I've just bought a 3 bed semi build in 1960.
All walls are brick.
The original sockets, of which there are few, have pre-pvc cables. (Rubber? Cotton?) I've had a look at one or two and there's no evidence any of them are part of a ring main. The cable reaches the sockets through conduit built into the walls originally.
There are a larger number of surface mounted sockets which look pretty old to me, but I suspect have been retro fitted at a later date but together, at the same time. These have PVC wiring. Again there's no evidence these are part of a ring main. The wires to these appear to come through a hole drilling in the wall. I assume that the cavity has been used to route the cables but that could be wrong.
I can't see what's going on the (rather elderly) consumer unit end and really don't want to touch it. Having said that, it's pretty clear there isn't a wire from every single plug back to the Socket fuse.
Clearly nobody can know how my wiring is set up without looking at it, but I wonder if people might have some general insights into how wiring might typically have been routed/wired up between the 60s and the 80s.
Specifically:
1) How long should the pre-pvc cable rubber/cotton cable last before it must be replaced?
2) The lack of any evidence of a ring main raises the rather scary prospect that all of the retro-fitted sockets (and perhaps all of the original sockets) and getting their power from one thin wire going back to the consumer unti which must get rather hot. Is what I'm describing sounding typical for a house of this age? - By which I mean did they use a minimal ring main and then run a load of sockets off as spurs?
3) Was routing cable through wall cavities typical?
I don't actually have to touch the wiring in the house - is leaving sleep dogs to lie a bad idea? (These dogs appear to have slumbered for 30 years plus already.)
What's the situation with building insurance? Will it cover me for historic bodges?
I fully understand that nobody can tell me specifics about my wiring without looking and that if I want to touch the wiring I have to get a pro to do it. I just want to understand what's could be going on.
All walls are brick.
The original sockets, of which there are few, have pre-pvc cables. (Rubber? Cotton?) I've had a look at one or two and there's no evidence any of them are part of a ring main. The cable reaches the sockets through conduit built into the walls originally.
There are a larger number of surface mounted sockets which look pretty old to me, but I suspect have been retro fitted at a later date but together, at the same time. These have PVC wiring. Again there's no evidence these are part of a ring main. The wires to these appear to come through a hole drilling in the wall. I assume that the cavity has been used to route the cables but that could be wrong.
I can't see what's going on the (rather elderly) consumer unit end and really don't want to touch it. Having said that, it's pretty clear there isn't a wire from every single plug back to the Socket fuse.
Clearly nobody can know how my wiring is set up without looking at it, but I wonder if people might have some general insights into how wiring might typically have been routed/wired up between the 60s and the 80s.
Specifically:
1) How long should the pre-pvc cable rubber/cotton cable last before it must be replaced?
2) The lack of any evidence of a ring main raises the rather scary prospect that all of the retro-fitted sockets (and perhaps all of the original sockets) and getting their power from one thin wire going back to the consumer unti which must get rather hot. Is what I'm describing sounding typical for a house of this age? - By which I mean did they use a minimal ring main and then run a load of sockets off as spurs?
3) Was routing cable through wall cavities typical?
I don't actually have to touch the wiring in the house - is leaving sleep dogs to lie a bad idea? (These dogs appear to have slumbered for 30 years plus already.)
What's the situation with building insurance? Will it cover me for historic bodges?
I fully understand that nobody can tell me specifics about my wiring without looking and that if I want to touch the wiring I have to get a pro to do it. I just want to understand what's could be going on.