The Dirty Bakers Dozen of Residential Electrical Problems- Wenatchee and Cle Elum Home Inspection Services

Are you a closet electrician? Many people including homeowners, mechanics, handymen, and engineers think they are weekend electricians. By what is observed it is obvious that many times this work is beyond the comprehension and understanding.

As a professional home inspector I am looking for these repairs and installations which create shock hazards and potential fire hazards.

The National Electrical Code (NEC) is the rules which all electricians operate under. There can be many local interpretation and revisions in force around the country, but for all intents and purposes this is the minimum standard for safety in electrical systems. Wiring and installations that do not comply with these standards could end up in fire or severe shock, it does happen.

Home electrical fires
In 2009, an estimated 44,800 home structure fires reported to U.S. fire departments involved some type of electrical failure or malfunction as a factor contributing to ignition.  These fires resulted in 472 civilian deaths, 1,500 civilian injuries, and $1.6 billion in direct property damage.

Home electrical distribution or lighting equipment fires
In 2009, an estimated 21,000 reported U.S. non-confined home structure fires involving electrical distribution or lighting equipment resulted in 320 civilian deaths, 1,000 civilian injuries, and $935 million in direct property damage.

Here is a list of common electrical problems found in a typical home inspection. They are not in any particular order.

Three Prong outlets improperly wired (no ground provided)
Ungrounded circuits are converted to accept a newer 3 prong outlet. This gives the illusion that the receptacle is grounded but is not. Properly grounded outlets allow stray current to travel to the earth ground if a malfunction occurs.

Hot-Neutral Reverse
This is another commonly found issue during a home inspection where the receptacles are improperly wired that has the polarity of the outlet is reversed. This means the small slot on the receptacle that should be the hot is now the neutral and the large slot is hot which should be the neutral. This creates the potential for shock.
         

“Homeowner” wiring (or is it Uncle Bob?)
Performed by homeowners or handymen they hired there is usually several signs of unprofessional work performed. Inspectors find, hanging wires, open junction boxes, splices not in boxes, inadequately sized wires and/or switches. During the home inspection I will find improperly wired 3 way switches, fixtures and devices.

Extension cords used as permanent wiring
Extension cords are used all the time. They should never be considered permanent wiring. Extension cords should never be installed under rugs or covered. Excess cord should not be bundled or rolled up when in use. They should periodically inspected to make sure they are not warm, overheated, brittle, cracked or damaged. Extension cords have “gauges” that should be properly sized for the load required. Undersized cords are a fire danger.

Oversized Fuses or Breakers
The fuse or breaker is supposed to be the weakest link in the circuit. If there is a “situation” you want the fuse to blow or the breaker to trip.  By increasing the size of the breaker or fuse the homeowner has not increased the power to the circuit. They now have made the wiring in the wall or device the weakest link and could cause a fire. Think of it as turning the wires in the wall into heating elements.

Single Strand Aluminum Wiring
Houses built between 1960 and 1973 could have some single strand aluminum wiring. There was a copper shortage during this time which made copper more expensive. The inexpensive substitute was aluminum. The problem was that aluminum wiring expands and contracts at a different rate than copper. The devices that were connected to it were not designed to handle this causing loose connections that lead to fires. Aluminum also corrodes when it is in contact with copper. Needless to say there are tens of thousands of homes that have aluminum wiring. Replacement is the best option but may be expensive. There are approved connectors but need to properly installed to ensure they will work.   

Knob and Tube Wiring
Many older homes have Knob and Tube (K&T) wiring which was one of the earliest type of residential wiring. K&T looks like individual cloth covered wired that are spaced approximately 8-12 inches apart. The wires are secured with ceramic knobs on framing members and ceramic tubes that go through framing members. Much of the problem with this system is when connections/splices are made to the system. Or the wiring is overloaded and should never be on anything but a 15 amp breaker or fuse. The wiring can become brittle and the solder joints can weaken.  Again replacement is the best option but can be expensive.

No Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)
GFCI’s sense a fault to ground (this is a unintended ground path- shock) and cuts off power within 1/4th of a second. This means it’s off within 3-5 milliamps, which is before the average person would be seriously injured. They are required in all new construction for exterior, garage, unfinished basements, crawlspaces, bathrooms and kitchens. They can and should be retrofitted into all existing homes.

Worn out receptacles
Yes, receptacles wear out. If you plug a cord into an outlet and it falls out or is loose it is time for replacement. Worn out receptacles means the contact is poor and can now create arcing causing melting of the plug or fire.

Missing or broken junction box covers
This is another very common item. When junction boxes (outlets, switches or wire splices) cover is missing or broken the connections are exposed. They also will contain any sparking  that can cause a fire to the junction box.

Zinsco or Federal Pacific Service Panels
Federal Pacific (FPE),  Zinsco, Zinsco-Sylvania, GTE-Sylvania or Kearny panels where manufactured for residential and commercial circuit breakers and load centers (panels) from the early 1950’s until the 1980’s.

Significant problems and failures have been documented with these panels and circuit breakers. The circuit breakers have a history of not tripping during a current fault. This can be a dangerous situation which can lead to fire and electrocution. Other common problems are melting buss bars, loose

In every case of these panels they should be thoroughly examined by an electrician. Replacement is highly recommended.

Unprotected Wiring
It is very common to find wiring in the home that is vulnerable to mechanical damage. This could be the old “Romex” under the sink or a cabinet or the new light fixture in the closet. Any wiring that is in a location that could be damages by stored goods or by hanging stuff from it needs to be protected.

Inadequate Service for today’s requirements
Most homes are built with a minimum electrical service. That’s always been true. But today with the 1500 watt dryers, microwaves, various appliances, and computers along with all the other conveniences we want the existing older services may not be adequate. This may be especially true if your services is 40 years old or older.

“One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.”

Arnold H Glasgow

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…

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