Good day! With the rise of photovoltaic (solar) installations being made on homes, those components are also in need of periodic inspection. Due to the fact that most installation companies/contractors will not have any contact back with the home owner once the system is installed.
And as it is our job as inspectors to identify any items that need repair in either an emergency manner or just note deficiencies.
The pictures shown are of a combiner box on the DC side (solar panel side) where the loads are combined before being terminated in the inverter. It shows major arcing that has damaged the conductors insulation and damaged the bus.
The homeowner was notified and the contractor came out and repaired the items, but not how the repair should have been done.
Feel free to contact me more about PV inspections if needed.
One common defect in electrical panels are multi-wire circuits that are not tied together.
These circuits have two hots and share a neutral conductor.
A cable with black and red ungrounded (hot) conductors are often run to a dishwasher and disposal circuit. (And other similar circuits). This cable will have a grounded (neutral) and an equipment grounding conductor (ground).
A handle tie must be used so that these breakers trip together, or a double pole single throw breaker may be used.
The concern is that if one of the ungrounded circuits trip, the other circuit will be energized.
From the NEC 210.4 Multiwire Branch Circuits (B) Disconnecting Means
The water heater vent pipe is in direct contact with electrical wiring and combustible materials. This is a safety issue and should be repaired. A qualified licensed contractor should repair or correct as needed.
Attached is electrical photo as part of requirements for Electrical online course.
This photo shows a garage heater fan (Modine) wired with unsecured Romex, unprotected wiring and unprotected connections without an electrical box. The recommendation was:
A qualified electrician should review the installation and make corrections to ensure that the wiring is secured and protected, and that all connections are located in an approved electrical box.
This is an old “recessed” light that’s in my finished basement. The cover is thick glass that is obviously to heavy for the springs in the can to hold up. Its either an aging problem or simply an manufacturer defect.
