Here at Walker Electrical we are Preston’s leading electrical experts. From schools and residential settings, to hotels, retail and industrial settings, we provide a range of high quality electrical solutions. As a result, we have produced this guide to the rewiring considerations for old properties.
Why is rewiring necessary for some old properties?
It can be necessary to rewire an old property for a number of reasons, including:
- Old wiring- old properties are likely to have old wiring, either still in use as circuits, or as redundant cables. You would be shocked at how often these redundant cables are kept live, which is clearly very unsafe! For the safety of your property, and the people living or working in the property, it is crucial that your wiring is updated and up to standard.
- Faulty repairs- over time it is more likely that the wiring in your property will have undergone some DIY repair work, and this increases the chances of unsafe circuit connections and wiring faults that can be incredibly unsafe.
What are the rewiring considerations for old properties?
For old properties, you will need to consider:
- Listed building status- if the property has listed building status you will need listed building consent for chasing cables and cutting in new switches or sockets to historic plaster work. This is something you will need to discuss with the conservation officer in advance.
- Minimizing the visual impact- you should try and reuse any plaster-work channels where possible, and much of the electrical installation work will need to be positioned out of sight, in unused chimney spaces, floor voids etc. This can result in long cable runs.
- Minimizing damage- cable clips will need to be fixed into the mortar joints rather than the stones or bricks so they can be removed at a later date without causing significant damage.
For more information or advice, get in touch with the experts today, here at Walker Electrical.