Out of curiosity......

[Hallsy]

....do most sparkies fully remove old wiring when doing a re-wire?

I was under the impression that they didn't as it would take up more time, or do some remove all they find under the boards, but leave it in the walls?

 

[plugwash]

if re-using conduit then obviously the old wires will be used to pull through the new.

if under the floor and visible i imagine many sparkies would pull it out if only so they could re-use the holes but once again its going to depend on the situation.

if its burried direct in the wall and the sparky doesn't wan't to run a new cable that way then i'd say its very unlikely to get removed.

 

[crystal ball]

When lead covered cable was commonplace in properties being re wired sparks used to go to great lengths to remove it for scrap, but the lead price dropped, not sure what it is now.

 

[Hallsy]

As I thought plugwash, only really removed if it makes the job easier in the long run, such as re-using holes in joists or re-using conduit/chases.

 

[andy]

normally i just leave the old wires in. rippin out to use old holes isnt really an option unless the house is empty since the old power is in use and slowly changed over the 3 days

 

[mapj1]

In really old houses it is worth taking out the lead pipes that used to feed the gas light too. Most common in 1850s terraces. Often when slum electrification came between 1910 and 1930, they would used the old gas pipe routes as a poor man's conduit - if there is any left that paper covered wire is coming out, if only for the museaum.
Generally take out what is easy or in the way, chop off and leave the rest, no hard and fast rules.

 

[dingbat]

As an extra thought, with all the confusion regarding recent and forthcoming changes in regulations for transporting and disposing of waste, most tradesmen will want to remove as little as possible from a customer's premises to avoid any potential extra cost .

(I do like to remove old cable from runs though, to avoid future confusion about what is live and what is not.)

 

[andy]

As an extra thought, with all the confusion regarding recent and forthcoming changes in regulations for transporting and disposing of waste,

what are they? first ive heard of them

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I'm sure they are easy to find, but in a nutshell, AFAICT, stuff that you or I might just throw away, if acquired by somebody as a result of commercial activities becomes commercial waste, and can't be thrown away.

Where my Dad used to live a few of the neigbours used the same gardner, and he was delighted when my Dad said he'd take all the grass cuttings off him to use as mulch & compost on his allotment, because it saved the guy having to take it to a licenced recycling facility and pay to dispose of it.