1) Many homes in our city are historic.
1.0.1) Liverpool has homes that have been stood for over a hundred years, in fact, this is incredibly common.
Much of our housing stock is at least 50 years old if not older. This means that unless the property has been rewired, that the electrical system is also aging along with the property.
Whilst electrical systems are normally very reliable, they are not designed to operate forever and before complete failure occurs, many dangers will likely occur first. This means that many of our homes in the city have electrical systems that require inspection, testing and remedial works to be carried out. If you think you may need “ELECTRICAL REPAIRS LIVERPOOL” then read on and see if the information is useful to you.
Back to top2) How do I know if I need electrical repairs?
There are obvious signs that electrical repairs need to be carried out and not so obvious signs. Obvious signs would be things like lights flickering, burning smells, old looking electrical accessories and fuse box. Not so obvious signs would be things that an electrician would likely detect on an electrical inspection. Broken circuits that continue to function but do so dangerously cannot be detected by a homeowner but only be an electrician with specialist test equipment and knowledge. Lack of safety earthing is another sign that would be difficult for a homeowner to detect but would be picked up by an electrician carrying out specialist testing.
Back to top3) Is it always possible to repair an old electrical system?
It is not always possible to repair an old electrical system. Sometimes, there is too much work required in order to bring the installation up to current safety standards and a rewire may be more appropriate. This is where it is important to find an electrician that you can trust, that will talk openly and honestly about the work required, why it is required and what it is likely to involve. Check out the electrician’s website and Google reviews to see if they are legitimate. Most electricians will be able to carry out an in-depth electrical inspection to determine what is required in order to make your installation safe and compliant.
In many cases, repairs to electrical systems are possible and compliance with the wiring regulations can easily be achieved. The older the wiring the less likely it is that it can be repaired whilst obeying wiring regulations.
If your home has VIR (vulcanised Indian rubber) cabling, then it is highly likely that the cabling will be brittle and dangerous as this is now a very old type of cabling. If your home still has rubber cabling in use then it is recommended that a rewire is carried out. If your home has lead sheathed cabling still in use then it needs to be rewired.
Back to top4) What repairs can be done on an electrical system?
There are lots of electrical issues that can be repaired. The most common repair requests we get from our customers tend to be issues like:
- Faulty trip switches
- Burnt out electrical cables or accessories
- Intermittent trip switch problems
- Accidental damage to cables
- Damage to fuse boxes, switches and sockets
5) Do I need a rewire?
We are asked this question a lot when we undertake repairs on electrical systems and it is something that a lot of customers tend to worry about. On rare occasion we will say that a rewire is needed simply by looking at the age of the electrical system. On all other occasions the only way that we can determine if a property needs to be rewired is by carrying out a thorough electrical inspection. If we come across a lot of electrical issues whilst undertaking electrical repairs then we will of course have a conversation with our clients and explain what needs to be done to them. A lot of people tend to worry that they need a rewire and we have written articles and blogs on our web site that cover this topic.
Back to top6) How much do electrical repairs cost?
Obviously, there is no one size fits all answer for this question. The more damage, problems, faults that there are present the more it will cost to fix the issues. Typical costs for repairs range from £85 for simple accessory swaps to several thousand where partial or full rewiring is necessary. If you have electrical problems that you want fixed then its best to get in touch.
Typical jobs that we have undertaken have costs as follows.
Out of hours emergency call on a Sunday night for a faulty trip switch which turned out to be a wiring fault. Circuit found and disconnected and power restored to the property within the hour. £150
Call from a customer that had a problem with two sockets and wanted them replaced along with a ceiling pendant changing. All carried out during the day. We found a fault with the sockets, replaced them and restored power to them and replaced the ceiling pendant. Cost £160.
Consumer unit suffered Main switch failure; parts not available as 40+years old. Consumer unit swapped at 8 pm-3 am same day / night. Circa £950.
Electrical inspection carried out on a property with 1 fuse box and 6 circuits £220.
The photograph shows a burnt out shower switch. The smell was traced and the switch replaced and cables re-terminated. £90.
Every job is different, every home can require more or less time to locate and trace problems, prices vary but we always give you a quote once our initial investigations have been completed. 😊
We understand that cost is a major factor for deciding to have work carried out so feel free to get in touch for an estimate, a quote or a chat about your electrical requirements.
Back to top
