Does old wiring or plumbing in a BC house have to be replaced, and will an insurer cover it?

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We found no BC rule making an owner replace old wiring or pipes that still work (our reading), but insurers ask about them, and a complete rewire or upgrade must meet the current code. Older houses can still have wiring and plumbing that newer ones don't: knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring, a fuse panel, a small electrical service, galvanized steel, lead or early plastic pipe. Whether it's a problem depends on its condition, and the question a buyer usually meets first is the insurer's, not the law's. Look up the address or PID on PlaceDossier to see the record for that lot. What each is: Knob-and-tube is wiring of single wires run on porcelain knobs and through porcelain tubes, with no ground wire; aluminum wiring uses aluminum rather than copper in the circuits that feed outlets and lights; a fuse panel protects the circuits with screw-in fuses rather than breakers (our words). Galvanized steel and lead are old water pipe; Kitec is a plastic and aluminum pipe system with brass fittings, its pipe usually orange for hot water and blue for cold, best looked for near the hot water tank where the pipe leaves the wall (the Kitec settlement's photos page). Working wiring may stay: Technical Safety BC's bulletin on upgrading a house's electrical system says existing branch circuits adequate for their purpose may be reconnected without alteration when the service or panel is repaired or upgraded, subject to the BC Electrical Code's rules 2-200 and 2-300 (B-E3 091214 2, rev. 4). No rule we found makes an owner replace wiring that still works, and a house's wiring is not inspected on a sale (our reading). When it is upgraded: Electrical work is done under a permit by a licensed contractor, or by the owner where the Electrical Safety Regulation's homeowner permit allows (s. 17; see electrical and gas permits). A house completely rewired or upgraded must meet the current code. A partial rewire needs only the new work to meet the code, with grounding and bonding brought up to the current code. Where the service, main panel or a feeder is upgraded, the bulletin's Part B adds more: plug fuses that can't be swapped for a higher rating, outlets bonded to ground or protected with GFCI, GFCI protection on bathroom and outdoor outlets, and arc-fault (AFCI) protection on circuits that gain outlets. Where a field safety representative reports unacceptable conditions left, Technical Safety BC may order the owner to correct them. What insurers ask: Because outdated wiring can cause a fire, insurers ask about knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring and fuses or a service under 100 amps, and may want the wiring updated, a 100-amp service with breakers, or a licensed electrician's inspection. Galvanized steel or lead pipes are more likely to crack and leak, and replacing them with copper or plastic can lower the cost of insuring the house (the Insurance Bureau of Canada). Some insurers also ask about Kitec or polybutylene pipe: ask yours what it needs. Lead in the water: Lead was once common in water pipes, fittings, taps and solder; the BC Plumbing Code restricted it in 1989, so a building built before 1989 may be at higher risk of lead in its water. Canada's limit is 0.005 mg/L of total lead, measured at the tap. The water supplier is generally responsible for the service line to the meter or the valve at the property line; the owner for the plumbing past it. Only a laboratory test of the tap's water tells; a plumber can say whether the plumbing has lead parts (HealthLink BC File #49e). Kitec's settlement: A class action over the Kitec system set up a US$125 million fund for repairs to buildings plumbed with it, under the Ontario court's Canadian class. The claim deadline was January 9, 2020, and payments went out in 2024 and 2025, so a buyer today has no claim left through it (the settlement's site). How to tell before buying: A home inspection reports what the inspector can see, so it can name a fuse panel, knob-and-tube in an open attic or Kitec at the water tank, but not wiring hidden in the walls (see home inspections). An electrician or a plumber can look further. Ask the seller in writing: a known defect is theirs to disclose (see what a seller must disclose), and Technical Safety BC's Permit Lookup Tool shows electrical permits at an address. What it means for a buyer: On an older house, find out what's in the walls before the subjects come off, and get the insurer's answer in writing: a house it won't cover as it is can stall the mortgage too. Ask the lender whether it needs the insurer's answer or an electrician's report.

Does old wiring or plumbing in a BC house have to be replaced, and will an insurer cover it?

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