First-time home buyer here. Just got my 4-point inspection (for homeowners insurance) completed and only had a couple of items that the inspector recommended taking action on. Most were very minor and easy to understand. There’s only one, regarding electrical, that I don’t have the knowledge or experience to evaluate. Would you offer your opinion on the seriousness of this issue and whether you think a fix would be costly or labor intensive? Feel free to dumb it down. I literally have no idea what the comments mean.
Don’t worry, I will be calling in a licensed electrician. And, I would have followed up with the inspector directly, but I won’t be able to speak directly with him for a few days, so thought I’d see what the experts on here have to say. Here’s the relevant section of the report… (the first one is an easy fix, it sounds like, not sure about the second one)
In case it’s helpful: house is in Florida and was built in early 60s. Roof replaced, plumbing redone, electrical done and HVAC installed 2013-2014. There were no issues with the roof, plumbing or HVAC.
Electrical Recommendations:
ELECTRICAL: Update panel legend: several breakers are not labeled in subpanel. Main panel legend needs updating. Recommendation: Update panel legends
SUB PANEL: Neutral and ground conductors were observed on the same bus at subpanel. Recommendation: Contact a qualified professional (image here:https://i.imgur.com/72FBDvK.png)
The panel directory update is relatively easy, the other issue with the sub-panel may not be so easy. One would need more information to evaluate what needs to be done.
Have you spoken with an insurance agent?
If there’s a mortgage you most likely will need a 4 point that does not note electrical deficiencies. Did you ask the inspector about the alleged “cloth wires”?
Did they do a permit search? Is the roof newer enough for discounts?
Send me the property address if you like & I’ll do a Buildfax search & send it to you. mg@alltropic.com
The sub panel it’s hard to tell from just one picture, but they may be able to just add a ground bar to isolate those. Or the panel may need to be replaced. It’s very limited information.
Before any electrical work is done, if they give you any pricing, just message me and I’ll let you know if the pricing is good because companies in Florida will rob you blind.
Where is the sub-panel located? Depending on when it was installed and where it’s located can change the code requirements. Under certain conditions the neutrals/equipment grounding conductor issue may not be an issue at all. A few more higher quality images would also be helpful so that the detail can be enlarged.
