If you live in an older home or have recently had your home renovated, you may be wondering if your house would pass an electrical inspection. Passing an electrical inspection is crucial to ensuring the safety of your household and the protection of your home, appliances, and electronics.
At Pine Breeze Inspections, we understand the importance of electrical safety and provide electrical inspections for homeowners across the Colorado Springs area. In this guide, we discuss problems we frequently come across during our safety inspections and what you need to consider if you’re wondering if your home would pass an electrical inspection.
Old or Damaged Electrical Panels Are Commonly Noted in Electrical Inspection
Outdated electrical panels that are at least 20 years old are a common problem that our expert electricians come across during inspections. These outdated electrical panels present safety hazards and need to be replaced. Some old brands of electrical panels that are no longer considered safe include Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and Sylvania.
Signs of outdated or damaged electrical panels include rust or corrosion, broken parts, breaker boxes with fuses, and loose terminations. If an electrical panel is not deemed safe or able to handle the home’s electrical load it will not pass inspection. We always recommend upgrading electrical panels to modern standards of safety and functionality. Doing so will help the electrical system handle a modern electrical load and be more efficient.
Old Wiring
Another problem we often come across during safety inspections is outdated wiring. This is particularly common for homes wired in the 1960s or earlier as many updates occurred to national home electrical standards in the US in the 1970s and 1980s.
Old wiring can present several problems for the safety and efficiency of your home’s electrical system. Some old wiring is not able to handle the modern electrical demand of most homes, which can lead to short-circuiting and dangerous electrical occurrences such as an electrical fire.
Some homes built in the 1950s or earlier have knob-and-tube wiring that can become dangerous if the insulation covering the wire has worn away. This two-wire system also does not contain a ground system, a safety feature used in modern wiring systems.
When old wiring presents safety hazards or can not handle a modern home’s electrical load it will not pass a safety inspection. When we find old wiring in the home, we recommend replacement with a modern wiring system, especially if additional signs of electrical overload are seen such as flickering lights or circuit breaker tripping.
GFCI and AFCI Circuit Protection
GFCI circuit protection, or ground fault circuit interrupter circuit protection, is required by the National Electric Code in several areas of the home such as bathrooms, garages, below-grade areas, kitchens, outdoor areas, and any area within six feet of a sink or water source. This requirement is in place to protect from severe and fatal shocks, particularly in areas that are exposed to or near water sources.
AFCI circuit protection, or arc-fault circuit interrupter circuit protection, is required by the National Electric Code in all areas of the home where 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets or devices are installed. AFCIs protect from injury or death caused by dangerous arcing in electrical wires, which can lead to a fire. The AFCIs detect this arcing and shut down the electrical system before a fire can occur.
Schedule A Safety Electrical Inspection with the Pros at Pine Breeze Inspections
At Pine Breeze Inspection, we offer safety inspections for our Colorado Springs area customers to help ensure the safety and efficiency of their home electrical system. If you live in the Colorado Springs area and aren’t sure if your home would pass an electrical inspection, then make sure to call us today to schedule a safety inspection with a qualified, licensed electrician.