old old house wireing

[cuteclaire]

Hi

I am helping my friend renovate her property after squatters left after 8 months. this includes total removal of the bathroom. on removal of the electric heater (cable red/black) the cable went into the bedroom socket, on taking the socket off i found only black wires with brittle insulation. Closer inspection seems to indicate that the wires are encased in a metal housing with a very thick uncovered earth cable. Is this normal in older properties.

The lighting circuits are wired the same making it very difficult to change fittings.

Do you think i need to rewire the house.

I am only a diy enthusiast and once all work is complete the council has asked for a electric test certificate before allowing tenants in.

The fuse box is quite modern with a 60ma current trip and circuit breakers.

The other question is the kitchen has the old style colour cables behind the cabinets but not in the wall and no switches above the units. do i need to put the cables into the wall or can i use trunking or will i need to change the cables to the new colour and ensure that all white goods sockets have switches above the worktop.

Thank you for your help and assistance

Claire

 

[ricicle]

Without seeing it's hard to give concrete advice but it definitely sounds like rewire time. Best to get it done before any decorating etc.
You could get a condition report done but it would probably be a waste of time due to the rewire being needed anyway. Get an electrician in (on recommendation) and they should be happy to advise if the work needs to be done anyway.

EDIT: Do not attempt the rewire yourself unless you are 100% competant to do so and as it sounds like it's going to be a rented property it needs to be A1 (as do all installations !)

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

If the cables are black rubber and insulation is brittle, sounds like VIR cable which needs to be removed.
Have you any photos to show?
Cables don't need to be buried or placed in containment like trunking. Providing the cables are fixed securely and no stress is on them they are fine behind the kitchen cabinets.
First thing to do is get a EICR done on the installation.

 

[Taylortwocities]

The fuse box is quite modern with a 60ma current trip and circuit breakers.

60mA? are you sure?

Pictures are required.

 

[Lectrician]

I wonder if it is Pyro?

 

[Lectrician]

I wonder if it is Pyro?

 

[cuteclaire]

Thanx for the reply's

I am going back on wed so will try and get photos. I have asked my friend to get a qualified elec to come and have a look and see if they can give advice so i can get the flat up to scratch for a certificate.

What sort of charge is it for a full rewire? I am thinking about £1500 - £2000?

There is only £2000 - 3000 for the total project. May be an extra £1000 if the insurance accept the mitigation and pay. At the moment they have denied the water damage claim.

 

[flameport]

There is only £2000 - 3000 for the total project.

That might cover the rewire.
If it is also supposed to cover other renovation works such as a bathroom, it is totally inadequate.

The cables you are describing could be one of several types, but they all have one thing in common - they haven't been used for well over 50 years.
It's not a question of if they should be replaced now - they should have already been replaced decades ago.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Sounds as if the squatters have done your friend a favour - their 8 month occupation did not cause the wiring to become dodgy, but if repairing their depredations are what led to it being discovered....

But she needs to reset her expectations of what it is going to cost to rewire and renovate - as flameport says, £2-3K is woefully inadequate.

 

[sparkybird]

Might even be lead sheathed cable, with separate earth run - seen this a few times before on rewires...

By the way, you will find it pretty impossible to get a sparky to sign off any work that you do, as we are not allowed to do it!

SB

 

[RF Lighting]

I wondered about lead cable. I've seen this where a singles VIR is run in alongside the lead to provide an earth from a near by water pipe.

We really need to see some photos of the wiring to say for sure, but what ever the wiring type, if the insulation is brittle they it needs replacing as a matter of urgency before something starts a fire.