Hi I am studying thru the program to become a CPI here in so cal. I am trying to apply what I am learning around my house (built in '84) and decided to take the panel off. Electrical is my weakness, admittedly. Can ya’ll take a look and tell me what you’re eyes are seeing as good or defects?
archive (4).zip (10.6 MB)
I don’t open .zip files from unknown people on MB’s!
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A good practice unless you’re running Linux. 
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Again, I’m new to this. Sorry about the zip. Here’s the open files. I guess my question is how would this be written in my report? Thanks for any help.
fify. i can do so much to your box if you run linux, especially with that attitude.
Begin with telling us what you ‘think’ you see.
You will never learn if we tell you the answer.
Not completely thru the electrical portion but really confused because I also have solar in my home so not sure if thats tied into this box. But off the back I see tons of dust and dirt which I “think” would be dangerous defect. I see some open wires coming at the service entrance (not sure if they should completely insulated). Not sure which are the 3-wire service cable. Don’t see signs of double tapping. no signs of arching from what i can tell.
First tip. Ok to photograph your own home, but really you should be looking farther.
The angles of your pictures are so similar, we can’t see the details. Connections matter. Lighting matters.
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noted. thanks!
Welcome Joe. Thanks for posting your pictures and questions. There are some guys here that know a ton about electrical inspections. They want you to do a little homework first though. I’ll give you a few pointers and you can investigate further and let us know what you find.
I see you have quite a variety of brands of breakers in that panel. This can be a sign of many electrical upgrades or repairs over the years. Seems like a lot for a 1984 home.
Westinghouse, Bryant, Cutler Hammer, Siemens, and some I can’t make out.
You may want to check if all of these different breakers are compatible with the panel model that you have.
Did you check to see if any were a poor fit? I mean were any breakers loose?
Was the panel labeled correctly? I often find that when different breakers are installed, the legend is not updated correctly.
Did you check that the proper branch wire size was used for each breaker?
Did you trip any breakers? Did you listen for any buzzing sound? Did you take a thermal picture to look for unexpected temperatures?
Did you look at the neutral and ground wires to check if they were terminated properly? (I don’t see them clearly in your pictures)
What’s up with that green wire at the bottom of the panel with the torn insulation? Does that look right to you?
Let us know what you think and we will chime in with some guidance.
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To assist you with that… review one photo at a time, and looking at the photo that you posted (only), tell us what you see. Looking at the entire system when you are (limited) experienced, will just overwhelm and confuse you.
Also note… all we are able to see is what is actually shown in your photos. You have the knowledge of the entire (visible) system. Keep that in mind when taking your photos.
IMO, an inspector should take two photos of most “concerns”… one as a close in for detail of the concern, and two an overview shot of the general area for reference. Obviously, some concerns will need more than two photos for full understanding of the situation.
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Thank you so much. Some of the things I did check and some are just pretty foreign to me. I almost stopped at just saying, “Its beyond the scope of my inspection to take this panel off”… but now that I did, I really want to give my customer the due diligence of being as thorough as I can. I will study more and watch more videos. I appreciate the tips and will reach out for more help… believe me.
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Thanks sir. Great tips. Can you suggest any videos I can check out or sites to go that are specific to checking the “guts and nervous system” of a panel (thats what it looks like to a dude with so little experience) lol. I did dry wall and laid cement. this is all new to me, Thanks again for your help!
May I suggest revisiting your states Standards of Practice or if not regulated, InterNACHI’s SoP.
It all begins there. What you are to inspect and what you are to report on. Once you exceed the SoP, life gets a bit trickier. I would start with accurately reporting on the minimum then move up accordingly.
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A very useful resource that most newbies (and veterans alike) rarely consider is the MB SEARCH feature (Hourglass, top right). Reading through all the prior threads/posts from others with their questions and concerns will give you ‘real life’ information that others have had, not just the “facts” that you may never even run across.
Here’s a basic search to get you going… Search results for 'Electrical' - InterNACHI®️ Forum
As you run across something specific that you want more info on, do a SEARCH to include that term. If nothing found, post your specific question(s) here.
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Here’s another resource for ya…
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Welcome, to InterNACHI, Joe Busby, Jr.
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