eBook - Home Inspection Business from A to Z

Remember that electricity can kill you!!  Before touching the main panel or any sub panels check them with a voltage tester to make sure that it's not electrified. Voltage testers can be purchased very inexpensively at a local hardware or electrical supply store. There was a story in a home inspection newsletter about one inspector who noticed that the insulation on the service entrance line had worn off at the top of the main panel. This caused the main panel to be electrified. Luckily he tested the panel before touching it.

Also, don't go near any exposed wiring or any electrical panels or wiring if there's water on the floor or near the wires. Water and electricity don't mix! You're not paid to get electrocuted; you're paid to inspect the house. State home inspection and appraisal standards state clearly that a home inspector and/or appraiser is not required to do anything that can be hazardous to themselves or to others.

Check the main panel for any rust or corrosion. If there's excessive rust or corrosion, then recommend that a licensed electrician evaluate the system. After testing the electrical panel with a voltage tester check to make sure it's installed on the wall securely by gently trying to shake the panel. Be careful - you don't want to loosen the electrical panel nor any wiring, you just want to see if it's secured properly. See if there are any hazardous conditions around the panel. Some hazards to watch out for are: potential water, objects in the way, the panel being too high to reach safely, etc.

  Check to see whether the system has fuses or circuit breakers. Newer houses have circuit breakers which are the plastic switches that can easily be turned on or off by the homeowner. Older houses have fuses which are the glass screw-in type. Do not turn any circuit breakers on or off and do not replace any fuses!!  Sometimes a circuit will be off because the homeowner is making repairs or the circuit was overloaded. Just inform the client of this and tell them to check with the owner or a licensed electrician to figure out the cause. You aren't allowed to turn any circuits on or off or replace any fuses for safety reasons.

If a circuit breaker is overloaded, it will "trip " into the off position. When this happens, no more electricity will travel to the outlets or switches on that branch line until the circuit breaker is moved back to the on position. If a fuse is overloaded, it will "blow." When this happens, no more electricity will go to the outlets or switches on that branch line until the fuse is replaced with a new one. A blown fuse will have a burnt color and the metal connector in the middle will be cut in half.

When a circuit is overloaded, it simply means that there was too much electricity being drawn on that particular branch line wire. As a result, the circuit breaker turned off or the fuse blew, if they were operating properly. This is how circuit breakers and fuses help to prevent electrical fires.

Electrical fires are caused by the fact that when electricity passes through a wire it creates heat. Each branch wire has a particular rating in amperage. The branch wiring goes from the main electrical panel to each outlet and switch on the individual branch circuits. Let's say, for example, that a branch wire is rated for 15 amps and the electrical current on that branch wire is drawn up to over 15 amps. If this happens, then the fuse should blow or the circuit breaker should turn off. This will help to prevent the current from heating up the wire so hot that it burns off the insulation and then starts a fire in the house.

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