A realtor asked me recently if I knew of a way to test or inspect an electrical system that wasn’t inspected before drywall. The house in question had a lot of work done by a previous owner/builder but permits weren’t finaled. Now the house lacks a certificate of occupancy. The realtor told me the AHJ inspector mentioned something with a name like “lab test” as a way to certify the electrical system without punching holes in walls. I told him I had no clue and to talk to an electrician. Has anyone here heard of anything like I’m describing.
Does this “lab test” have x-ray vision?
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Well, I do retroactive permitting consulting professionally…
But my expertise won’t travel beyond the four cities I work in. Each AHJ has their own rules and standards, and each field inspector has their own spin on things.
As an electrical engineer I know you can determine the unbroken length of a wire by sending a signal down it, and measuring the phase angle of the reflection at the end… but try and explain that to your average city inspector Joe.
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That was what I was thinking. I kinda got the feeling the inspector blowing smoke in a difficult situation.
(That’s specifically radar, but good luck getting useful wire routing out of it)
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I own a Walabot senor. It can not distinguish how cables enter junction and gang boxes to see if the cables are secures properly and if the conductors are terminate properly. I use a lighting circuit analyser for outlets. Extech CT70 AC Circuit Load Tester.
Selectable loads of 12, 15 and 20 Amps. Measures loaded and unloaded AC Line Voltage. Calculates and displays % Voltage Drop and Line Impedance. Displays Peak Line Voltage and Frequency.
GFCI Trip Time and Trip Current. True RMS measurements. Voltage drop measurements on 12A, 15A, and 20A loads for 120 V circuit. Voltage drop measurements on 5A, 8A, and 10A loads for 230 V circuits. Voltage measurements: Line, ground-to-neutral, and peak. Measures frequency of the voltage. Checks 3-wire receptacle configuration. Finds false grounds. Tests GFCI and EPD circuits.
But a CO covers, Structural inspections, Physical inspection for conformity with architectural plans - Electrical as being discussed, Plumbing, and if applicable, Fire suppression systems. Wouldn’t/couldn’t a licensed electrical contractor do a check list in this case?
That’s great for determining where a break is in a linear run of cable (frequency domain reflectometry), but pretty useless in a house with cables run all different angles and lengths and spliced at irregular intervals.