Whether you are talking about business premises or homes, electrical wiring does not last forever. It is designed to last three or four decades at most but this does not mean that it shouldn't be checked by a qualified electrician in the intervening period. In short, you should not think that just because your building's electrical installation is under thirty years old that it is fine. All sorts of faults may have occurred in the interim which need to either be repaired or for a rewiring job to be booked. In other words, the thirty to forty-year threshold isn't a lower limit but the maximum time you can expect your wiring to last. What are the common signs that your electrical wiring has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced?
Blown Fuses
Old wiring that has started to approach the end of its lifecycle tends to result in fuses blowing more often. Of course, surges in the mains supply can also cause cooker fuses and so on to blow from time to time. This is quite normal. However, if you find that fuses are blowing more and more often, then it could be that your property needs a new wiring installation. This is especially so if any blown fuses you replace leave a burn mark or a residue behind them.
Additional Appliances Added
Some Australian homes – as well as offices – were never designed with the number of appliances that are now commonplace in mind. Computers, televisions and audio amplifiers can all add to the current that the wiring in the building has to cope with. If you have been adding more and more appliances and using splitters to plug them in, then it would be worth checking whether you have adequate mains distribution in your building to cope.
Tripped Out RCDs
Most distribution boards in Australian buildings now feature modern RCDs rather than old-fashioned fuse wires. When a lighting ring trips out so that none of the wall or ceiling lights work, it will often be because the relevant RCD has tripped. If this won't reset or trips again soon after you turn your lights on, for example, then it could mean the wiring is short-circuiting and needs to be replaced.
Local Power Outages
If your home or office suffers from a blackout but the buildings nearby do not, then the problem will be localised to your property. Call out a qualified electrician to confirm whether or not the issue derives from your electrical wiring. If so, a partial or whole rewire of it may be in order.
For more information, contact an electrical wiring professional today.
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