Rewiring Your Home: What You Must Know

One of the most common causes of residential fire in New Zealand is faulty electrical wiring. While our houses get older so too do our electrical systems which in many cases were not designed to handle the ever increasing electrical demands of the modern day. With up to 80% of house fires in New Zealand being described as avoidable , the thought that this could happen in your home is a scary one. However, there are a number of tell-tale signs that can help you decide if your home might be at risk.

While many of the important steps you can take to ensure the safety of yourself, your family and your possessions can be expensive investments, they are nothing compared with the peace of mind a complete re-wire can bring you.

Warning signs

If your home has a tendency for unexplained electrical mishaps it could be a sign that a rewiring is long overdue. Frequently blown fuses, tripped breakers and blown light bulbs are likely to mean that the current system is in need of updating while buzzing sounds and flickering lights, as well as being annoying, also indicate an overloaded circuit. More worrying signs include burning smells, sparks when plugging or unplugging appliances and loose outlets and hot cords or plugs. Regardless of the severity of the warning, it is likely that each of these electrical malfunctions can be put down to the same problem, and the same solution.

What do we mean by a full house rewire?

A full rewire describes the process of replacing electrical wiring (often concealed in walls), light fittings, sockets and switches in every room of your home. It is generally accepted that any house built before the late 1970s is likely to need rewiring if it hasn’t already. The use of outdated materials and lack of capacity characteristic of wiring systems from before this time are just a couple of the many things that make them dangerously unsuitable for twenty-first century life.

Replacing an outdated wiring system is one of the most useful things you can do to prevent a serious problem occurring in the future. As well as the obvious safety benefits it will bring to you and your family it can also improve the efficiency of your home with the added potential of being offered a reduction in your insurance premium.

How long will it take?

As you might expect, the length of time your rewire will take depends entirely on the size and complexity of the specific project. While some projects can be as short as a couple of days of work on the electrical system itself others (particularly those larger renovation projects involving a wider range of building works happening at the same time) will take a little bit longer. There are steps that can be taken to minimise disruption during this phase, including the setting up of temporary living and cooking areas to ensure you never go without your basic needs.

The best time to do a rewire

Of course, some situations are unavoidable and a rewire will need to be carried out when you have no plans to carry out other work. However, if you are able to plan ahead, the best time to carry out a rewire is as part of larger re-model such as a kitchen remodelling or home extension for example. It will cause less disruption and fit around the other work you are carrying out.

Auckland’s Electrical Rewiring Specialists

At Northern Lights we can apply our knowledge and expertise to tailor a plan suitable for your specific situation. We are here to help alleviate the worries and stresses that come with choosing from the various options available to you and their individual costs. Whether you know what you need or not our electricians work with you to formulate a plan that works best for you and your budget.

Our electricians are able to provide electrical inspections to let you know if your home needs a rewire and advise you on rewiring options, cost and a possible timeframe.

If you are thinking about a possible rewire for your own home, then get in touch with us today, either online or over the phone on 0800 177 275. Our Auckland based team of professionally trained and accredited electricians are on hand to answer any questions you may have and provide you with a free, no obligation quote for our electrical services.

Related Read: Health and Environmental Benefits of LED Lighting

Author Credit: Jess Gruet, Digital Squad – Auckland SEO Agency

About This Post

Icon

4.9 86 reviews

  • Trinity Sax ★★★★★ 3 months ago
    Great team. Booked easily and didn’t have to wait days for the appt. They did a thorough investigation of issue
    ( PowerPoints not working and fuse switches tripping) and discovered we needed an in wall
    … More re wire. Very polite, explained everything well and got the job done. Would use them again for sure
  • Patrick Stanley ★★★★★ 4 months ago
    Excellent service, our sparky even explained the fault and was overall lovely to deal with! Would definitely recommend their services. Thank you Northern lights
  • Karen Poppelbaum ★★★★★ a week ago
    Have used the company 3 times, always polite, professional and go the extra yard, nothing is too much. I would 100% recommend them.

View Reviews