- Make sure living areas have an outlet at least every 12 feet of wall space. This is to make sure that a device can be plugged in at a distance of no more than 6 feet eliminating the use of extention cords.
- GFCIs (Ground Fault Circuit Interupter) should be installed on Kitchen counters and wet areas. Also all outside areas should have GFCI.s. Swimming pools, spas and outlets.
- AFCI. Starting January 1, 2002, The National Electrical Code , Section 210-12, requires that all branch circuits supplying 125V, single phase, 15 and 20 ampere outlets installed in dwelling unit bedrooms be protected by an arc-fault Circuit interrupter. Eventually they will be in more areas but the NEC selected to require them on bedroom circuits first because a CPSC study showed many home fire deaths were related to bedroom circuits.
- Look for burn marks around outlets. Check loose or broken receptacles.
- All receptacles should be the of the grounded three prong type. 220 receptacles should be four prong. It could cost thousands to rewire ungrounded outlets.
- A few years ago a 100 amp service would have been enough. Today with with computers, pools, spas, air conditioners, and other devices all requiring dedicated circuits, 200 amps is more the norm.
- Check the main service panel, touch the breakers for heat. If all the breaker slots are taken you know there is no room to add and could be a sign of a costly upgrade.
- If you have a qualified person with you remove service cover. Have him check to be sure the panel is grounded properly. Just by looking you should be able to see what type of wiring job was done. Is there corrosion or rust inside the panel. More than one wire on a breaker.
- Service entrance cable frayed or open. Rust or corrosion at meter socket. Service entrance connector and weather head not sealed. Drip loop not large enough.
- Smart homes are great but make sure everything is working. If the system is faulty you could end up spending a great deal of money rewiring the house.
- Aluminum wiring. Not a good idea.
- Reversed polarity (neutral and live wire reversed) or ground reversed.
Knob & Tube Wiring: This type of wiring was installed up to the early 1940`s. It is getting very brittle along with other rubber insulated conductors also installed up to late 40`s and 50`s. If one sees new light fixtures in a home and no other evidence of wiring improvements - chances are that the installation/connection at those fixtures is not done properly including with no metal box and a lot of dry wood shavings falling right on top of the fixture`s terminal connection where it gets quite hot. Once a home changes ownership or the wiring is almost 100 years old - it is difficult to insure it unless the knob & tube is replaced with modern wiring methods. It could cost from $5,000 to over $12,000 to rewire a home with all walls closed in.
Therefore; Before buying insure that you can get insurance and be prepared to have the home rewired when the insurance asks you about a year later. Suggestion by: Manuel @ ACTION ELECTRIC (Winnipeg, CA.)
I just had another comment on what to look for when buying a house. A very common hazard found is "handyman" wiring. That's not to put a handyman down, I'm one myself. It's just a term.
It is very common to find extension cord wiring, improper splices, and splices outside junction boxes.
Furthermore, if you look in the panel and it looks like spaghetti, chances are it wasn't done by a qualified electrician.
Thanks for the electrical help you provide.
Kevin Wattenbarger, Allied Home Inspections, Inc. , Inc, KCMO.
When looking for a home inspector. Try the American Home Inspector Directory a national database of home inspectors. Offers free online quotes!
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