House 'pre Purchase' Inspection Failed!

[Max Power]

Hi All,

I've employed a qualified electrician to carry out a pre purchase test of the electrical installation of a house I am looking to buy and it has shown up that a full rewire would be required.

Briefly...

The house was built in 1969 and the test has shown that the wiring is suffering from a known issue with the insulation used at this time, the evidence of this was shown to me as a green shiny damp looking discharge around the copper and insulation at the power outlets.

The advice has been that whilst the system will operate as is, it is not to current standard/safe and the wiring will only  deteriorate further resulting in short circuits and problems and will need rewiring some time soon. 

Other issues are that all the light switches and power socket facias have been replaced metal, with the light switches not being earthed also the consumer unit / distribution board is period. 

 
In light of the problems found at that stage we agreed to curtail the inspection and a full test wasn't completed on the basis that it was likely to fail anyway. 
 
I now need to discuss options with with the vendor but before I do any advice or comments especially re the "green discharge" so that I may better understand what I am dealing with would be greatly appreciated.  

Many Thanks

 

[Blue Duck]

Get a quote for rewire add 20% and ask the vendor to knock whatever off the price.

Google search green goo for more info

Edit: searching Google is not as helpful as it used to be I thought there was a best practice guide somwhere?

Try:

di-isoctyl phthalate

Instead

 

[Max Power]

 
Cheers Blue Duck and Canoeboy for the reply's and info..  

Looks like ultimately there would be no choice but to rewire, don't suppose you know if leaving the existing in situ has any health implications, there seems to be differing thought's as to whether the substance is a carcinogen.

Also I presume the process will continue even though the existing system has been decommissioned, is there a recommended method for capping/sealing the old outlets to prevent staining of surface finishes..  

 

[Blue Duck]

You can do 1 of 2 things...

Leave it and it will get worse but if your a landlord then who cares right?

Get it rewired and have the peace of mind that you have a new system installed that should last longer than the old one

That goo is from 1970's cable so it's been in for 44 years.

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

The other thing is that by ripping out the old cable there is then somewhere to put in a new cable

 

[Sharpend]

Don't forget that on top of the cost of the rewire, you will have additional redecorating costs.

 

[binky]

it's shame the full test wasn't completed, even with the corrosion issues, the cabling can be in resonable condition with many years service life left in it. As for not safe / meeting current requirements, the official line is, if it passes test it's good for 10 years - though I think I would recommend re-testing more often due to the corrosion. Green -goo is not listed as needs a re-wire anywhere I've ever seen recommendations for testing, so safety/ current regs comment is a bit dubious in my opinion! I have also noticed it more on lighting circuits than sockets circuits, but that may just be a chance happening. Seeing as you are looking to buy the place I would negotiate a full re-wire discount.

 

[Pete10001]

What period is the CU / DB?

 

[kerching]

it's shame the full test wasn't completed, even with the corrosion issues, the cabling can be in resonable condition with many years service life left in it. As for not safe / meeting current requirements, the official line is, if it passes test it's good for 10 years - though I think I would recommend re-testing more often due to the corrosion. Green -goo is not listed as needs a re-wire anywhere I've ever seen recommendations for testing, so safety/ current regs comment is a bit dubious in my opinion! I have also noticed it more on lighting circuits than sockets circuits, but that may just be a chance happening. Seeing as you are looking to buy the place I would negotiate a full re-wire discount.

I have a theory on the lighting cct predominance.......i think it is due to vertical switch drops and the goo gravitating down to,the switch. Probably bollockkkkkks

It is not limited to the 60s 70s. I have 10 year old light fittings where the ballasts are dripping with it

I think the NIC had a paper /comment on it somewhere

 

[Andy™]

exactly what i thought kerch, running to lowest point and escaping from there. not many sockets wired from above compared to lights

 

[MeFil]

Article in the napit magazine about green goo. No.3 2014 pg9

The substance is not conductive and its presence will not alter the flame propagation characteristics of the cable.

If you come across green goo you do not have to immediately replace the cable. Our should be assessed for replacement only when insulation test reveal failure or when cracking of the insulation becomes apparent.

It is mildly toxic and can cause burning and irritation, especially to mucus membranes such as eyes,nose and mouth.

Oh and its called diisoctyl phthalate...apparently.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Hi All,

I've employed a qualified electrician to carry out a pre purchase test of the electrical installation of a house I am looking to buy and it has shown up that a full rewire would be required.

Briefly...

The house was built in 1969 and the test has shown that the wiring is suffering from a known issue with the insulation used at this time, the evidence of this was shown to me as a green shiny damp looking discharge around the copper and insulation at the power outlets.

The advice has been that whilst the system will operate as is, it is not to current standard/safe and the wiring will only  deteriorate further resulting in short circuits and problems and will need rewiring some time soon. 

Other issues are that all the light switches and power socket facias have been replaced metal, with the light switches not being earthed also the consumer unit / distribution board is period. 

 
In light of the problems found at that stage we agreed to curtail the inspection and a full test wasn't completed on the basis that it was likely to fail anyway. 
 
I now need to discuss options with with the vendor but before I do any advice or comments especially re the "green discharge" so that I may better understand what I am dealing with would be greatly appreciated.  

Many Thanks

You have a bit of a catch 22 here...

Firstly Green Goo is NOT an immediate danger to the electrical integrity or safety of the installtion...

The vendor is under no obligation to remedy it or give a discount due to it...

BUT...

It can become a major unsightly mess and damage decoration around electrical accesories..

and any reasonable person would get it fixed as soon as practicable...

An analogy could be...

buying a second hand car that has a bit of an oil leak and a sunroof seal that is perishing...

So over time, when parked the car may leave a mess of oil on the drive..

and when it is raining you may get some damp dripping onto the seats!

NOW...

a seller can still sell this car as with a valid MOT & roadworthy and safe to drive...

BUT any reasonable person would fix these bits to improve the car.. 

also note that an old fuse box in itself is NOT unsafe..

any more than an old car is unsafe..

In the event of a fault or crash a more modern fuse box may be safer just as a newer car may be safer..

BUT the old stuff is NOT unsafe purely because it is older.

so again a vendor is not under obligations to reduce price..

They may wish to reduce the price to get the sale..

But you have no safety grounds to insist upon a reduction.



:coffee

 

[steptoe]

It's a buyers market.

 

[Doc Hudson]

And where about you are in the country, how quickly the current owner needs to sell, any negative equity issues will have some bearing on how much the seller is willing to negotiate. I would have thought a reduction of £2000 to £3000 would not be unreasonable to ask for. 

Doc H.

 

[Max Power]

Cheers everyone for the reply's.. invaluable information..

 

[pewter]

Seems to be a sellers market here in the South East.  Not enough properties for sale.

Quite often here, places come up for sale and buyers bid against each other OVER the asking price.

 

[Blue Duck]

Pewter, it's complete f'in madness down here there's only 9 properties for sale within a few miles of me under 1/2 a million that's mostly 2 bed flats for 420k ish. ..

I want to move somewhere on the ground floor but just can't afford it even though I own my own home!

Poor old estate agents had such a hard time back in 2008 now there really going for it just adding random numbers on top and seeing if someone will pay and they do!

It's gonna crash. ...