Inspecting electrical vs Electrical Inspection (Ohio)

Local Inspection Issues Ohio Home Inspectors
1

Ohio requires home inspectors to report on the following:

"(T) A licensee shall inspect a propertys readily accessible components of the electrical system during a home inspection and report in the home inspection report the licensees findings related to all of the following:

(1) Service drop;

(2) Service entrance conductors, cables and raceways;

(3) Service equipment and main disconnects;

(4) Service grounding;

(5) Interior parts or components of a service panels and subpanels;

(6) Conductors;

(7) Overcurrent protection devices;

(8) A representative sample of installed light fixtures, switches and receptacles;

(9) Ground fault circuit interrupters and arc fault circuit interrupters;

(10) Licensees shall report in the home inspection report the propertys amperage rating service, the location of main disconnects and subpanels, the presence or absence of any smoke or carbon monoxide alarms and the predominant branch of circuit wiring method."

It does not allow home inspectors to perform electrical inspections as shown in this video.

Advertising that you can perform electrical inspections will get you in trouble. How many years have I warned this?

Brown.pdf (33.2 KB)

As you can read in the letter, This is an illegal activity. Please continue to inspect the electrical during a home inspection but if you cross the line - well!

Separate electrical inspections is one of my sources of income. I took the tests to be allowed to do these.

If you aren’t on this list and you advertise code inspections, I will report you.

Inspecting the electrical on a home inspection isn’t the same as an electrical inspection.

Please know the difference. The state has determined that he IS performing an electrical inspection.

PS I have never turned any home inspector in for inspecting an electrical panel during a home inspection. This is different. Like crossing the performing engineering line.

2

Forgot to add this. What they do and that they use ASHI SOP and not the Ohio SOP.

In this video, we review a brief overview of what we look for as certified/ licensed property inspectors while looking at the distribution panel to the American society of home inspection standard of practice. For a more inclusive list, please read below.

Step by Step Overview

  1. All electrical enclosures are appropriate for the environment they are exposed to.
  2. Electrical boxes, breaker panels, and electrical disconnects are in good repair and without obvious physical damage.
  3. All breaker spaces in breaker boxes that are not being used are effectively covered.
  4. Service cable and main disconnect are sized appropriately.
  5. Distribution breakers and distribution wires are size appropriately.
  6. Distribution system is appropriately grounded
  7. Evaluate the neutral bus connections for proper termination.
  8. Evaluate the breaker bus bar and terminal connections for overheating and overloading.
  9. All pull boxes and junction boxes have their covers securely in place.
  10. All circuit breakers and electrical disconnects are labeled with the equipment or branch circuit they control.
  11. All rigid conduits are in good repair and securely attached to the building structure and the boxes they enter. All wires either end or are connected inside of a closed electrical box.
  12. All unused openings in the top, sides, and bottom of electrical boxes, breaker panels, electrical disconnects, pull boxes, and junction boxes are closed or sealed.
  13. There is clear and easy access to all breaker panels and electrical disconnects, and there is proper clearances around these fixtures.
  14. Use a thermal camera to detect any thermal anomalies, overloaded circuits or loose connections.
3

But I thought home inspectors were not allowed to remove the dead front…

2 Likes
4

Only Ohio home inspectors Dan.

3 Likes
5

Is that actually true or is MP blowing smoke again?

6

From the Ohio SOP

image
image2160×1620 325 KB

6 Likes
7

This didn’t take long. No offense to Mike but isn’t this what got him jammed up the last time?

12 Likes
8

Thats why this is confusing.
Not sure how you can check this without removing the cover. Unless his opinion has changed:

Ohio requires home inspectors to report on the following:

"(T) A licensee shall inspect a propertys readily accessible components of the electrical system during a home inspection and report in the home inspection report the licensees findings related to all of the following:

(1) Service drop;

(2) Service entrance conductors, cables and raceways;

(3) Service equipment and main disconnects;

(4) Service grounding;

(5) Interior parts or components of a service panels and subpanels;

(6) Conductors;

(7) Overcurrent protection devices;

(8) A representative sample of installed light fixtures, switches and receptacles;

(9) Ground fault circuit interrupters and arc fault circuit interrupters;

(10) Licensees shall report in the home inspection report the propertys amperage rating service, the location of main disconnects and subpanels, the presence or absence of any smoke or carbon monoxide alarms and the predominant branch of circuit wiring method."

4 Likes
9

I believe it’s the way MP and everyone else defines readily accessible components

1 Like
10

Deja Vu
Not this shit again. Is this guy a one trick pony or what?

2 Likes
11

It’s just a matter of time.
This was from 3 years ago
Tonight, I instructed Tim in our I.T. Department to ban him from the message board

5 Likes
12

Nonsense.

In the video you have posted, there was no advertisement of “code inspection”. Everything in the video is covered and allowed by the Ohio’s HI SOP you have posted. The letter in the PDF format you have posted states some sort of piece of advertisement advertising code inspections. Home Inspectors are prohibited from doing code inspections. This pretty much applies to all states with a HI license.

Where is the ad you sent to Ohio’s licensing board?
why did you choose to attach some sort of other video instead?

3 Likes
13

First, I did not say above that you could not remove the dead front.

2nd and most important are the violations shown. The video link is what I sent the state.

The state says that it is a violation of law. In Ohio, even the CBO can’t inspect any electrical installation unless certified. Not even a connection to a CEE.

I offered the OHIB my help in working on legislation that would change this. This is a matter of public record. You out of Ohio members harm Ohio inspectors in your effort to discredit me.

I am posting actual facts related to Ohio home inspectors. Please feel free to report me to the OHIB. That has already been done.

As a member I am allowed to post here. I have not insulted or attacked anyone. If I attack anyone ban me. If not please keep the rude comments to yourself.

14

we have been through this before Mr Parks and it has got You banned from this site before…is this really the road You want to go down…???

3 Likes
15

No we have not discussed performing code inspections, shown here, vs a home inspector performing an inspection of the electrical system during a home inspection.

The point IS that you can not perform a stand alone electrical inspection unless certified. He is advertising electrical inspections and the state says so in the letter.

Open panels all day long. I wouldn’t turn you in but if you advertise to be able to perform what I do as part of my profession, I’ll turn you it.

Home inspectors can not do stand alone electrical inspections. They are also inspecting commercial electrical installations. Again, prohibited.

What this means is clearly defined in the NEC. Change in 2017.

16

here we go again…good by sir I hope You enjoyed your stay…

5 Likes
17

No comment on them using ASHI SOP instead of the required Ohio SOP? There is more to the post than just the video.

18

The State, according to the “Brown-1.pdf” doc, determined that they were performing a “code inspection”. I watched the video multiple times and did not see or hear any mention of the word(s) “code inspection”. How did the State determine it was a “Code inspection” just from that video?

Having said that they they claim to take actions that may well be misleading and/or under the auspice of a licensed Electrician. For example how did they load the receptacle outlet branch circuits so they could run thermal imaging to determine no issues were present? There are other possibilities as well.

19

There is no such thing as a licensed residential electrical contractor in Ohio. Commercial license only. That allows the contractor to do work and then have it inspected by an ESI.

Electrical contractors can not perform electrical inspections.

By applying: “(B) The “practice of electrical inspection” includes any ascertainment of compliance with the Ohio building code, or the electrical code of a political subdivision of this state by a person, who, for compensation, inspects the construction and installation of electrical conductors, fittings, devices, and fixtures for light, heat or power services equipment, or the installation, alteration, replacement, maintenance, or repair of any electrical wiring and equipment that is subject to any of the aforementioned codes.”

The state gave licensed home inspectors limited powers when inspecting electrical and have never given these powers to licensed electrical contractors.

Why? You will have to ask them. I just follow the law, I don’t write it.

20

The video does not state they will “test” load anything. It says they are looking for anomalies between breakers and are checking for any overloaded circuits and then mention such as furnace, space heater, etc… nothing in that video is against the Ohio’s SOP. Either the state’s licensing board is inept or something else is going on. The OP is definitely not someone I would trust. First it was not allowed to remove the cover and now not allowed to perform individual electrical inspections. He also cannot seem to hold a 2way conversation. Someone at NACHI need to review this and get to the bottom of it with Ohio’s licensing board. Afterall, everything NACHI teaches is in that video.