Research & Writing Assignment:
Backflow is a problem where the intended direction of water flow is reversed which can allow the water supply to become contaminated or polluted. While there are a number of different assemblies for specialized agricultural/industrial use, the Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker(ABV)is the most common in a residential setting.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Attached above is a photo of a general electric panel. This panel has a disconnect at the top interior portion which is rated at 200 amps. This panel is located at the interior garage wall and is secured with screws.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I chose the article about AFCI testers. These testers are better and significantly more expensive than the GFIC testers. This indicator creates eight to twelve pulses of 106 to 141 amps in less than a second which should be recognized by the AFCI as a dangerous arc.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a picture of an electrical service panel that I take on all homes. This is to ensure to the client that the panel trim was removed, and I had accessible views of the interior components. When they do not come to the inspection, this is great to show them that you observed the interior components as if they were present during the inspection.
Research & Writing Assignment:
In reading about the arc-fault circuit interrupters, I gained some knowledge about the overall functioning of these breakers. It was very informative, and I suggest other inspectors to read the article to gain some great insight about these units. A must read.
A gfi has nothing to do with protection from overcurrent. That is the function of the breaker or fuse.
An afci looks for arc signatures, not high temperature .
Question the knowledge of whoever wrote that course.
The NEC does not require two ground rods. It is simply easier to drive two than to test resistance .
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Definitely not my panel at home. This panel has no wires double-lugged in breakers or on the neutral bus bar. It has a single shut off breaker/switch. The grounding is done properly. No wires are crossing in front of any breakers. I wish i was this immaculate with anything.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Service panel safety starts with observing the area around the panel. Is there enough space(3ft x 30in) of clearance? Make sure to use a reliable gauge to test the cover and bolts to see if it is live due to improper bonding or wiring. Remove the panel in a way that keeps the cover in between you and the breakers to provide more protection.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is an image of sharp tipped screws being used to attach the main service panel cover plate to the distribution panel. The use of sharp tipped screws is prohibited as they may damage conductors which can lead to personal injury. Screws identified by the manufacturer should be used at distribution panel cover plates.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Grounding rod- The image selected depicts the proper installation of a grounding rod. The grounding rod is driven 8 feet in to the ground so that it does not extend above grade level. An appropriate clamp designated for use under ground secures the ground wire to the ground rod.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
While inspecting the electric panel I see that the brand of the panel is Federal Pacific Electrical. I will defer full evaluation of this electrical panel to a licensed electrical contractor. Federal Pacific panels were subject to many warnings issued by consumer groups.
Research & Writing Assignment:
After scouring the vast number of informative and interesting articles in this websites online article library, I came across a helpful article detailing the importance of every day barbeque safety.The Consumer Product Safety Commission is alerted to more than 500 fires annually due to barbeque misuse.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Circuit breakers are the safety switches that protect all of the electrical circuits in your house. There are two types of standard breakers: single-pole and double-pole. Single-pole breakers are rated for 120 volts and 15 or 20 amps. They control standard lighting and outlet circuits, as well as some appliance circuits, in the house. The breakers themselves are relatively narrow and occupy a single slot in the home’s breaker box. Double-pole breakers, on the other hand, are typically rated for 20 to 60 amps and supply 240-volt power to large appliances, like electric dryers and ranges. They’re “double-wide” breakers that take up two slots in the breaker box and have a toggle switch that’s twice the length of the toggle on single-pole breakers.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Bathroom ventilation systems are designed to exhaust odors and moist air to the home’s exterior. Typical systems consist of a ceiling fan unit connected to a duct that terminates at the roof.
Fan Function
The fan may be controlled in one of several ways:
Most are controlled by a conventional wall switch.
A timer switch may be mounted on the wall.
A wall-mounted humidistat can be pre-set to turn the fan on and off based on different levels of relative humidity.
Newer fans may be very quiet but work just fine. Older fans may be very noisy or very quiet. If an older fan is quiet, it may not be working well. Inspectors can test for adequate fan airflow with a chemical smoke pencil or a powder puff bottle, but such tests exceed InterNACHI’s Standards of Practice.
Bathroom ventilation fans should be inspected for dust buildup that can impede air flow. Particles of moisture-laden animal dander and lint are attracted to the fan because of its static charge. Inspectors should comment on dirty fan covers.
Ventilation systems should be installed in all bathrooms. This includes bathrooms with windows, since windows will not be opened during the winter in cold climates.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This picture clearly shows an electrical fire that has happened at an outlet. There must have been a short which caused this fire. The recepticle looks old with those style plugs and the main board might not have had a proper breaker installed.
Research & Writing Assignment:
The gallery shows great diagrams on electrical boxes. I have spent alot of time looking at the diagrams to thouroughly understand and know everything about the electrical breakers. Electricicty is a necessity in every home and understanding the breakers, and wiring is vital in every home inspection.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a photo showing the proper bonding of the grounding wires to the electrical sub panel busbars. The neutral wires in this particular panel were also separated and isolated from the ground wires in their own individual bus bars.
Research & Writing Assignment:
From the diagram picture of conductors i leaned that aluminum wire sizes must be bigger than copper wire sizes, and that a 30 amp breaker requires a 10 gauge copper wire. Wire sizes are very important in order to ensure that a breaker will function properly.
Research & Writing Assignment:
My research, and writing assignment is the library article about aging in place. learned some things I would have thought of, this is something I could for sure recommend to my parents, aunts and uncles in the future to help them with there options on safe heathy living.
