two lights- one switch!

[rach]

Hi
I have bought an old house that appears to have been wired by a muppet. One light switch used to control the lights in two rooms (if you put the switch in the middle neither on or off both lights went off, any other way and both lights were on) well now one of the lights doesnt work at all, also a bulb blew and fused the house which i replaced but now when i turn that light on it makes a very funny noise and kind of flickers!
Im assuming that all the wiring is dodgy (am i right?) and that it will need rewiring or something. Does the whole house need doing or just the upstairs where all these mad lights are? And what questions do i need to ask if it does need rewiring to make sure i am not going to get ripped off?
thanks alot
(and sorry if the question has been asked lots before!)
rach

 

[breezer]

is it a "buzzing sound"? it sounds like a loose connection.

as for a rewire, it depends on how old the house is, (if "new" then unlikely)

what type of cable does it have (can you see any what doesit look like)

what does the consumers unit look like (big box that turns supply on /off)

does it have fuses or mcbs ? (do they look like switches with on / off and a little number on them, thats an mcb, no switch on it and its a fuse)

where are the sockets, on the wall or on the skirting board?

 

[rach]

Hmm was a bit of a buzzing sound but the bulb blew after being in for about a day, and i hardly turned it on because i thought it might fuse the house again, so now its just out.
The house is very old, listed building old.
I cant see any wires except those that go into the fuse box and they look like ordinary wires to me! (sorry im not very good at this am I!)
The consumer unit has fuses, which are also a bit dodgy now ive had a look, there is a 30 amp fuse in the 15 amp thing. Im not sure thats very safe is it?
The sockets are all in the walls (does that make a difference?)
Thanks

 

[securespark]

Hi Rach

Just one point that might put your mind at rest.

Tripping when a bulb blows is very common and normal.

There is a small surge when a filament in a bulb breaks and that can trip the fuse or mcb.

To get round this look for bulbs that are "fused" meaning protected by a fuse, usually in both live and neutral.

Then if the bulb blows, the fuses in the bulb go and not the one at the main board.

For people who are interested, the fuses are called Ballotini fuses after the Italian geezer that invented them

Look out for Osram and GE branded lamps - these I know for a fact are protected with fuses.