Perishing Electrical Cables

History of electrical cables

Electrical cables have improved over the years, early cables were rubber coated, wrapped in cotton. Next there was double insulated rubber, an improvement on the single insulated cotton covering above. With time, improvements were made, and PVC insulation came along, firstly single insulated and more recently double insulated (as we use today) while ever rubber remained flexible, no problems arose. Over time the rubber would lose its flexibility and would begin to become brittle. If it was touched or if you attempted to join to it, the insulation would flake off, exposing the live copper conductor inside. Even the cotton does perish, with the same consequences. Double insulated rubber is better than its predecessors but still has a life of only 40 years or less. PVC is tougher and can withstand 90°C, so will last a long time even in the grueling conditions of a roof space.

What can I do if my house is old and I want work done?

It is possible to add lights and power points to an old house; however the new wiring may need to be run back to the switchboard. If your wiring is still intact and no insulation is perished then there is no problem. If your wiring is perished and live copper is already showing, then this is UNSAFE It is necessary to have this repaired or isolated straight away. Once an electrician is aware of a problem he has legal obligations to repair, report or isolate under Regulation 50A of the Electrical Licensing Regulations 1991.

What if I have a fault in my house?

It is sometimes not possible to repair a fault in a house with old cables, such as a blown fuse or tripping safety switch etc. At this point the effected circuit needs to be rewired. Maybe even the whole house will need rewiring. Electricians can determine if your house can be repaired and if the rubber is flexible enough to be worked on. Often more problems can arise from working on brittle cables as you end up chasing the problem looking for a healthy piece of insulation, which can unearth more problems.

What's next?

Either way, if you have any old rubber cables in your roof, you will eventually need to have it rewired. All the old cables are removed and rewired professionally with double insulated PVC cables. Typically, the switchboard will be upgraded at the same time and two safety switches would also be added along with circuit breakers to replace your fuses.

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