sockets and switch fittings that may fall apart or break when you rewire....the costs mounts....

So now the positive geaing is sucked through a blackhole and you are in the red.

The advice I received today was look carefully at the state of wiring before you buy, especially a pre 1970's home which may have the 1, 2 and 3 types of wiring.

If you rewire a home after buying it this may be seen as a non maintenance item as the purchase price should reflect the condition of wiring