So I get a call a few weeks back from a customer we did an inspection for about 3 months ago on a 1982 build (New Hampshire for those wondering). The week prior, the lights on the second floor started flickering, and then the smoke detectors went off and one of their surge protectors started smoking. The customer happened to be home. They knew to immediately shut off the main breaker and call an electrician. The electrician claimed it appeared to be an issue with the utility line coming to the house (buried line from the pole to the meter). Utility company gets involved and they said the ground wire corroded, wore out and accepted responsibility for the repairs to the home and is replacing a number of appliances that got fried in the process. The customer asked them why it happened, and states the technician told them it happens, as the lines get worn out at about 30 years. Now the customer and agent seem to think this is gross negligence on behalf of the utility company… Anyway, fast forward to today - the agent reaches out with a few questions because she didn’t exactly understand what happened. Now the agent (and the customer) wants to know why we (agents and home inspectors) are not advising customers as to this potential concern if a house is more than 30 years old (good grief, InterNACHI really needs to develop a crystal ball here!). Has anyone seen or heard of this happening before? This is the first I’ve heard of it (power lines wearing out) and can’t seem to find the right phrase to ask the nice people over at Google about it, so I figured maybe some of you have seen this happen? Obviously WAY beyond the SOP, but want to expand my knowledge. TIA!
On my own home and guest house I had the utility company replace the transformer. When I installed an on demand electric water heater in the guest house the lights in my house would flicker when the unit was running. I had no other damage and the utility company replaced the transformer the same day I made the call to them.
Unless you noticed lights flickering on the day of inspection there is nothing to report.
You would need to get more info as there are multiple possible scenarios that may have caused what your client is describing. Many things can cause lights to flicker. As far as reporting, there are 100000 and 1 things to report that may happen in a 30 year old house. Without some visual evidence of an issue there is nothing to report.
I think the utility is just suppling a pat answer, not the correct one, just something to blow off the customer. Chances are they don’t actually know what caused it. My house was built in '62; other than having the line raised after a tree limb fell on it and tightening a lug out at the pole when half the panel went dead (tree blowing into the cable) it is the same SEC (i’ve been here 30 years). Now I know I have overhead lines as opposed to your underground situation, but i’m sure there are plenty of service laterals that have been trouble free for 30 years or longer.
Just because one utility company representative states this is a common problem for them does not make the problem a universal one. Climate, materials used, depth, moisture levels, workmanship etc. all effect the life span.
I agree and better information is needed. Electrical lines don’t wear out, they can fail for numerous reasons. And the “ground wire corroded” what does that mean? My guess is that the neutral conductor corroded and failed so they lost the neutral but there is no ground wire in a service lateral.
Does a home inspection SOP cover underground utilities?
Not in my state (NY) and no other SOP I know of. I don’t see how it would, because (as you know) the underground utilities cannot typically be accessed during a visual, noninvasive inspection. We’re only responsible for what we can see and the items “readily” accessible. In NY they do want us to inspect the service drop.