Upgrading Old Fuse Board - Contrasting Quotes

[Cluelesstotally]

Hi All,

This is the first of what I am sure will be thousands of posts over the next couple of years as I have just bought my first home and it needs a fair bit of modernising.

I would like to upgrade the current pull-out fuse style fuse board to a modern RCD type. I have had a number of quotes for this but a couple have said I need to upgrade the light electrics too as they are not earthed and have wooden back boxes. Do I have to upgrade the lights circuits if I update the fusebox or is it not a legal requirement? The house is Mid-1960's and I am happy to have all plastic light switches if that's the only problem. I would just like to know what has to be done by law and what should be done but is optional.

Thanks

Rose

 

[electronicsuk]

If you are modernising the entire house then you effectively have a blank canvas to work with, and no need to worry about damaging the decor during electrical works. If the lighting wiring does not have an earth then it should definitely be replaced, and you would be hard pushed to find a spark who will connect a new CU to such a circuit. If your other circuits are of a similar age then they could be wired in VIR, which will also need replacement.

If you choose to leave old circuits in place and simply have a new CU installed, you will be kicking yourself in a couple of years time when you have had the house decorated and the insulation on one of the circuits breaks down. You'd have to be as clueless as your name suggests not to get it done now.

 

[comms]

Well you can have the cu changed & leave the lights as is for now.
The sparks (if he is prepared to do it this way) can leave a lable (niceic do them) "no cpc on light circuit" & change all class one fittings for class two & make a note as a deviation on certificate.

Personaly I'd have the mess now & rewire the lights.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[ColJack]

unless the place is decorated to the highest standard and already in the colours you want, the it's best to get this done now before you start getting down to the business of making your house a home..

 

[Cluelesstotally]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

So it doesn't have to be done, but its good practice to and may fail the test anyway in which case it would have to be done.

Every room in the house needs redecorating so I can understand you saying to redo now. Problem is, like with many people, money. I've been quoted around £400 for the lights and around £2k for the full electrics rewire which are both a lot of money when you have a 35 yr mortgage to pay too. Whats the likely hood of having a problem with the lights or plug wiring in the next 15 yrs for example? If I bought a 2nd hand car with 80k miles on it not many people would advise having the engine rebuilt or the wiring redone, in most cases it would it continue to be fine for many years to come but if it has 200k miles most people would suggest having the engine done. Talking in general should this last another 15yrs or so until I have more money behind me and it needs redecorating again or is it likely in general to be a problem before then?

Thanks again

Rose

 

[sparkyspike]

It's impossible to tell. But a 1960s installation will be 60+ years old in 15 years time and that is a good age for problems to occur. It's up to you if you want to take the risk -perhaps you will be ok. To be honest, £400 for a lighting rewire isn't that much. In fact it's pretty cheap. If you can't afford it though, you can't afford it.

My car could breakdown next week. The older it gets, the more likely that is. But I'm not going to respray it if it's done 200,000 miles. Just as it would be a bad idea to redecorate and then be forced to rewire!

 

[Cluelesstotally]

The respray is a pretty good anaology to be fair.

Its not so much about can't afford it more about allocation of money, if I have to reqire its less money for elsewhere etc. Whats involved in

1) a lighting rewire?
2) a full rewire?

Is one more urgent than the other, one messier than the other etc?

 

[electronicsuk]

If the property is a bungalow then a lighting rewire can be done with relatively little mess, all the necessary access can be had from the loft, except for new switch drops which would have to be chased out in the wall. If you have one or more upstairs floors then floorboards would need to be removed in order to rewire the circuits for the floors below, in which case you will have to go through the same process of having the floors up again to have other circuits replaced in the future.

In short, if you're in a bungalow then it's fairly sensible to have just the lighting circuit(s) rewired if money will not permit a full rewire. However, I wouldn't suggest using wallpaper anywhere unless you keep some in spare, otherwise you will find yourself redecorating entire rooms if/when you have your socket circuits replaced.

If you don't live in a bungalow, it really would be very sensible to shell out and have everything rewired, as getting under the floors is a lot of hassle once a room is furnished. It will be easier for your electrician to do this sort of work when the house is bare, less time to do the job = cheaper labour.

 

[ColJack]

I'd get at least the lights done.. it won't be long before you want a nice brass light in the living room, or a nice chrome spotlight bar in the kitchen.. etc..

whilst you decorate you could carefully ( and with the power off ) dig out the old cables and put them in conduit drops and reconnect..
this will make a rewire at a later date that much easier and far less disruptive to the decorating ... don't fall into the laminate flooring trap though.. this makes rewires a pain in the rectum..

 

[flameport]

Is one more urgent than the other, one messier than the other etc?

They both make a huge mess.
'Urgent' depends on the condition of the wiring. However, anything installed 40+ years ago is already at the end of its useful life.

Whatever the condition, a 1960s installation will be inadequate today. There won't be anywhere near enough socket outlets and they are likely to be in the wrong places.

 

[electronicsuk]

hilst you decorate you could carefully ( and with the power off ) dig out the old cables and put them in conduit drops and reconnect..

Probably going to cause more trouble than good if the existing cables are VIR...

 

[ColJack]

good point and one that slipped my mind...

 

[flameport]

Its not so much about can't afford it more about allocation of money, if I have to reqire its less money for elsewhere etc.

Always allocate the money to basic services first. (electric, heating, plumbing). Without those, anything spent elsewhere is a waste.

Also consider that worn carpet and bad wallpaper won't kill anyone. Electricity can.

 

[ColJack]

tell that to my friends mom who tripped over a lose carpet and went though a plate glass window...