Rewiring a house

phoenix53

Registered User
Messages
132
Hi

Is it an expensive job to rewire a house? Our house is about 20 years old and the electrics have never been great. We go through light bulbs like there is no tomorrow. I don't bother buying the eco friendly bulbs any more as they blow as quick as the old type only a hell of a lot costlier.

I got a monitor from the esb to see if we had problems with surges but all was within normal levels.

Not sure what else to do..
 
No way should a 20 year old house need rewiring. It's an expensive job and will probably involve plastering and painting as well. Flooring and ceilings too possibly.

Plus there's no guarantee that'll fix your lighting problem. Are you using the newer LED bulbs which have excellent lifespans - much better than the CFL ones. Is it any lights in particular that blow? You might have a problem with a switch (dimmers in particular) or a dodgy bulb holder. Less likely would be a problem at fuseboard level with an MCB which would cause problems with all lights on that circuit.

Rewiring is far too drastic a first step. I'd start by replacing everything with good quality LEDs from your local electrical wholesalers. Then see if (and which) bulbs are still blowing. Then get an electrician to have a look. That'll clarify your options.
 
Probably unlikely but make sure you arent putting too high a watt bulb in - more than the fitting can handle.
I had issue with couple of my fittings with a 100w bulb. Grand with 60w.

You might get a funny smell when you put the light on.
 
Thank you for the replies.

We've tried the expensive bulbs but they blew as quickly as the cheap ones.

I was in the sitting room the other night. 3 lamps on, plugged into different sockets. One flickered and went out, a second one went out a few minutes later and the third went after I switched it off and went to put it back on again.
I came home today, two ceiling landing lights gone and a lamp as we. Went to put on a lamp in the kitchen, the bulb blew as soon as I pressed the switch.

No problem with the fuse board.

Maybe candles are the answer.

We check all the bulbs for correct wattage before putting in fittings.

No dimmer switches.
 
I agree it shouldn't need rewiring after 20 yrs unless it really was the biggest cowboy ever that wired it! I'd start by getting a good electrician to give it a once over first, there must be some explanation for what's happening.
 
Loose connections at the light fitting would be a common cause of this. Always the same bulbs or widespread throughout the house?

Any other electrical items affected?

When it happens, any other heavy use device being used, particularly being switched on or off? How long has it been a problem and did anything much change before it became an issue?

Do you notice issues with the bulbs (particularly old style) dimming? Sometimes a heavy industrial load nearby can cause a drop in voltage that will adversely affect bulbs in particular.
 
Are any of them halogen bulbs?

I've just had an electrician out to replace my hall and landing lights because one was flickering and the other would only turn on 20% of the time. (same type fitting for both) He ended up have to replace some of the wiring because the heat of the halogen bulb, particularly when it blows damages the wiring and the plaster in the ceiling, both the wiring and the ceiling were actually crumbling from the damage and there were soot marks on the ceiling from the heat.

He said they're a complete fire hazard, particularly when fitted very close to the ceiling, so it seems I had a lucky escape!!
 
Thanks for that. Just off to buy more bulbs . Does anyone know if in a domestic house is all lighting on the one electrical circuit or could there be different circuits for different lights? The spots never blow, nor do the lights over the island. Problems are central ceiling lights and lamps. If I could identify what lights are on what circuits, I could put expensive led lights in one circuit and see how it goes. I am most likely talking through my hat
 
Does anyone know if in a domestic house is all lighting on the one electrical circuit or could there be different circuits for different lights?
It would be usual in say, a three bed semi, to have at least two and sometimes three circuits for lighting.
Upstairs/downstairs/kitchen........
It would be usual for lighting circuits to be protected by 10Amp mcbs/fuses so it is quite easy to find out how many different lighting circuits you have by switching/removing the pertinent mcbs/fuses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Leo
I was in the sitting room the other night. 3 lamps on, plugged into different sockets. One flickered and went out, a second one went out a few minutes later and the third went after I switched it off and went to put it back on again.
I came home today, two ceiling landing lights gone and a lamp as we. Went to put on a lamp in the kitchen, the bulb blew as soon as I pressed the switch.

So from this we can deduce that this problem is not confined to just your lighting circuits but to your installation/supply as a whole.
Incandescent lamps usually fail when being switched, usually when being switched on but can fail upon being switched off also. In other words these lamps 'enjoy' a smooth stable voltage.
My start point would be to get a competent electrician to check the condition of all connections from the meter to the consumer unit and within the consumer unit itself. Looking for traces of arcing caused by (a) loose connection(s).

Is there anybody living close by using any type of heavy duty electrical equipment that you know of?
 
Hi. Sorry for delay in replying. Went to local shop to get bulbs. Limited supply and all halogen :( No choice but to buy. I’m going to get an electrician on the job and see what he says using the knowledge I have picked up here. There is no one using heavy duty electrical equipment nearby.
The reason I asked about the circuits, was in my head, I thought that if I wanted to test what was happening, if I knew what lights were on the same circuit, I could put new bulbs in to fittings on a particular circuit and wait to see if they all went off together. If I don’t know what is on each circuit, I’m just randomly changing bulbs but not understanding the outcome.
 
For each light fixture theres 2 wires ,going all the way from the consumer unit ,fusebox, to the light fixture .
i had a very old consumer unit, fusebox, the esb told me to replace it.
i had a registered electrician install a new modern consumer unit.
i also had a new earth rod installed .
which was wired to the consumer unit.
the esb switched off the power until the unit was installed .the electrician had to test it ,and issue a completian cert to get the power turned on.
be sure to use a certified electrican
see here
You should ALWAYS use a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) to carry out electrical work in your home and ask for a Completion Certificate after the work is complete.

Otherwise you are putting yourself at risk and they are breaking the law.
a house thats only 20 years old should not need to be rewired .
i think theres a private company in the process of replacing all electrical meters for esb networks replacing them with more modern ones
at the moment
 
For each light fixture theres 2 wires ,going all the way from the consumer unit ,fusebox, to the light fixture .

That would be unheard of and a nightmare to wire up. In your typical Irish home lights will be wired in two or three circuits, see the diagram here.
 
That would be unheard of and a nightmare to wire up. In your typical Irish home lights will be wired in two or three circuits, see the diagram

Thanks Leo, when I pressed on your link, there was nothing there.
 
Probably unlikely but make sure you arent putting too high a watt bulb in - more than the fitting can handle.
I had issue with couple of my fittings with a 100w bulb. Grand with 60w.

You might get a funny smell when you put the light on.
the wattage is to do with heat disipation of the fitting, not the wattage of the bulb, the supply is 220 240 volt the same on all fittings and cannot blow a bulb with the correct voltage rating
 
Last edited:
the wattage is to do with heat disipation of the fitting, not the wattage of the bulb, the supply is 220 240 volt the same on all fittings and cannot blow a bulb with the correct voltage rating
Well sort of. POWER W= VOLTS X CURRENT, so a short circuit at your fitting could melt your fitting, wiring and burn house down. Unless house was properly fitted with correct trip switches, return paths and an earth leakage trip detector to detect excessive current
 
Well sort of. POWER W= VOLTS X CURRENT, so a short circuit at your fitting could melt your fitting, wiring and burn house down. Unless house was properly fitted with correct trip switches, return paths and an earth leakage trip detector to detect excessive current
it won't blow the bulb which is what we are discussing
 
Back
Top