Originally Posted By: tschwalbe This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
With all due respect you need some training before you attempt a inspection. You are putting your self at high risk for problems not to mention I wont go there If your not 100% confident goto school. It will pay off for every one in the long run. Just my 2 cents worth after all you asked for it. I hope this helps.
Originally Posted By: rwashington This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Try to ride along with a seasoned well respected inspector in your area to get comfortable with removing service panels. With all due respect I would not want you to get hurt if you are unsure about anything related to electrical.
Originally Posted By: jpope This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
jruddy wrote:
I'm new at the HI business and am looking for some instruction on basic electrical problems to look for.
Call me a cynic, but you may as well have said "I'm new to the legal profession and was just wondering what to say to the judge." 
If you have been properly trained as an HI, you should already know the "basics." Otherwise, you're not "new at the HI business," you're an "imposter" (for lack of a better term).
I see that you are an active member, however, that does not qualify you to perform home inspections.
There is a wealth of information available on this board. I would encourage you to get the proper training from a reputable training facility before even going on a "ride-along."
The electrical portion of a home inspection (IMHO) is the most dangerous part of this business. Proper training is an absolute must.
-- Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: jruddy This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Thanks for all the encouraging, supportive comments. I should have been more specific; I am new at the home inspection business however, I have operated a home remodeling business for many years, having begun that work long before all the code requirements that are now in place.
I have worked with certified, qualified electricians, plumbers and HVAC technicians in all phases of upgrades and replacement to and of systems. What I hadn?t done was look at the overall system from a home inspectors perspective and that?s what I was addressing.
Todd, Richard and Carla I appreciate the positive approach to my vaguely worded inquiry.
Jeff, don?t worry, I won?t sully the reputation of home inspectors, especially those on the left coast, by operating as an imposter.
Originally Posted By: dbozek This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Joseph…
Look back into the past threads on this board. There are lots of informative posts about how to inspect electrical as well as how to remove panel covers, etc. With electrical, if one is afraid of it....one will never work with it. If one respects it though.....it at least give you the "guts" and the confidence to work with it. There is a difference between fear and respect and if you fear electricity....it's best not to inspect it. Btw I am a sparky and if you need to ask anything...feel free to email me.
-- You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they should and could do for themselves. Abraham Lincoln