Main Electrical panels in a home can very dangerous if defects are present. One of those defects that are common are that the dead front is re installed with improper screws that attach the dead front to the panel. When dead fronts are removed to be worked on often times the screws are misplaced. An inexperienced electrician or home owner will sometimes replace screws with the wrong type. This can be very dangerous due to the fact that by putting the wrong size or type screws back in can hit conductors or other elements in the panel. This can cause the dead from to become energized and cause bodily harm to unsuspecting future home owner or electrician.
Electrical safety in the home is paramount when inspecting a home for potential home buyers. Home owners often take electricity for granted and do not realize the dangers that can be present in the many different areas of the system. Having a healthy home electrical system that works for the home owner as well as protects them is what we as inspectors strive to provide them information to reach that goal.
In this picture you can see an outlet that appears to have damage from overheating. Due to the visible damage the correct course of action would be taking a picture and describe what was observed in the report. I would not use a receptacle tester on this outlet.
Electrical fires in homes claim the lives of 485 people a year and injure over 2000 more. Most of these fires are caused due to poor maintenance of electric appliances, improperly installed wiring, and overloaded circuits and extension cords. You should routinely check your appliances and wiring for problems. Hiring an InterNACHI inspector who is knowledgeable in these areas could save your home and your life.
This is an unapproved junction box with too many conductor connections passing through it. Additionally, a box with this many connections can readily overheat and cause a fire. It is a sign of amateur wiring and should be evaluated for safety by a licensed electrical professional.
It is important to note the presence of aluminum wiring inside of a service panel and recommend that it be evaluated by a licensed electrical professional, as these wires are prone to rapid deterioration and failure leading to a hazardous condition and possibly fire.
Say you are outside with your power drill and it is raining. You are standing on the ground, and since the drill is wet there is a path from the hot wire inside the drill through you to ground. If electricity flows from hot to ground through you, it could be fatal. The GFCI can sense the current flowing through you because not all of the current is flowing from hot to neutral as it expects. Some of it is flowing through you to ground. As soon as the GFCI senses that, it trips the circuit and cuts off the electricity.
AFCI testers. are portable devices designed to test AFCI functionality. They create waveform patterns similar to those produced by actual arc faults, thereby causing working AFCIs to trip.They can test any individual receptacle within the branch. They help ensure that AFCIs are properly monitoring the circuits that they serve for dangerous arc faults.
This is a photo of a single gang box inside of a garage. There are terminated wires inside with wire nuts and electrical tape. The cover is missing a screw and is not secured. This condition needs to be corrected by a qualified electrician.
Knob and tube wiring was used between 1900 and 1940s. It is a two wire system there is no ground wire. These two single wires are held in place with ceramic knobs and tubes. The rubber and cloth insulation around the knob & tube wiring breaks down over time creating a potential for shorts and should be noted as a serious defect.
I read the article titled Electrical Panel Inspection. As we all know these panels can be very dangerous even. This article states how to prepare to exit the situation in case of an emergency and how to protect our clients from falling victim also.
AFCI or arc fault circuit interruptors are special types of receptacles and circuit breakers that detect potentially dangerous arcs in home branc wiring. AFCI testers are portable devices designed to test AFCI functionality. They create waveform patterns similar to those produced by actual arc faults. It is not the same as the test button located on the outlet or breaker. The test switch actually produces an arc but cannot test for arc fault in individual portions of the branch circuit. Because AFCI testers have been debated, it should be used along with the AFCI test button to give the client a better representation of how the AFCI breakers are working.
Broken electrical outlets are extremely dangerous and should be replaced immediately. cracked or broken outlets can cause fires and electrical shock. recommend an electrician replace the broken one.also recommend not using the outlet to prevent injury and isolating power at the breaker.
Aluminum wiring should not be used for branch circuit wiring. copper is the current standard for branch wiring in homes. service entrance conductors are typically aluminum and should be treated with an antioxidant paste to prevent corrosion. inspectors should also check for correct wire gauges for the breaker used.
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter located in the bathroom on the south side of the structure meets all requirements. I tested the receptacle on each side of the sink and found that both GCFI receptacles tripped properly when tested and reset as expected.
The article 10 ways to save money and energy in your home is a well informed article, little things such as changing your old incandescent light bulbs to led or cfl can be savings, having a waterless hot water tank is another one, you are not wasting energy on keeping the water warm when not in use, little things such as using lids on your pots and pans while cooking, unplugging labtop computer chargers and cell phone chargers when not being charged are other savings most people dont think about.
Arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) tester indicators are portable devices that serve to test the functionality of AFCI receptacles. An AFCI indicator can test any individual receptacle within the circuit breakers branch. Inspectors should use AFCI indicators to inspect receptacles observed to be AFCI-protected. AFCI indicators should be inserted directly into the receptacle. This indicator creates eight to 12 pulses of 106 to 141 amp charges in less than a second which should be recognized by the AFCI as a dangerous arc and cause it to open the circuit that it serves.
There are GFCI protected outlets present in the kitchen. These help protect people from electrical shock near wet locations. All outlets are within proper height from the counter tops and spaced along the counter for easy access to multiple devices.
In the gallery there is an image of a GFCI circuit. It shows line wires leaving the distribution panel and entering a GFCI outlet. It indicates that the down stream outlets can be protected by one GFCI device if it is properly wired.
The attached image shows a GFCI recepticle and light switch located next to the bathroom sink. GFCI outlets are required in all bathrooms and kitchens or any outlets where water may be present. This GFCI outlet is in good working order. The faceplate is cracked. It is a cosmetic issue but should be replaced.
