How do you know your house needs rewiring?

[Needanewadventure2021]

Im hoping I'm just been silly but how do you know when?

My house is 22 years old. Small new build style. The only thing I have noticed is a slight wire burning smell around 2 sockets where an extension lead is plugged in to each socket, one upstairs one downstairs. Nothing is plugged in to them or switched on on the lead apart from the socket in the wall. I have no discoloured walls or sockets. I have no flickering lights or the fuse box doesn't trip. I can only smell it occasionally too. It's really annoying me. Surely 22 years is early for a house to be rewired? Could the extension leads need replacing? They are easily 7 or more years old.

Just wondering how do you know when your house needs rewiring? Or what the smell could be?

Have an electrician out to check the outlets. The smell is usually caused by insulation being burned by a short circuit. Your house should not need rewiring if it is just 22 years old and was done correctly in the first place. You may just need to replace the sockets.

How embarrassing. I didnt know this. I do know they are all the original sockets. Thank you

No reason to be embarrassed, you didn't put the sockets in.

They may have been defective or improperly connected. Either way, it's not a big job to replace them.

Super. I'll get on to an electrician

Get a trained electrician to do an EICR on the whole property and it will categorise any failings.

EICR would be your best option as previously said.

In theory you should get another 20 years before you need to rewire. However, regulations do change for the better over time and a lot can happen to your wiring in 22 years (usually the worst thing that happen is a DIYer making "improvements")

Preferably get an independent test engineer.

Also think about getting extra sockets installed, overloading with extension leads is a fire risk.
It shouldn't be too expensive and they can use trunking if you are worried about the decor.

Can eclectriins condem a house?

That's a good point about extra sockets. The extension leads are barely used to be honest but in terms of actual wall sockets there are very few in total in the whole house. I had extras put in the kitchen when that was done 4 years ago but never got round to anywhere else.

I dont know why but lately I've been really panicking about unexpected housing costs. I think it's because of everything become more expensive and my income being stretched to the limit. I'd seriously be in a mess if I needed a rewire

The house may not pass the EICR (previously called a PIR) and it will detail a list of faults.

The faults are given a code to inform you of how important/urgent the remedial work needed is.

Its mostly up to you what you want done (if anything) no one is going to say you have to move out!

That said if there is anything immediately causing a major danger It must be rectified ASAP.

Even if your property fails, you're given a reasonable period to rectify the most important faults, keeping your insurance valid in the meantime.

Generally any house wired after 1980s or so, with 'modern' style red/black pvc cabling won't need rewiring as in the wire will still be pretty much perfect and not really deteriorated at all.

Adding sockets, new modern consumer unit etc should be easy as it will just be extending existing circuits and the disruption localised.

Our house was rewired by the previous owner in about 1990, consumer unit had 1989 on it, we had a new consumer unit and lots of additional sockets, cooker socket and garage wiring done a couple or so years ago, original wiring from 1990 was fine on all the checks.

Could be something as simple as a wire in the socket not being securely screwed in which could cause a minor sparking/arcing which would generate heat.

Why have extension leads plugged in if they're not needed, or not used? They may be drawing a small current through the socket, causing sparking/arcing as some have a red light which may use a tiny amount of power but if left connected, will be on 24/7.

Try disconnecting the extension leads as a first step to see if it stops the smelling. But, you do need someone competent to at least unscrew the socket cover and have a look behind to check the connections are all tight (ALL power must be off before anyone does that!).

I'm going to have an electrician round but yes the smell goes when the plug is switched off

@FurierTransform

Generally any house wired after 1980s or so, with 'modern' style red/black pvc cabling won't need rewiring as in the wire will still be pretty much perfect and not really deteriorated at all.

Adding sockets, new modern consumer unit etc should be easy as it will just be extending existing circuits and the disruption localised.

Yes, I agree. But we've had issues with the shoddy installation upon building. Such as loose wires in the sockets where whoever installed it didn't screw the wires in tightly enough. And another case in the kitchen where the electrician had obviously cut the wires too short and had just twisted wires together, covered with insulation tape to extend the cable by a few inches to provide the "give" needed to pull the socket cover away from the wall to access the screws etc behind.

So, you never know, even with relatively modern house builds/rewires whether it was actually done "properly", even when properly qualified electricians sign it off.

If you are having an electrician round anyway it would be worth getting another double socket put in near the original one

such a new house should not need rewiring.

it may be that you have been using the extension leads with heavy loads, such as a washing machine and tumbledrier, or a powerful heater.

Very few home electrical appliances have a heavy sustained load to cause overheating. Even a kettle or toaster only runs for a few minutes. Computers, TVs, phone chargers, table lamps use only a fraction of the capacity of a UK socket.

If your original white sockets have been replaced with some fashionable product in bright shiny metal or colours, they may be of lower quality, or not tightly connected.

it is possible to damage sockets with so-called socket protectors, which are unnecessary in the UK and do not conform to British Standards. Some people incorrectly think they are a safety aid.

"And another case in the kitchen where the electrician had obviously cut the wires too short and had just twisted wires together, covered with insulation tape "

very much more likely to have been the action of a kitchen fitter, not an electrician.