I have always been happy with the quality of work delivered by Oval Electrical over the last few years.
Rewiring older properties isn’t a small task by any means, this is major renovation work and isn’t to be taken lightly. The truth is that rewiring is one of the most disruptive and messy improvements you can make to your home.
It involves lifting carpets and floorboards, a lot of drilling and cutting and it requires a complete power outage. Whilst a good electrician will have a dust extractor and do all they can to limit the dust caused by the work - it’s important to be fully aware of the significance of this job and how to plan around the disruption.
Why would rewiring older properties in Brighton be necessary?
If you’re purchasing an older property or live in one in Brighton, the electrical system may not be able to handle the electrical needs of modern day living and will also not meet current electrical safety standards. The safety risks of older wiring can be serious, from disintegrating insulation, poor earthing and circuits being overloaded - all those issues amplify the chances of electrical shock or fire.
We recently were called to a customer's home on Windmill Terrace in Brighton, they had recently purchased a 19th century home from an elderly couple. They asked us to inspect the property to see if a rewire is necessary, we performed an EICR and visual inspection and found lead-sheathed cables and an outdated consumer unit - as a result of poor wiring we noticed signs of overheating on fixtures. Off the back of our findings the customer decided to go ahead with a rewire before moving in and starting the rest of their renovations.
As a general rule of thumb rewires should take place every 25-30 years to keep the home at optimal function in line with the current demands of the home's electrics.
When is the right time to plan a rewire?
First things first, you want to plan a rewire when the property is empty as rewiring is a very messy job - this avoids damage to any finished surfaces or furniture. In terms of which phase of renovation this should be completed in, if you’re planning to replaster the home then the re-wiring should ideally be done before - this means the rewiring happens before any plastering, painting, or tiling.
What’s the full process involved with rewiring older properties in Brighton?
Before we start any physical work required of a rewire we have to thoroughly examine the current electrical set up in the home and look into the layout of the property to iron out any potential issues - a plan will be built completely tailored to your Brighton home. Once the rewire is ready to start, the power is completely shut off and circuits isolated - to ensure a safe environment. During the rewire, as mentioned earlier the ceilings and walls may need to be opened up. Old cables will need to be safely removed and the new ones installed. During this time we will run the cable to accommodate sockets and lighting and any other specific electrical needs you may have. Once the new wire is placed we will upgrade the fuseboard to a new consumer unit that is built with modern day needs in mind.
Once the above steps have been completed, the final stages are testing and inspection and repairs to ceilings, walls or floors. The entire system is tested to check installation is completely safe and correct and everything works as it should. After this we repair the walls or floors that have been opened and ensure all the fittings and sockets are safely secured in their place.
Oval Electrical - Brighton
To book your rewire or simply ask any questions you may have, get in touch with your local and trusted rewire electrician in Brighton today!