New for old.

Specific Inspection Topics Electrical Inspections
1

This 103 year old home that was/is in the middle of an electrical upgrade. The home has been vacant for 18 months.

I wanted to ask the inspectors/electricians as if they were the ones that would be actually doing this job.

Now the home had 100 amp SEC. There is no A/C, stove or dryer electrical. It is all set up for gas so the load is somewhat minumal.

Why would they install an AFCI for the refrigerator? The orange wire is the one for the refrigerator as the walls are open. By the way they opened the walls between each stud to run the wiring. Not small holes I mean like large sections!

Why would they use armored cable when the application would of been easier to use romex? The application is at the attic floor that is being finished & the notched the sub floor but ran Armored cable?

They installed a 200 amp main but only have 100 amp SEC. Now since we dont do a load calc. If you were installing this system I would think 125 or 150 would be sufficient. What size SEC and main breaker would you install?

The kitchen only had 1 GFCI. 1-2 prong receptacle at the opposite wall and the AFCI for the designated receptacle for the refrigerator. Isnt it required that 2 20 amp circuits be installed for the kitchen?

Now at the main panel they installed what looks like a temporary panel but it was totally in the way and not supported properly. Why would the electrician install this extra panel.

I defferred the whole house to be reviewed for repairs and to have an itemized list by a licensed electrician. There was a lot of work that was done but a lot still needs to be done.

Another question. When doing a total update are the receptacles(outlets required to be at least 18 inches above the floor or can they still be installed at the baseboards?

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2

Where is the 200 amp main? I see a 100.

#10 for the refer? No idea. Waste of money and MUCH harder to work with.
AFCI? Again, a waste of $$ and the risk of nuisance tripping.

NO, there is NO code as to receptacle height. To meet the requirements for “required” receptacles they can be anywhere from in the floor near the wall all the way up to 5’6" high.

3

A couple quick comments…

  • The main does appear to be a 100 amp main. I’m not that familiar with GE equipment, but it is possible that the panel and its associated buss are rated at up to 200 amp, and they installed a 100 amp main breaker. No problem. Some people do this to get a generously sized panel, with lots of “slots”
  • The new wiring that is completed so far seems a bit messy, and was probably DIY work. It should be scrutinized more closely than normal by *somebody. *
  • That second (sub)panel is partially behind the structure that supports the service rated panel. That’s a working space violation that will present a hazard to people working on that panel, and also may not permit 90° opening of the panel door.
  • I have no idea why an AFCI breaker for the refrigerator. That is odd, but no safety issue exists. That does put them at greater risk for loss of refrigerated food items in the future.
  • #10 to the refrigerator is weird, too. Is this the type of home that you envision could be completed as a ‘high end’ dwelling? Some of the Sub-Zero brand/style refrigerators may require a more stout branch circuit.
  • The blue insulated butt splices that are extending the existing K&T into the new panel should be checked by somebody to assure that the crimping procedure was properly completed by appropriate tooling. It is difficult to get a good crimp on solid conductors, and even more difficult to get a quality crimp with improper crimping tooling.
  • The black electrical tape on the end of the jacket of the 6-3 cable that feeds the sub panel is suspicious. This is often a sign that a DIY skinned the cable jacket, and nicked the conductor insulation off as well.
    *]The feed to the subpanel appears to be improperly wired. It appears to be fed with 4-wire, but setup as 3-wire. The grounds and neutrals do not appear to be seperated.
    DIY To The Rescue, for sure.
4

*“Why would they use armored cable when the application would of been easier to use romex? The application is at the attic floor that is being finished & the notched the sub floor but ran Armored cable?”

*Neither would be correct for installation below a finished floor if installed by “notching” subflooring if by “notching” you mean, for example, routing a channel in the subflooring or installing the cable in the space between two sheets of subflooring material.

5

Actually they drilled the holes thru the floor joist & I made a mistake by saying notched. It just seemed odd that they were using armored cable.