If your home is and older one and the electrical system has never been updated, you should definitely consider having it rewired. While rewiring your home is a fairly major project, it has the benefit of ensuring that your electrical system is safe.
It will also make sure you have sufficient electricity throughout your home and can even help increase energy efficiency. If you’re considering having your home rewired, this article will tell you how long you can expect it to take and what all the project involves.
Estimated Timescale for Whole-Home Rewiring
It’s nearly impossible to say how long it will take to rewire your home without having an electrician inspect and evaluate your existing electrical system. That said, you can usually plan on the project taking a minimum of three days, but sometimes it could take up to two weeks.
The timescale for the project will obviously depend in large part on how large your home is. The total number of electrical circuits, outlets, light switches and light fixtures in your home will also impact how long the project takes. Rewiring a home is usually easier and takes less time if most of the original wiring is run in an attic and/or crawlspace rather than in a basement ceiling. The one exception is if the basement has a hung ceiling rather than a sheetrock ceiling. In this case, the electricians can access all of the wiring simply by removing the ceiling tiles instead of having to cut through the sheetrock.
Another important factor is whether or not you’re also having your main electrical panel replaced and whether the panel is inside or outside the home. Unless your electrical panel was installed fairly recently, it’s always best to replace it. In either case, you’ll need to have a shut-off switch installed outside your house if it doesn’t already have one. An outdoor shut-off switch is now required by the National Electric Code. This is so that the fire department can safely turn off the power if they need to access your home due to a fire or other emergency.
When having your home rewired, you are usually required to bring the entire electrical system up to code. That means that the project’s timeline will, in part, depend on any work needing to be done to meet all current electrical code requirements. One requirement is that all outlets in a bathroom, kitchen, laundry/utility room, basement and garage must be GFCI outlets. Every outlet outside also has to be a GFCI. You’ll have to have all of the outlets in these places replaced if they aren’t GFCIs. However, this generally won’t add any extra time to the project since every outlet needs to be rewired anyway.
How Is Whole-Home Rewiring Done?
Before an electrical contractor can start the project, they’ll first need to contact your power company to get the electricity to your home shut off so that they can work safely.
Normally, electricians will start by disconnecting all of the existing wiring from the electrical panel and then disconnecting each outlet, switch and light fixture. Once the wires are loose, the electricians will then pull them all out. If you’re replacing your electrical panel, the next step is to remove the old panel and install the new one. Next, the electricians will begin pulling all of the new wires through the top or bottom of the walls from the attic, basement ceiling or crawlspace.
Once all of the new wiring is run and all outlets, switches and lights are reconnected, the last step is to connect all of the wires to the electrical panel and then test everything once the power is turned back on.
GVEC Electrician Services provides trusted electrical service in South Central Texas, including Gonzales, Wilson, Comal, DeWitt, Hays, Guadeloupe and Bexar Counties. We specialize in whole-home rewiring, and our team can also help if you need any electrical repairs or installations. To schedule an inspection and determine if you should get your home rewired, contact us today.
