Rerouting Not Rewiring Cables - Need To Be Signed Off?

[Sharpend]

As Binky says either a basic spec rewire or a deduction on the price. A new buyer is unlikely to be that impressed with trunking everywhere when they could get a house up the road that has properly hidden cabling for more or less the same price :C  

 

[Sidney]

As those cables in the kitchen are live I would get them sorted immediately, either by fixing accessories to them or at least terminating into something such as Wago connectors in a box to keep them out of harms way.

 

[Ed51]

As Binky says either a basic spec rewire or a deduction on the price. A new buyer is unlikely to be that impressed with trunking everywhere when they could get a house up the road that has properly hidden cabling for more or less the same price :C  

OK looks like I will bite the bullet and go for a basic rewire. I'm not well enough to be able to work and am on benefit. The house is in a bit of a state with stuff everywhere I can hardly move around, not a hoarder, just stuff one accumulates over the years. I'd feel a bit ashamed, self conscious, uncomfortable about someone coming in. I'm able to  move stuff around from room to room, would an electrician be able to do it a bit at a time, so I can get stuff out of the way? Also selecting an electrician who is a  properly accredited qualified? Like  The Gas Safe register type of thing.

So for a basic rewire, high end low end price in Swindon area Wiltshire.

 

[Risteard]

you have cable that is roughly 30 years old, it is probably good for another 20 odd years

I can assure you that any cable manufacturer will tell you that the typical service life of a cable is not taken to be anything like 50 years. More like 25 years. This is likely a life-expired installation.

 

[Evans Electric]

look online for Registered Competent Persons Electrical .

Then look on there for someone near you and get some quotes . 

If your place is cluttered  they will almost certainly allow for that in their quotes ...I do . 

 

[Risteard]

look online for Registered Competent Persons Electrical .

Only relevant to England & Wales. The Electrical Safety Register should be used elsewhere.

 

[Evans Electric]

The guy is in Wiltshire isn't he ?  

 

[Doc Hudson]

The guy is in Wiltshire isn't he ?  

Yes, He even said Swindon, which is England, So I would agree with your earlier post.

http://www.electricalcompetentperson.co.uk/

Doc H.

 

[Risteard]

The guy is in Wiltshire isn't he ?  

I have no idea - where did you see that?

 

[Evans Electric]

In one of his later posts , he mentions  Swindon . 

 

[Doc Hudson]

OK looks like I will bite the bullet and go for a basic rewire. I'm not well enough to be able to work and am on benefit. The house is in a bit of a state with stuff everywhere I can hardly move around, not a hoarder, just stuff one accumulates over the years. I'd feel a bit ashamed, self conscious, uncomfortable about someone coming in. I'm able to  move stuff around from room to room, would an electrician be able to do it a bit at a time, so I can get stuff out of the way? Also selecting an electrician who is a  properly accredited qualified? Like  The Gas Safe register type of thing.

So for a basic rewire, high end low end price in Swindon area Wiltshire.

I have no idea - where did you see that?

Immediately before your earlier post.

Doc H.

 

[binky]

I can assure you that any cable manufacturer will tell you that the typical service life of a cable is not taken to be anything like 50 years. More like 25 years. This is likely a life-expired installation.

No manufacturer is going to say anything different - arse covering! Someone did post a guide to cable life on here many years ago, a fully loaded cable running 24/7/365 could have a life as short as a few years. I've worked on many old domestic systems 40-50 years old, which have cables in good condition, as I said in my post, this needs to be established by testing. The guidelines on testing says that anything that passes test, and that is only 2 M Ohm is good for another 10 years. If it comes in at say >200 M Ohm, well it probably has decades of life left in it in my opinion.

 

[Murdoch]

I think the op should look at this another way.

He is going to sell

So get a couple of estate agents in and get it valued, then ask them how much more it may be worth with this work done .... With proper certificates and part p

In the current housing market, a complete house is probably easier too sell, and less likely to get knocked down in price at the 11 th hour.

Plus in the meantime all the costs associated with having the house ...

 

[Risteard]

In one of his later posts , he mentions  Swindon . 

Apologies - I hadn't seen that post.

 

[Risteard]

The guidelines on testing says that anything that passes test, and that is only 2 M Ohm is good for another 10 years.

Where are these guidelines? I haven't seen them. After all, it is for the Inspector to determine when the next periodic inspection should be having regard for the condition of the electrical installation. Indeed, the Inspector may state that the installation should be re-inspected in six months time - and indeed this is something I have done on occasion.

The limit is actually one Megohm (with further investigation below two being subject to further investigation).

It must, however, be remembered that the minimum values of insulation resistance are for the electrical installation - or in larger installations a distribution board with all final circuits connected. If testing individual circuits then the effects of resistances in parallel must be considered (1/Rt = 1/R1 + 1/R2 etc.) - this is a requirement of the Wiring Regulations. This is why, where practicable, I always conduct a global test of insulation resistance. In fact RECI (the Regulatory Body in the south of Ireland) insist on the test being carried out this way when inspecting contractors' work, and rightly so as this is the rule in ET101 - however, as pointed out, it is also the requirement in BS7671.

 

[binky]

Domestic EICR guideline interval is 10 years, ergo if a system passes test it's good for another 10 years . It's also in an NICEIC document somewhere that I read many years ago. 1 Meg is pretty low in my opinion - anything barely passing test at this level I wouldn't give 10 years. 

Interesting view of global testing - I've always regarded this as short cut to save time and not a true representation of the state of the cabling.  Given the amount of hard wired equipment in todays houses such as LED drivers, it hardly ever works anyway, so I very rarely use it.

 

[Murdoch]

Domestic EICR guideline interval is 10 years, ergo if a system passes test it's good for another 10 years . It's also in an NICEIC document somewhere that I read many years ago. 1 Meg is pretty low in my opinion - anything barely passing test at this level I wouldn't give 10 years. 

Interesting view of global testing - I've always regarded this as short cut to save time and not a true representation of the state of the cabling.  Given the amount of hard wired equipment in todays houses such as LED drivers, it hardly ever works anyway, so I very rarely use it.

Sorry mate but I HAVE to disagree with you on that point.

The EICR retest date is stipulated by the tester and can be any duration they deem.

Shortest re-test I've given was 1 year - based on very low IR and very poor state of the property ........ and a tight fisted landlord .......... unsurprisingly I wasn't invited back the following year to do the next test!

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

No manufacturer is going to say anything different - arse covering! Someone did post a guide to cable life on here many years ago, 

I can remember that, but can't find the full guide...

But this voltimum article from 2010 was probably somewhere around the same era ??

https://www.voltimum.co.uk/articles/q-day-what-lifespan-twin-and-earth-cables

Where it says

"Most manufacturers will state figures of around 25 years on average, but it is known that some well-installed and lightly loaded systems may last 50 years."

Also over recent years we have had an increase in the number of final circuits on your average domestic installation...

So more circuits = Less load per circuit = Longer lifespan as well!!!

e.g. how long has it been since anyone would have thought it normal to just have a single lighting or single socket circuit supplying a whole installation?

Guinness

 

[Evans Electric]

e.g. how long has it been since anyone would have thought it normal to just have a single lighting or single socket circuit supplying a whole installation?

I think that started to change  by the  late 1960's   early '70,s  .

I think the least circuits I've come across was   4 way Wylex  rewirable   ,  1 X Lights ..1 X  ring main.... 2 X spare .           ( Im Htr connected to Ring )  

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Where are these guidelines? I haven't seen them. After all, it is for the Inspector to determine when the next periodic inspection should be having regard for the condition of the electrical installation. Indeed, the Inspector may state that the installation should be re-inspected in six months time - and indeed this is something I have done on occasion.

This is why, where practicable, I always conduct a global test of insulation resistance. In fact RECI (the Regulatory Body in the south of Ireland) insist on the test being carried out this way when inspecting contractors' work, and rightly so as this is the rule in ET101 - however, as pointed out, it is also the requirement in BS7671.

Global IR test can be a bit of a waste of space if you have things in board that can distort the readings..

e.g.  some of those RCBO's with the white earth fly-lead can give readings less than 0.5 Meg between N and E @ 500v!!   :angry: :shakehead

Plus on an existing installation more often than not, one or more circuits have something connected that lowers the IR value..

So you end up having to test each circuit in turn to find out that something is still plugged in or the shed PIR & security light is  a bit damp inside!!!

The majority of the time the quickest overall method timewise is to check each circuit individually from the start, so if you encounter low readings you know where to start looking.

Domestic EICR guideline interval is 10 years, ergo if a system passes test it's good for another 10 years . It's also in an NICEIC document somewhere that I read many years ago. 1 Meg is pretty low in my opinion - anything barely passing test at this level I wouldn't give 10 years. 

Interesting view of global testing - I've always regarded this as short cut to save time and not a true representation of the state of the cabling.  Given the amount of hard wired equipment in todays houses such as LED drivers, it hardly ever works anyway, so I very rarely use it.

GN3 actually says "The Initial inspection interval"  i.e after a new installation is 10 years before re-inspect & test.....

But if an installtion is still testing as good as new..

Then its reasonably safe to assume another 10 years is good...

But to be strictly to the letter...

There is NO fixed guidance for next inspection following EICR of and older installation..

It is down to the judgement of the inspector. 

Sorry mate but I HAVE to disagree with you on that point.

The EICR retest date is stipulated by the tester and can be any duration they deem.

Shortest re-test I've given was 1 year - based on very low IR and very poor state of the property ........ and a tight fisted landlord .......... unsurprisingly I wasn't invited back the following year to do the next test!

I think we all actually knew what Binky means with his 10 year figure...

But to the wording of the Big Book you are correct..  :Salute

I have done a few 6month, 1 year and 2 years...

But the majority do tend to be either 5 or 10 years..

Guinness