Inlaws are visting. She used to sell real estate. Both are positive that in the UK it is required to have a house completely rewired every 25 years. Any ideas why? I did not think copper wire went bad. I am guessing they use copper.They do use 220V instead of 110V

HEY FELLA'S

the jobs are all in the UK......

Sorry, but there's no such requirement.

Many of the houses in my area still have 1950s wiring in place, although most have had additions and extensions in more recent years.

I sometimes come upon old houses with 1930s fuseboxes and cables still in service, mostly on the lighting circuits, although they're getting few and far between now with the modern boom in house renovations.

aw crap!, guess i'll put the canoe away....

this would be good news for the electrical contractors...

It might sound like good news for electricians at first, but certainly in this area the majority of people simply would not (or in most cases, could not afford to) pay for a complete rewire.

The only way it could happen is if the government heavily subsidized (i.e. paid for in full in most cases) the costs of such rewiring for the affected houses. Without that, the rule would simply be ignored.

Certainly no such requirement in my area.
However mortgage lenders sometimes require that a house be rewired before they will release all the loan.
In fact, I am starting a rewire on Monday for just such a reason, but this house does have some lead sheathed cables dating back to the 30's or 40's.
It is now a standard clause with mortgage surveyors in this area, that all homes over 20 - 30 years old have the wiring checked by a qualified electrician.
BTW our cables are copper with PVC insulation & sheath, similar to US 'ROMEX', pre 60's the insulation may be vulcanized rubber. Those cables would definately require rewiring now.

Yes, certainly most of the old TRS cable (Tough Rubber Sheath) is now well overdue for replacement, but the PVC-insulated cables used since the 1950s are fine, so long as they have not been damaged in any way.

In many houses around here I find original 1950s wiring which is perfectly all right; it is the modern additions which need rewiring due to the fact that in most cases they seem to have been done by somebody with no real idea of what he was doing.

Thanks for pointing out the mortgage angle David -- I'm not sure how strict the building societies in England are over this these days. Certainly the real estate agents now always include disclaimers to the effect that they have not tested/inspected wiring, plumbing, heating systems, etc.

Building societies? Another term for the glossary -- It's equivalent to a U.S. "Savings & Loan."