12 Signs Your House Needs Rewiring (2023 Revised)

Typical signs your house needs rewiring:

Whilst a complete house rewiring service may seem expensive, it pales in comparison to the safety of your home. We know all too well that human nature prevails to ignore small electrical deficiencies until it’s too late and as part of our commitment to electrical safety education, we’ve compiled a shortlist of the top 12 signs your house needs rewiring below:

Signs Your House Needs Rewiring:

1. Flickering or dimming lights
2. Lightbulbs burning out in their sockets
3. Regularly blown fuses
4. Sparking outlets
5. Discoloured outlets or switches
6. Faint smell of burning
7. Fluctuations in power
8. A growing reliance upon extension cords
9. An electric shock when you touch a cord
10. Tripping circuit breakers
11. Porcelain fuses
12. Outdated property and cabling

1. Flickering or dimming lights

One of the most common tell-tale signs your house needs rewiring is the flickering or dimming of lights. When a light brightens there is too much voltage and when they are dim, they are receiving too little. Whilst common to think there is a problem with the lightbulb itself, this type of spike or decline in power is typically synonymous with loose wiring or faulty circuits and should be looked at as a priority.

2. Lightbulbs burning out in their sockets

If you have not noticed flickering or dimming lights, you may have experienced lightbulbs burning out within their sockets. This is a typical sign of bigger problems with your wiring and is caused by the fluctuations in voltage. With lights being the most visual signs that a house rewire is required, you should contact your local electrician as soon as you notice this.

3. Regularly blown fuses

Growing amounts of technology and electrical appliances within our home results in older style fuses which are not designed to take this weight of electricity blowing. If your fuse blows regularly, you may need to upgrade them to more modern circuit breakers.

4. Sparking outlets

Sometimes sparking outlets are perfectly normal and nothing to worry about, however, they can be a clear signal of a potentially dangerous problem. If your outlets are short-circuiting, excessive heat is building up within the outlet which causes melted insulation. When exposed, this can lead to electrical fires.

5. Discoloured outlets or switches

A clear sign of sparking outlets and that your house needs rewiring is discoloured or charred electrical outlets and switches. A loose connection or faulty wiring near the outlet or switch can result in the sparking which will cause a small fire. This small fire will leave a discolouration on the surface of the outlet and should be looked at immediately.

6. A faint smell of burning

Typically, when an electrical short occurs near your switches, the small fire will cause a faint smell of burning. If you notice a burning smell and are unable to identify the source, your wiring may also be shorting behind your walls or underneath your floors. Any smell of unidentified burning in your home should be tested by a qualified electrician as soon as possible.

7. Fluctuations in power

Power fluctuations can be caused by loose wiring, overloaded sockets or too small of a conductor carrying power to your home. If you are not daisy chaining electrical appliances and notice fluctuations in power, there may be a deeper problem with your electrical wiring.

8. A growing reliance upon extension cords

On the subject of fluctuations in power, a growing reliance upon extension cords is a typical sign that your house needs rewiring with additional sockets placed in your common living areas.

9. An electrical shock when you touch a cord

Nobody likes an electrical shock, especially your children. If you have recently received a small electrical jolt when touching a cord or cable, you should contact your local electrician immediately for a home electrical safety inspection.

10. Tripping circuit breakers

When your circuit breakers trip, this is a good sign that they are doing their job. A circuit breaker is placed within your home to “trip” and cut off the electrical flow when a circuit exceeds the number of amps it is designed to handle. However, if your circuit breaker trips too frequently, this is a clear sign that there is a problem with your wiring.

11. Porcelain fuses

The everyday homeowner will not be aware of porcelain fuses and therefore should enquire about a home electrical safety inspection to be totally sure. These pre-date modern circuit-breakers are an obvious sign that wiring needs to be updated to conform with current electrical standards.

12. Outdated property and cabling

If your property is over 40 years old, you are most at risk from outdated cabling and degrading wires. They are dangerous and need to be replaced immediately to comply with modern electrical safety standards.

How To Know If Your House Needs Rewiring

Our master electricians at All Electrics have performed countless house rewires and conduct all our work with the highest grade of certification. Primarily providing electrical services in south eastern Melbourne suburbs, we strive to supply all our customers with the most recent product knowledge and hassle-free service. Take a look at our house rewiring services for more information.