Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This picture is of a main panel in a commercial property. Since it was constructed as residential then later converted, it was safely and correctly inspected by residential standards. Commercial electrical inspections may involve use of a third party contractor with the inspector acting as a facilitator of the information gathered.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Commercial Inspection 3 image illustrates the importance of using qualified third party vendors as part of your commercial inspection. Commercial electrical systems are regularly more complicated than residential and should be handled by a commercial electrician with the inspector documenting and facilitating the information flow to the buyer.
hi I am Larry Zink, a new inspector just completed certification reqjuirements and Im expanding my knowledge into commercial inspections.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Electrical service conductors for three-phase 120/240-volt service should be color-coded as black, red, and blue, respectively, for the number one, two, and three phase lines of the service. Electrical service conductors for three-phase 277/480-volt service should be color-coded as brown, orange, and yellow, respectively, for the number one, two, and three phase lines of the service.
Research & Writing Assignment:
The accumulation of dust, both organic and mineral, can prove to be a health and safety hazard in even the most unlikely of commercial property environments. Dust is (more often than not) allowed to accumulate atop cabinets and ledges, and in the plenum space above suspended ceilings, even in otherwise well-kept office spaces. Janitorial crews are seldom commissioned to perform the extra work required to remediate the unseen dust buildup. “Out of sight, out of mind”, as the old saying goes. The same dust can prove to be a formidable source of fuel for a fire in the event of a spark to ignite the dust when the conditions are favorable.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This image demonstrates which the dead front and the panel box should be fully enclosed to prevent water, dust and in this case a rodent from entering it. It can cause arcing which may lead to fire. All open knockouts should be a knockout plug and missing plates should be covered with filler plates. There are 3 components needed to cause fire, air, a combustible and a spark. With openings in the panel 2 of the three items are in place, air and the potential for a spark. The fewer of the 3 are available, the better.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Aluminum wiring was commonly used in lieu of copper wiring due to the escalating price of copper. All wiring is subject to annealment, expanding and contracting will weaking it over time, but aluminum is especially prone to this. Connections become weaker over time and that leads to arcing and possible fire danger. Homes and buildings containing aluminum wiring are 55 times more prone to fire than homes containing copper wiring. It should be noted that aluminum is currently acceptable use by power companies to provide service up the the service entrance and into the panel.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a photograph of a typical low voltage, communications system, main distribution frame. It’s primary function is to provide termination points for system cabling and termination points for the individual station runs.
As shown, “jumper wires” are ran from the system side to the station side. This is where the name MDF or Main Distriution Frame has its origin.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I reviewed the course entitled “Electrical Service From Hell”. This was a very informative article which brought to attention many of the things encountered during inspections.
Many of these are Life Safety violations, as well as electrocution hazards. Electrical is inherently dangerous itself without the added danger brought about by incorrect installation.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Essay for Commercial Electrical Inspection.
This is an image of yours truly doing an infrared electrical inspection on a large commercial project. I am looking at a distribution panel above a floor transformer. As you can see, I am in full arc flash protection gear, this is a 40 Cal. rated arc flash suit. And please believe me when I say that it is extremely hot in here, not the electrical room but inside this suit. Some electrical rooms may take about two hours to fully inspect. The accompanying electrician will remove the covers not more than about two minutes ahead of me. This is because if they remove all the covers ahead of time, the conductors and connecting points will cool off. When this happens, you do not get an accurate reading of the actual temperature of the switches and conductors in the protection enclosure. The components that are being inspected should be under a minimum 40% load. One issue that Ive always had dealing with this type of electrical inspections is identification of the component we are testing. The challenge is, to identify the components and devices in the electrical room first and make up some kind of procedure plan. I would do this by inspecting the room in a clock-wise direction. Starting from the entry door and make a list of all the components and their identification numbers before the covers come off. Then I would have my assistant, which needs to be 10 feet behind me and off on a 45 angle,( arc flash issue) photograph everything with a standard camera in the clockwise direction. Once everything is identified and photographed, the electrician would begin removing the first cover. The camera I have is a fluke and it has picture in picture, which allows me to display the image in a standard photograph format and another image of the same component as a thermogram. The issue here is that, once the cover is off you lose all external identification of the component you are testing. On some of the larger electrical panels, there is no way you can get back far enough to center the object in the field of view. This may sound like a simple task but when you have over 400 thermograms to identify at the end of the day, you need to be accurate. Sending your electrician off to fix a component or replace an overheated switch can be difficult if you dont know where it is, or what panel it was in. They may not have an infrared camera at their disposal to find the same object that you did. You can identify the panel with ribbons or sticky notes, that seems to work okay. You must not leave any panel open for any longer than necessary to do your testing.
Thank you, Ed.
Research & Writing Assignment:
My research essay for this course is from the paper written by Nick Gromicko and Kate Tarasenko titled;
Commercial and Home Inspectors Safety
I found this article interesting and informative, unfortunately, we do not always know when we are getting ourselves into trouble. And sooner or later it can catch up to us and cause us harm. Wearing all appropriate personal protection equipment and arming ourselves with the appropriate knowledge to know when we are in a dangerous environment or situation, may save our life one day.
Being that I am a new Inspector, and enjoying this profession immensely, I find that when I get on an inspection, I lose all concept of time. It seems that I get to an inspection at 8 oclock in the morning and before I know it, 6 to 8 hours has gone by and I realize that I havent stopped to eat anything or take a break. In these situations, I am not as sharp as I was when I began my inspection. This in itself can be great danger. When you are working with your full PPE, sometimes your vision is limited, to straight ahead, sometimes you cant see your feet and your hearing may be restricted with earplugs or other devices. So, in closing, I find I need to discipline myself a little more and put my tools down and step out to my truck for 15 minutes and have a coffee, and just think about what I have done and what I am about to do. This I feel is an important part to personal safety as much as the PPE and knowing your environment hazards. Thank you to interNachi for the wonderful information and your caring attitude to help keep everyone safe.
Thank you,
Ed.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This photo shows a copper ground buss with galvanized crimp connectors and galvanized bolts without washers. Crimp connectors and bolts should be the same metal as the ground buss. This set up of different metals will result in accelerated corrosion due to electrolysis.The connectors installed without washers has resulted in insufficient contact between the connector and the buss with limited ground potential in the event of a ground fault.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Article read was “Electrical Service from Hell” Ben and company constructed a problem panel with numerous deficiencies. Examples noted were undersized service conductors for a specific amperage service disconnect.Missing nylon bushings, modified or damaged buss, numerous conductors in one lug.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Service Panel Inspection
The service panel was located outside the structure on its rear left (northeastern) corner. The panel was secured with a lock, and will be inspected by a third party specialist as part of this overall inspection.
Service Panel Observations
As the picture shows, there are potential wiring issues present. There is a significant length of unknown wire wound around a vent. It is not clear what this wire is used for, or if its ampacity is sufficient. With the presence of trash near this potentially unsafe wiring there is a significant fire potential. Since the property is an active gas station, the inspector will recommend that immediate assessment by a specialist be done and that the defects be corrected immediately.
Research & Writing Assignment:
In the article entitled Fire Alarm Systems by Nick Gromicko, the topic of fire alarm systems in commercial properties was discussed. Because these systems are typically larger and very different from those found in residential properties, I chose this article. The first significant fact I learned was that systems that are between 10 and 15 years old will still likely function as they should, although close attention must be paid to their regular maintenance. The second significant fact I learned from this article was that systems that are older than 15 years are very likely to have problems. This is very important because there are many commercial buildings that are 15 years or older, and their fire alarm systems are very likely close in age. The final significant fact I learned from this article was that local codes will specify the frequency of maintenance. Since this frequency is governed by local codes, and not state or national regulations, the commercial inspector will need to keep up with codes in the jurisdictions in which he or she conducts inspections.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Conductors Sizing Chart. This chart shows the minimum size breakers and fuses for copper and aluminum wire. The first row shows the sizes of breakers or fuses ranging from 15 amp breaker or fuse to 400 amp needed for protection of the wire. Note #1 means the second and third row wire sizes are for non utility wire sizing. These rows show the copper and aluminum wire sizes that correspond with the first row. One thing to note the breaker and fuse can be higher then the wire it is protecting. Example A 70 amp breaker or fuse can protect a copper wire from sizes #4-14 or aluminum wire sizes #2-12. The fourth and fifth row are wire sizes coming from the utility company. Note #2 means these are service conductor sizes coming from the utility company. This chart is a quick way to observe if the wire is on the proper breaker or fuse.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Medium size warehouse inspected approximately 5000 square feet. Picture shows 2-208 volt panels. The panels were in good shape showing no signs of damage. The legends on each panel were filled out for each circuit breaker. The panels were each marked at 208 volts. Conduit leading into the panels was properly mounted and fastened to uni-strut. Doors of the panels each closed and latched properly
Research & Writing Assignment:
Fire door inspection. The fire door should be first visually inspected for any signs of damage or alteration. The frame should be checked to see if it is secure. Hinges and mechanism should be checked and screw checked for tightness. The door should be checked for a label on the edge of the door listing the parameters of the fire rating etc. The frame should also either have a label of be embossed. The pull side of the frame and of the door should be checked for proper opening and latching as well at any defects or damage that may affect it operation. Edges of the door should be checked for any damage or de-lamination and if any rubbing of the door exists. The push side of the frame and door should be similarly checked. Any deficiencies, damage, open holes, missing screws, improper screws or fasteners, damaged hardware should be noted and pictures taken.
The lugs do not have to be the same material as the bus bars. Copper conductors are used all the time in aluminum lugs.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
The picture above is of a Westinghouse electrical service panel located in the basement of a commercial property. As can be noted, it appears the top, horizontal plate of the “dead front” was removed, exposing energized wires. This is a safety hazard. Additionally, not all of the breakers are properly labeled, making lock-out-tag-out very difficult without spending a significant amount of time chasing breakers. While it is difficult to see in the photograph, the interior of the upper portion of the panel shows significant signs of oxidation, creating possible conductor temperature issues if the size of the conductors have been significantly reduced due to the oxidation. Further investigation will need to be undertaken so as to make sure the newer looking Cutler-Hammer breaker was allowed to be installed in a Westinghouse panel of that age.
