Take advantage of out new fifty-point home inspection. This inspection is designed specifically for people who have recently bought a home and would like to know the condition and safety of their electrical system. It is set up so that our electrical service technician can thoroughly go through your home and check everything that is on your electrical system and put your mind to rest concerning safety issues, the potential for fires and general problems that could lead to expensive repairs in the future.
In most cases, when you buy a previously owned or even a new home, a “home inspector” is employed to inspect the residence and write a report for the new homeowner. These inspections, though worthwhile, are sometimes so confined to a specific format that they are superficial when it comes to to the inspection of the entire electrical system. For instance; most for the inspections report the presence of smoke detectors but purposely do not test them. We understand why they don’t want to test the smoke detectors in the residence but we also know that you as a homeowner need to know if your smoke detectors are functional or just there.
The main point is this; if you move into a home that has been previously owned, you should know about the safety and functionality of the electrical system.
Your electrical system grounding is of the utmost importance for safety and pretection against lightning. But especially the life safety issues liek Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter protection in the bathrooms, kitchen and outside as well as your smoke detectors. Smoke detectors can’t help you if they don’t have good batteries and aren’t tested periodically. Let us help in these situations and you can sleep restfully. We provide a very comprehensive inspection report and we will gladly provide an estimate for the resolution of any issues that arise from teh inspection. We will also make suggestions for things that need to be done to update your home to current electrical codes such as Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters for the bed rooms which are requires for all new homes built since the year 2000. The purpose of AFCI’s is to prevent fires in homes caused by arching and loose connections. AFCI’s are not required in home built before 2000 but in reality the older the home, the more likely it is to have loose connections at the receptacles or switches. AFCI’s were developed because of the increasing number of fires in homes due to loose connections.
If you would like to have a Home Inspection just give us a call at Gulf Coast Electric!
Our 50-Point Inspection Checklist
Electrical Service
- Visual inspection of electrical service
- Visual inspection of riser
- Visual inspection of grounder
- Grounded conductor
- Grounded rods and ground clamps
- Corrison present
- Service interior
- Circuit breakers
- Visually inspect bus bars
- Tighten all circuit breaker terminals
- Correct circuit breaker size
Exterior Systems
- Air conditioning equipment
- Min/Max circuit breaker size
- Visually check AC disconnects
- Visually check all wiring for AC’s
- Irrigation Equipment
- Min/Max circuit breaker size
- Condition of timer or disconnect means
- Visually check wiring for irrigation system
- Pool Equipment (Pool Panel)
- Min/Max circuit breaker size
- Timers and Controllers
- Pool lighting on GFI
- Equipotential bonding
- Proximity of outlets around pool
- General condition of pool equipment
- Exterior Receptacles and Outlets
- Receptacles protected by GFI
- Weatherproof covers and in use overs
- Junction boxes covered and sealed
Interior Sub Panels
- Inspect bus bars and circuit breakers
- Turn off circuit breakers and tighten all terminals
- Inspect bus bars for corrosion and damage
- Circuit breakers sized correctly
- Number of circuits does not exceed panel rating
- Neutral bonded on three wire systems
- Neutral isolated on four wire systems
- Attic
- Check for open splices, box covers, knob and tube
- Attic lighting required if equipment is present or pull down stairs
Interior Switches, Receptacles, Outlets
- Random testing of receptacles, continuity & grounding (2ea per room)
- Cover plates in place
- Test lighting (random testing only)
Bathrooms, Kitchen Counters, Wet Bars, Garages
- Check all outlets for GFI protection (GFI’s required after 1987)
- Check all wet bars for GFI protection (GFI’s required after 1993)
- Check all garage outlets for GFI protection (required since 1978)
- Check all hydromassage tub for GFI protection (required since 1987)
Bedrooms and all Sleeping Areas
- All bedrooms and outlets require AFCI’s (Required since January, 2002)
- Smoke detectors required in all bedrooms – noted but not tested
Outdoor Hot Tubs and Spas
- GFI protection required for hot tub and spa motors (since 1981)
- GFI requited for outlets within 15ft of hot tub or spa (since 1981)
Surge Protection
- Proper surge protection installed on electrical system
- Proper surge protection installed on telephone system
- Proper surge protection installed on cable television system