Why You Need to Rewire Your Old Home

September 14, 2019

Why You Need to Rewire Your Old Home

If you take a look around Perth and surrounds, there are plenty of older houses that are the cherished homes of those living in them. And while living in an older home makes sense to plenty of people, something that isn’t often thought about is how safe the wiring is in a home – especially if your house was built in the 1950s or 1960s, or even earlier.

To keep your family safe, you may want to chat to a qualified electrician about rewiring your home. Old wiring can easily cause a house fire; apart from this, wiring in older homes generally isn’t up to using the amount of electricity we do today.

We’ve put together some great reasons why you need to look at having your old home rewired.

Not Enough Power for Today’s Needs

When houses were built in the 1950s and 1960s, and of course prior, electricity wasn’t used as much as what it is now, and all the appliances we have today simply didn’t exist. The wiring that you’ll find in older homes simply doesn’t meet the power demands of today, resulting in shortages and power outages.

Inefficient and Expensive

Because the wiring in older homes doesn’t meet the power needs of today, the wiring will need to work harder to meet your needs, therefore running your electricity bill higher than it needs to be. If you’ve recently moved to an older home or noticed your electricity bill creeping up, it’s a good time to get the wiring checked. New wiring is likely to mean lower electricity bills.

Circuit Breakers Tripping

Are your fuses blowing or circuit breakers tripping frequently? What about lights blowing more often than they should, or flickering every time you turn them on? This is a good sign that your home can’t handle the number of appliances it is trying to power. Older wiring doesn’t have the capability to run many modern-day appliances.

Home Improvements and Home Appliances

If you’ve done some major renovation works or improvements to your home where you’ve added higher powered appliances, rewiring is essential. If you didn’t rewire your home when these renovations and works were taking place, it is likely you have added more load than what your home can handle.

Old Homes and Old Wiring = House Fires

While it can be difficult to detect a fire waiting to happen, there are two clear indications that something wrong is happening. The first is that you may notice discoloured or charred power points and switches. This indicates that there is a short that is caused by a loose connection or faulty wiring near the switch. The discolouration comes from a small fire that was caused by arcing of a loose connection.

The second indication is a persistent burning smell. If you can’t pinpoint where this burning smell is coming from, there is a good chance you have an electrical short in your wiring. If there are no discoloured switches throughout the home, the short may have come from the wiring within the walls or even in your roof cavity.

Don’t believe how easily a house fire can start in an older home with bad wiring? This video from Channel Seven is well worth watching. We encourage you to share this with family and friends who live in older homes.

If you notice either of these issues, your best option is to disconnect the power to your home and call an electrician as a matter of urgency.

Rewiring your home is a big job. If you have a renovation planned, this is the perfect time to do it as an electrician will often need to get in behind the walls. No reno planned? Call out an electrician and get the process started now, before it’s too late.

PRF Electrical can help you with all your rewiring needs in your older Perth home. Our experienced team has worked on a range of houses, and we can bring your home’s wiring up to modern standards, making your home safer for everyone. Talk to us today.

Electrical Advice, Residential Electrical Advice