Rewire Electrician in Harlow

When a homeowner discovers their Harlow home is due for a rewire, they inevitably have a few questions. They want to know more about the rewiring process, how they can tell that a rewire is necessary, and just how much mess and disruption they should prepare themselves for. At JJB Electrical in Harlow, we understand that rewiring your Harlow home can seem to be a daunting prospect. To help set your mind at ease and demystify the rewiring process, our fully qualified rewire electricians have put together this guide to answer all of your questions about rewiring your home. Read on to find out more.

What is a rewire?

Many homeowners will ask us this question when they are told they need to rewire their Harlow home, so let’s start there. A rewire involves the complete removal and replacement of all the electrical installation within your home. This includes not just the wiring, but also the accessories and hardware such as switches, light fittings and plug sockets. A new consumer unit will also need to be installed to handle the increased demands of your household. A full rewire encompasses your entire property. Every room will be involved, from the kitchen and living room right through to the loft and cellar. 

When is a rewire necessary?

As your local rewire electrician in Harlow, this is a question we are regularly asked, and the answer will vary based on your unique circumstances. There may be several reasons why a rewire is necessary for your Harlow home, and your electrician will be able to advise you why it is deemed necessary for your home. The age and condition of your current electrical installation is the most common reason for rewiring a home. Over time and with constant use, your wiring will begin to degrade, much like any other part of your home. Electrical wiring has an expected lifespan of around 25 years, although some installations may need to be replaced sooner. There are several signs you can look out for that suggest your wiring is degrading.

These include:

•    Flickering lights
•    Unresponsive sockets
•    Hot sockets or switches
•    Buzzing sounds
•    Green goo leaking from sockets.
•    Strange smells including burning or fishiness.

If any of these signs are present in your home, you should call in your local electrician to assess the situation and ensure your safety as soon as possible. If you are based in Harlow or the surrounding area, our experienced electricians will be happy to help.

What problems can old wiring cause?

As you can see in our answer to the last question deteriorating, old wiring can cause a number of problems to occur in your Harlow home. Many of these can seem, on the face of it, to merely be annoyances but they are all indicators of serious underlying issues. Each symptom can indicate that your wiring is deteriorating and is potentially overloaded. Older wiring is just not suitable for the demands of a modern household with our endless gadgets and gizmos. That hot socket and strange smell mean heat damage is already occurring and you are at real risk of an electrical fire. It is vitally important for you and your family’s safety that you do not ignore or overlook the danger signs and you call in an electrician immediately.

Do I need an electrician to rewire my home?

The work carried out during a rewire is largely hidden from view and it can be impossible to tell if it has been done correctly until a problem arises. Poor or shoddy workmanship will leave you back at square one – needing a rewire to keep your home and family safe. A rewire is the largest electrical project you can undertake in your Harlow home and not an area where you should attempt to cut corners. Using a qualified rewire electrician is vital both for your safety and to meet legal requirements. A rewire is notifiable work which means your local building control office must be notified of the work. This can only be done by a qualified, registered electrician once they have completed the rewire.

The electrician you choose to carry out the rewire at your Harlow home should be:

•    Qualified
•    Experienced in rewiring homes.
•    Registered with either NAPIT or NICEIC, the electrical industry’s governing bodies.
•    Recommended – ask your neighbours for their recommendations or check Google reviews.  

JJB Electrical are fully qualified, NAPIT registered and highly recommended rewire electricians in Harlow.

When is the best time to rewire?

In an ideal world the best time to rewire a property would be when it is empty, before you move in. If you are buying a property that you know needs to be rewired, we would advise putting everything into storage for a few days and staying elsewhere whilst your new home is rewired. This is the easiest, least disruptive way to rewire but we understand that this is seldom possible. If you are already resident in your home, we would always suggest rewiring before you undertake any major renovation or decoration projects. Have your local electrician check out your wring before you start any projects – particularly if your wiring is over 15 years old. Nobody wants to discover they need a rewire after they’ve installed their new kitchen!

How long does a rewire take?

This is one of the most common questions we are asked as your local rewire electrician in Harlow. The answer will depend on your unique circumstances. The size of your home will be the main factor – a large 5 bed house will take far longer than a smaller 2 bed flat, simply due to the amount of wiring involved. Other factors will include complexity of circuitry, whether you will be resident during the rewire process and the ease of access to the various areas of your home. As competent, experienced rewire electricians in Harlow, we work efficiently and will complete the work swiftly and safely – generally in around a week for an average size property.

Planning a Rewire

Before a rewire begins, it is important that you think about where you would like your new sockets, switches and lights to be placed. A rewire gives you a great opportunity to redesign your electrics to best suit your family. Have think about whether you could use another socket near to the usual spot for your Christmas tree or where you sit with your laptop. As experienced rewire electricians in Harlow, we always talk though the options with you at the planning stage. We can help you to redesign your lighting, place switches in more convenient locations and add an outdoor socket for the lawnmower. We will also ask you to consider your future plans. If you think you’ll be making the move to an electric car in the future, we can install the appropriate cabling or ensure the new consumer unit we install has capacity for it.

What happens during a rewire?

A lot will be going in in a very short space of time during the rewire of your Harlow home. On our first day on site, we will floorboards to begin laying cable and chase out the walls for the new wiring. We will dust sheet the space we are working in during this process to minimise the dust levels. We will also be marking out the pre-agreed positions for your new sockets and switches. On the second day we will be installing the new cabling, hardware and your new consumer unit. After this “first fix” stage has been completed, the plasterer will attend to make good the walls. After the plastering has been finished, we will add your new switches and faceplates and test your everything to ensure it is working correctly. Lastly, we tidy up the mess and leave you to your newly rewired home.

How disruptive is a rewire?

If there is one thing everyone knows about rewiring, it is that it is messy. Unfortunately, there is no getting around it, rewiring your Harlow home is going to be quite disruptive. As we have previously mentioned, every room in your home will need to be worked in. We will need to lift floorboards, chase out the walls and the power will be off for long periods. You should expect to find additional dust for the weeks following your rewire and there will be some decorating to do. The good news is that it will only be a few days of disruption and then normal life can resume. As experienced rewire electricians in Harlow, we work hard to keep the disruption to a minimum and will keep you informed every step of the way.

Preparing for a rewire

So, once you have booked your rewire what can you do to make the process run as smoothly as possible. Firstly, carefully pack away anything that could get damaged. Take pictures and mirrors down from the walls and store them away. Take down curtains if they are hard to clean. If you can, remove furniture from the rooms and put it into temporary storage. At the very least you will need to move furniture away from the walls and floor areas we need to access. Carefully wrap any electronic equipment in plastic and pack it away – it won’t like the dust. The dust will get everywhere so it’s a good idea to cover your mattress and pack away clothes – even those in a wardrobe. 

Can I stay at home during a rewire?

Many people will ask if they can stay living in their home whilst the rewire is underway. The answer is yes, but you may prefer not to. Most people will choose to relocate for a few days whilst the rewire is carried out. As we have previously mentioned, rewiring is a disruptive process that encompasses your entire home. If you choose to stay at home, you need to be aware that your home will be a worksite and you won’t have access to all areas. Some areas will be out of bounds for your safety, and children and pets must be particularly well policed during the process.  The power will need to be off for extended periods whilst we work, and you may want to go out for the day to avoid the noise. We will need unimpeded access to every area whilst we undertake the rewire, this includes the bathroom and all bedrooms – late rising teenagers beware! If you would prefer to stay at home, and we understand that you may need to, we will discuss how this will work so that you know what to expect.

Rewire Electrician in Harlow

Rewiring your home is a large undertaking for any homeowner but it need not be a stressful one. We hope that this blog has helped to answer your questions and left you feeling more confident about the situation. Our friendly electricians at JJB Electrical are here to take the strain and make rewiring your Harlow home as simple and painless as possible. We are highly skilled professionals and have a vast wealth of experience to draw upon, so you can be certain you are in the best hands. We come highly recommended by our previous customers, many of whom call on us time and again for all their electrical jobs – not just their rewires. We are proud of our reputation as the local rewire electrician in Harlow you can trust.

If you have any further questions about rewiring your home, or if you are ready to book a rewire for your home, our experienced electricians will be happy to speak to you. We are your local, fully qualified and NAPIT registered rewire electricians in Harlow. Contact our friendly team today.