Can You Rewire a House Without Removing Drywall?
If concerns about causing damage to drywall ceilings and walls have you on the fence about possible rewiring work at your home, you’ll be happy to discover that house rewiring projects don’t always result in extensive property damage. In fact, a sizable percentage of residential rewiring jobs can be performed with little to no impact at all to a home’s interior drywall surfaces.
Knowing When to Call a Professional
If the lights go dim or a circuit breaker trips whenever you use certain appliances, your property may be overdue for rewiring. Other signs of wiring trouble that are hard to miss include unexplained burning smells, warm or sparking outlets and shocks when touching an outlet, light switch or power cord. If your home is more than 50 years old and still utilizing the same wiring that was installed at the time of initial construction, your property may also be a good candidate for partial or complete rewiring services. You should contact a licensed electrician to conduct a complete evaluation of your electrical system if you’ve experienced any of these issues at your residence.
Rewiring Versus Repair: Which is the Right Course of Action?
When performing your electrical system inspection, your electrician will gather important information on the age and condition of the wiring and related components. This data can then be used to make informed decisions on whether localized repair work will take care of the problem or if rewiring is in order. If installing new wiring is determined to be the optimal solution to your electrical system problems, you can expect the rewiring project to include the following basic steps.
Step One: Planning and Preparation
As with most household construction and renovation tasks, the initial planning and preparation phase of a home rewiring project is extremely important. The electrician will determine if all or only a portion of the wiring requires replacement and then come up with a plan on how to access the existing wiring system. In most cases, the need for drilling holes or removing drywall can be minimized or eliminated entirely by utilizing existing outlet, switch and fixture openings for removing the old wiring and installing the replacement wires.
Step Two: Accessing the Old Wiring
Prior to performing the actual wiring replacement work, the electrician will shut off the power to the property and remove existing switches, outlets and fixtures to permit access to the old wiring behind the walls. Access to the breaker box and to any areas where new outlets, switches and fixtures may be installed will also be necessary.
Step Three: Installing the New Wiring
When rewiring a home, the new wiring will almost always follow the same basic pathways as the existing wiring. This means that the old wires can usually be employed to pull the new wiring into place if they’re in good condition with no breaks or damage. After locating and detaching the existing wires, the new wires will be attached directly to the ends of the old wires. As the old wiring is pulled out through an outlet, switch or fixture opening, the new wiring will be drawn into its place. After checking for correct location and orientation, the new wires are then ready to be hooked up to the fixtures, outlets and switches that were previously served by the old wiring. Learn what is the best wiring for your Florida home.
Step Four: Testing and Finalization
Once all the new wires have been pulled into place and the necessary connections have been made, the electrician will restore power and test all outlets, switches and fixtures for proper operation. If everything is found to be in good working order, the electrician will then replace the outlet and switch covers and go over any information that you need to know about your new wiring system before departing from your property.
Is Drywall Removal Ever Necessary?
Although many rewiring jobs can be carried out from start to finish with no drywall cutting at all, sometimes problems do arise that necessitate drywall removal. If the existing wires are broken or damaged, they may be incapable of pulling the new wiring into place. There may also be no existing pathways to facilitate the installation of wiring for new fixtures or outlets. The good news is that even if it is necessary to cut into drywall during a residential rewiring job, the impacts can usually be limited to a few small, easy-to-repair spots instead of covering large, widespread areas.
Prompt attention to possible electrical problems can mean the difference between a relatively straightforward rewiring project and major damage restoration after an electrical fire caused by faulty or antiquated wiring. If you suspect that your home’s wiring is old, outdated or damaged in any way, contact us to learn more about your residential rewiring options and schedule an electrical inspection right away.