On 21/10/2014 20:34, Uncle Peter wrote:
On Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:26:00 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

On 21/10/2014 20:13, Uncle Peter wrote:

A woman just told me she had her house rewired because it hadn't been
done for 30 years. Have you ever bothered? I mean if it works, why not
just leave it? Wire doesn't rot.

The copper wire might not but the insulation around it certainly does -
especially if there is some ozone about.

What ozone source are you referring to?

Take a look at what happens to
Post Office rubber bands after a year or so and then worry about it!

That might apply to flex, but my house wiring (twin and earth etc)
doesn't seem to go the same way.

If you are still on prehistoric round pin plugs and wire fuses then it
is probably time for a rewiring by now.

Nope, 1979 wiring. Wire fuses and square 13A sockets. I prefer wire
fuses as they aren't over-sensitive. The only circuit beakers I got
(plug in type in place of the consumer unit fuses) was for the lighting
circuits, as a blown halogen bulb could damage a PIR sensor before the
fuse blew.

There is also the risk of rodents sharpening their teeth on your wiring
with accumulating damage until they bridge live and neutral. But that
can happen to modern wiring sometimes if you are very unlucky.

I've had rodents in the house a few times, but they've never gone for
wires, only things like cushions and poly bags. If they did it should
blow a fuse, or the rat.

You might find sockets are a bit thin on the ground by modern standards,
and "consumer units" have changed and improved; fuse wire is a bit dated
to my mind. Any "trip units" can deteriorate with age. More powerful
electric showers are now available, needing circuits 30 amp.