25 year old house

[rqy99g]

Hi

I'm just in the process of buying a 25 year old house, the electrics are probably on a fuse box... not sure but I'm guessing so.

If it is should I change it to an RCD?

Other than that should there be any need to update the electrics? Just that I will be having several of the walls skimmed and want to make sure I prioritise order of work properly!

Ta

Simon

 

[RF Lighting]

You need an electrician to carry out an EICR for you. It will tell you what condition the installation and what repairs / upgrades are required.

 

[davelx]

Without seeing the installation nobody can really answer that.

It is recommended that domestic electrical installations are inspected every 10 years and on change of ownership.

You should really commission an Electrical Installation Condition Report from a qualified electrician to determine what, if any, work is needed to make the installation safe and/or update it.

(strange - RF's reply wasn't there when I started typing this 2 minutes ago!)

 

[rqy99g]

Thanks for the helpful replies... I need to get my head round just what needs doing!!

Thanks again

Simon

 

[Taylortwocities]

Get that inspection done.
At 25 years, the cables themselves should be fine to use for another 25 years. But you never know what bodging DIYer has been up to things.
The inspevction will certainly say that you need a new consumer unit, as the regulations have changed in 25 years. But maybe a new one has already been installed? You obviously dont know…

Take a structured approach to the job.
Plan everything first.
What you want where, what you want that is new, what needs moving.

Do not even think of plastering, or doing flooring until all of the infrasturture work has been done (electric, plumbing, TV, Ethernet, multimedia, heating controls, helicopter landing lights ……..)

Only then can you do the stuff that SWMBO will want doing first...

 

[ericmark]

My house just a little bit older built 1980 it had as original a 4 fuse consumer unit I added to this with a second 4 fuse consumer unit and between the consumer units and the DNO head I fitted a adaptable box with two RCD's one feeding each consumer unit. The fuses were then swapped for MCB's so is still compliant with current regulations.

The problem is the RCD's are rather old and very easy to trip in electrical storms and the like. I have considered swapping for modern X-Pole or swapping whole consumer unit and moving to RCBO but as yet just on the to do list it has not been done.

My father-in-law next door but one has had a new consumer unit at the same time I added second one to mine late 80's and has no RCD protection.

So why add RCD protection. Clearly drilling walls, and mowing lawns it is better with RCD protection but also we did without it for years. So main reason is to make it easier to add to the system. Because all new sockets require RCD protection adding to existing becomes a problem if not already protected.

I forgot to look where you live but in England although changing a consumer unit requires LABC notifying so cheaper to get a scheme member electrician to change it extending circuits is not notifiable only new circuits so ensure every MCB/RCBO does something so you are only extending not fitting new circuit. Even if it's just a socket under the board. When you get the installation report you want something entered in every slot.

So in other words plan what you want first before you change the board design your ideal system then fit a board ready for that system. If likely you will have eye level oven and separate hob plan for it now before you have new consumer unit.

If you have like in this house a central stair well with little or no outside lighting again plan for how it will be lit. Mine has an emergency light so RCD tripping is not a danger. But if I did not have that then RBCO's rather than just two RCD's would be more important.

Will you want power to shed or garage again pre-plan and decide now if you want a board with some non RCD protected slots and a RCD in out building or if out building will be protected with house.

There is no magic formula you have to decide what you want. To me all RCBO is the best but expensive one of the pre-17th Edition boards with non RCD protected side with RCBO's is likely a good compromise.

 

[plugwash]

Agree with the others get it inspected and go from there.

If the wiring was compliant when it was put in, hasn't been bodged since and wasn't wired with faulty cable then it should still be fine with a new CU and replacement of any faulty accessories.

But if it has been bodged (either initially or later) or was wired with faulty cable then there may be considerable work needed to bring it up to standard and that may involve the installation of considerable ammounts of new cable (or in the worst case a complete rewire if the whole installation was wired in faulty or undersized cable).

You also need to think about whether the installation meets your requirements. We have far more electrical equipment than in the past and while you can live with a couple of sockets per room and a load of extension leads running round the edge of the room to where you want power it's not what I'd want in a property I owned (living in a rented flat I don't have much choice ).

 

[ericmark]

Clearly you need some form of inspection. This is a trust thing between you and the electrician. A good electrician would first have a casual look and decide if it seemed likely work has been done to the property. Inspecting one or two items he would formulate an idea as to if he was likely to find loads of problems or if likely there was little wrong.

He would advise as to how intense the inspection test and service needs to be. He could test every terminal for tightness and open every socket and ceiling rose and measure the loop impedance at every point. He could also just check those items that experience has shown him are likely to be problems.

It is not like a car service where you get a pre-set A, B, and C level it is not even like an MOT it uses the skill of person doing the inspection to work out how far to go.

I would consider a consumer unit change to get RCD protection but again you need to decide Roles Royce with all RCBO's or Mini with just two RCD's. But clearly people still use Austin 7 and Morris 8 today which have no crumple zones or ABS brakes and you can still use an electric system with no RCD.

There is likely a legal problem towing a caravan with a Standard 8 as today your unlikely to find a tow bar for it with the correct testing completed and in the same way it would likely be hard to add to your electric system without a new consumer unit.

As to using more power I have asked the question here I am not convinced we use any more power today as we did 25 years ago.