House Rewires
There is a good chance that your home will need rewiring if it was built before 1950. Homes built before this time often used cloth insulated wires. Over time, this type of insulation tends to break down, fall off and leave bare wires. Bare wires can lead to sparks, fires or electrical shocks. As a rule, the older the wiring is, the more likely it is in need of replacement. For more information on older electrical wiring and cloth insulated wires, click here.
In addition to wiring replacement, many older homes also require electrical panel upgrades. This panel is the box that houses all of your fuses or breakers. Its job is to route all of the electricity that you receive from the utility company to the circuits throughout your home. Because we use more electricity today, old breaker boxes may not be designed to handle the current load. As a result, your breakers will flip and your fuses will blow more frequently.
There are also many unseen dangers as a result of older electrical panels. Many of them will unsuccessfully shut off power when there is an overload or power leak. This can cause sparks, fire and electrical shocks. For more information about electrical panel upgrades, click here.
Frequently Asked Home Rewiring Questions
What is home rewiring?
When is it necessary?
How dangerous are deteriorating wires?
How do I know what kind of wiring I have?
How much will this cost?
How long will this take?
Will I have power during the rewire?
Will rewiring raise the value of my home?
Will a rewire lower my insurance rates?
Is an electrical permit necessary?
Can I rewire my home myself?
How frequently should my home be rewired?
What’s Next?
What is home rewiring?
During a home rewire, we will pull out all of your old wires and replace them with new ones. In many cases, we must also upgrade the electrical panel to make sure that the home has enough power flowing to it. We are often able to salvage portions of an electrical system, which only requires a partial rewire. In other cases, the only requirement is that we add a ground wire so that your system is grounded.
When is it necessary?
Your home may need to be rewired if it meets one of the following conditions:
- Cloth Insulated Wiring – If your home was built before 1950, then it most likely has cloth insulated wiring. This insulation can deteriorate and break off, which can be dangerous. These systems are also ungrounded and should be upgraded.
- Aluminum Wiring – It is estimated that nearly 2,000,000 homes were wired with aluminum wiring between the 1960s and 1970s. This type of wiring has proven to be a fire hazard. You will need to have a technician with special training in aluminum-to-copper retrofits to perform the safety upgrade for you. Although this can be very expensive, there are certain possibilities to upgrading aluminum wiring at lower costs.
- Knob and Tube Wiring – Homes built before 1935 frequently used Knob and Tube wiring. These homes normally have cloth insulated wiring and are ungrounded.
- Homes Wired Before 1950 – If your home was wired before 1950, there is a good chance that it has cloth insulated wiring that has deteriorated. Furthermore, most homes wired before 1950 have ungrounded electrical systems. The older the wiring system is the more likely it is to be unsafe and requiring an upgrade.
- Insufficient power – You will need an upgrade if your home needs more circuits installed. This can indicate that you have an older system that may require upgrades to increase your safety and the convenience of your electricity.
- Ungrounded Wiring or Ungrounded Outlets – Electrical systems that are ungrounded do not have a safe way of conducting excess electricity into the ground in the case of an electrical issue. Grounding your electrical system greatly increases the safety of your home.
- Unsafe Electrical Panel – For more about the replacement of an electrical panel, click here. Whenever we rewire a home, we also check your electrical panel. This is frequently a necessary upgrade during these jobs.
- Use of Extension Cords – If you are using extension cords for permanent power needs, then you should have additional circuits and outlets installed in convenient locations.
How dangerous are deteriorating wires?
Faulty wiring is a leading cause of home wiring. The U.S. Fire Administration stated that:
During a typical year, home electrical problems account for 67,800 fires, 485 deaths and $868 million in property losses. Home electrical wiring causes twice as many fires as electrical appliances.
If you have any questions about the safety of your system, or if you just need more outlets or switches, call our in-office technician today for a free consultation.
How do I know what kind of wiring I have?
If your home was built before 1950 take a look at some pictures of knob and tube wiring and cloth insulated wiring, and compare it to the wiring in your attic or crawl space. There is no simple way for homeowners to check for aluminum wiring.
The safest way to determine the safety of your electrical system is to have it checked by an electrician. This should be done every 10 years, so this is a great time to ask any questions that you have. We are more than happy to provide you with a free safety inspection to help you determine which type of wiring you have and whether or not it is safe.
How much will this cost?
Home rewires are charged according to the square footage of your home and the type of wiring that you currently have. If you have copper wires in conduit, we will charge one rate. If you don’t have a conduit in your home, our rates are slightly higher.
In the case that you need to bring an aluminum wiring system up to date, a special quote will have to be made. This all depends on what condition your wiring is in, how many outlets and switches you have, and any other modifications that you require. Give our office a call to get a free over-the-phone estimate and a free on-site firm bid.
How long will this take?
The length of time a home rewire requires largely depends on the size of the home. After we take a look at the entire job, we will give you an estimate on the amount of time it will take us to complete the job. For most houses requiring a complete rewire, we normally need two days to a week.
Will you need to break walls?
Whether or not we have to break walls all depends on how your home is currently wired, and the extent to which it needs to be replaced. We try to do as much work as possible without breaking any walls. When this becomes necessary, we do our best to only break where absolutely necessary. When we are done, we will do a full clean up and patch the wall in preparation for a paint crew. We know that it is important that our work doesn’t create more work for you.
Will I have power during the rewire?
We will have to turn off power to the portion of your home in which we are currently pulling old wires and installing new ones. We use a system, however, that allows us to work in one area at a time so that you do not lose electricity to your entire home or building. We will do the job one room at a time, and will never leave you without power overnight.
Will rewiring raise the value of my home?
Because older wiring is often unsafe, having it upgraded can have a positive effect on the value of your home. If you do not have it upgraded, problems are likely to arise during the home inspection of a sale. To make things even more difficult, many insurers and mortgage lenders will not cover homes that have unsafe wiring. As a result, you will find fewer buyers and end up settling for a lower price. Every time we rewire a home, we provide you with a lifetime, fully transferable warranty for our work.
Will a rewire lower my insurance rates?
If you live in a home with outdated or unsafe wiring, it is very likely that you will have trouble finding insurance. As a result, you will have to settle for higher premiums. Updating your system can prevent this.
Is an electrical permit necessary?
Electrical permits are legally required for all rewires, and you must present proof upon the sale of your home. Otherwise, you will need to disclose that the rewire was completed with no permit. Permits require that the work be inspected to ensure that everything was completed in accordance with the National Electrical Code.
Can I rewire my home myself?
This is a possibility that depends on your current skills and knowledge. You should only do this if you are able to perform the job in accordance to all National Electrical Code guidelines in addition to local building codes. This is a large job that can take two or three expert electricians a week, or more, to finish. When done improperly, rewiring can be very dangerous. Keep in mind that it is a very intensive and challenging job.
How frequently should my home be rewired?
Although there is no set timeline for replacing an electrical system, you should always have your connections checked by an electrician every 10 years.
If you live in an older home, especially if your wiring system was installed prior to 1950, you may want to have your electrical system checked to ensure that it is in accordance with current safety codes and standards.
If you are interested in having us check your electrical system for safety, please give us a call and ask about a Free Home Safety Inspection. We will send a licensed technician to perform the inspection. While they may find just minor issues, or no issues at all, we may discover that your outdated electrical system needs to be upgraded.
What’ Next?
For a free consultation regarding the safety and reliability of your electrical system, call to talk to our in-office technician. It is our pleasure to provide you with a free home safety inspection, free estimate or free consultation.
