Electrical Panel or Circuit Breaker Home Inspection

[xxakli]

wow, that was informative, not!

[cruz47144]

No Sir that is a NEC violation. If you need to join two circuits that has to be combined in a j-box outside the panel. Read your code book.

[cruz47144]

Your so called expert missed the double up circuit in the panel. Some expert.

[SkilledEddie]

@cruz47144

Many breakers like Square D QO, Cutler Hammer CH, and Murray allow double taps on certain breakers.  The panel on the video looks like a Murray brand.

[Dg2811live]

is this in america ??

[loflow77]

He is a generalist you idiots. His job is to spot things that most homeowners do not know how to spot. If he sees anything serious and it a specialized trade needs to be called upon thats what he will do. What, do you think the typical homeowner is going to hire a different specialized tradesperson for each component of the home?? Gah what a bunch of sixth graders!

[InspectionTech]

This is definately one of those things that most people would not think to look at when buying a home. Any good home inspector looks at the electrical panel and take off the cove to make a full analysis of the electrical service.

[InspectionTech]

This is definately one of those things that most people would not think to look at when buying a home. Any good home inspector looks at the electrical panel and take off the cove to make a full analysis of the electrical service.

[SuvaHP62]

safety glasses would be nice...

[Doug19752533]

@thisismewhy checking the wires is important - makes sure insulation isnt breaking down from overheating from overloading a circuit, make sure there is NO aluminum wire (was outlawed by the 1975 NEC), and to make sure the connections to the breakers is correct. really, you should check EVERYTHING

[Zachjohn1]

At least do the basics and don't assume he has done the right things ...

[5lkk]

Shees homes inspections are an exercise in trade offs Discovering red flags Vs. cost. Would take a full day the physically inspect every device to the full extent. I surprised any comment didn't demand the inspector us a HFHV generator to find faults in the wire itself. I hadn't read all the comments, perhaps someone did. This vid wasn't intend to tech any one how to inpect wiring anyway

[owen2513]

Home inspectors have no business doing anything with the electrical. I have never known a home inspector that knew a thing about electrical work. Even if thy know how to pass the test. Get a real electrician to check this for you.

[Doug19752533]

@owen2513 agreed, at least a LICENSED Journeyman or Master, and not a buddy of a buddy who does electrical work - make sure hes licensed!

[Zachjohn1]

Where is the inspectors basic tester to check for power. Why would you ever pay this guy to inspect anything. Worthless. He didn't even test to see if 220 was coming on off th main. Or see if anything wa loose inside the panel. Crap.

[5lkk]

@Zachjohn1 Good grief what to expect to see in a video less than 2 minutes in length. I agree the vid could have bee better, but we can't assume he didn't do the inspection necessary.

[tgtplyr]

Well that wasn't very helpful at all. What the hell does he mean your toaster, coffee maker etc use alot of power. WTF

[ClassicElectricNJ]

@tgtplyr What he means is that those kitchen appliances draw between 1,000 and 1,500 watts per appliance. Put both a toaster and a microwave on the same 20 amp circuit and you'll exceed 20 amps on a 120 volt circuit (20 x 120 = 2400 watts).

[tgtplyr]

You sir are a gentleman and a scholar...I didn't know toasters & coffee makers used the same amount of power as a microwave....

[Shawnnh78]

its the amps that kill not the volts!!

[AvatarOfAvatar]

And without volts, you have no amps.

[67tr876]

@Shawnnh78 Your body needs to have low Ohm's to take in amps ! And without volts you have no AMPS ! Ohms law man THINK

[xxakli]

@67tr876 huh?

[5lkk]

@Shawnnh78 Electrical come about for fire protection, so that's why current handling capabilities are concern. While the code has entries for safety, fire prevention makes up a huge majority of the code. BTW; both the current and voltage present, determine to hazard to life

[Doug19752533]

@Shawnnh78 you sure about that??? 120 volts might not kill you, but 277/480 will for sure knock you back (off a ladder or away from the panel causing head injury or another type), and higher voltages will be like getting hit by a bolt of lightning

[jbelectric777]

I think he means he was shocked by the 120V and as we all know thats why a GFCI is set to trip between 4-6 milli amps. And yes your body can (depending on many factors) conduct more than 4-6ma. What huge was saying is that an arc blast (fire ball) cant kill you, totally two seperate matters, but an arc blast of any kind can burn the heck outta ya, and depending where it happens matters too, like on the line or load side of a main, a blast will usually open when its completly damaged.

[trucksoner]

more than 3 or 4 circuits rofl!

each breaker represents a circuit!

[melectron]

My advice to anybody is to stay out of it if you are not properly trained in the subject especially when it comes to trades, in my opinion I believe that people knowledgeable in their field ought to be doing the inspections, not some cheese house inpector that might have taken a few electrical classes and knows just enough to be dangerous.

[SilverlinerOV50]

So true!

[yolichka1]

@melectron more people are electrocuted by taking the panel off than accidentally touching! Excellent point !!! Stay out of there, folks !!!!!!

[melectron]

That is why any protective device and electrical panels have what is call an I.A.C. ( interrupting amperage capacity) rating because on a direct short a protective device depending on the system bonding, can still let enough current pass through before tripping that can really hurt somebody.

[melectron]

However under a direct short in the feeder side of the panel inside the electrical box an arc flash can develop before tripping the main breaker or blowing the fuses, which has the potential to be very harmful if the person is in very close proximity to the flash even in a residential service because of the energy at the pole transformer.

[melectron]

This goes to hugeshows about not getting a really bad arc flash on a residential service, or 120 service as he puts it. the purpose of a breaker is to limit the amount of amperage going through a wire so as to not overheat it, and trip the breaker under an overload, or a short circuit if the circuit is PROPERLY GROUNDED.

[HogHunterNSon]

hughsshows your dead wrong. I've been an electrical contractor for 18 years. I've personally been shocked by 120 VAC in a house and it almost killed me. I was in the hospital for 3 days. More people are killed in the US by 120 volt circuits than any other type of electricity.

[redmarquez]

dont do this can you say arc flash but this is important

[hugeshows]

You're not going to get a deadly arc flash from a 120V service, especially when the current is so low, and the current is AC.

[67tr876]

@hugeshows 120/240 will give you a nice pop and bang with 3 phase 208/230 should not give a bad arc flash but still a nice one but then 277/480/4160 will and could kill you.Were the right PPE

[5lkk]

@redmarquez As long as the panel cover are in good condition arc flash really does pose much danger to the occupants. In the event mean arc fault circuit interrupters, that would be retrofit item. Something to advise the buyer about, but nothing to fail the wiring on. AFCI are fairly new, the majority of homes will not have them

[mattyice11]

y wood sum1 ever use GE 4 a panel, they are honestly the worst. Square D all tha way

[kmg976]

another important thing,after he checked for the correct wire gage accorting to the ampacity of the breaker, is he should pull the wires one by one to see if they are property conected to the breaker, also check for loose neultral wires, if any of the wires are loose , this causes arcking, 220surges on 120 circuits, and in some cases fire, also burned apliances.

MACH ELECTRIC. CA.

[surfinternet1]

Very well said, however, testing and commissioning part might cover that beside Megger or continuity check testing? No? Agree or disagree? I have recently switched to the field off Fiber optic semiconductor business eng and would like to know. Curious mind...

[kmg976]

totally agree,good point of view

[ExpertRealEstateTips]

Thanks all, for watching and commenting. Appreciate your feedback.

[thisplacesucksbig]

An Inspector in Pa is not required to pull wires. This is only a visual test of these items. If anything is in question we suggest further evaluation by an electrician.

[buzzobug]

did you notice that the home inspector tester clip was not pushed against the tester. That type has to have the metal clip pushed against the small metal part on the tester itself to work. Ha

[myfletcher]

i think he was just using it as a pointer and not actually testing anything in the panel.

[powerhouse2112]

What is or better Who is a Home Inspector? You are better off on your own spending 2-4 hours yourself.

[hermancando]

wow this is so crazy- he knows alot-he must be a master-inspector-i didnt even know what that box in my house was-

[electricalron]

In Chicago, EMT is required for house wiring. I know that sounds strange, but it's true. The two most important things that should be checked in a main panel is ampacity of the conductors, the overcurrent protection devices they are attached to, and that the grounding electrode system is properly bonded to grounded neutral conductor. Sound confusing? It is. And that's why a licensed electrician who is insured and bonded should be the one doing an electrical inspection, not a real estate agent.

[Etrician55]

i know what ure talking about.... another thing i noticed is the mains werent seperated from the other wire feeds... in ontario its code that they have a seperate cover/ compartment and you cannot run any of the circuits through here.... this is a residential code.

[xzd2wj]

These are not ment to be code inspections. They are ment to give the homeowner the piece of mind that the breakers are not hot and wired correctly. I rarely have any difficulty in this area but if I do, I will recommend an electrician or if I can get one to come in while I'm there.

[repcri]

There are problems with these home inspectors that do electrical inspections They are not trained electricians and have limited knowledge Visual inspections will show a fraction of potential problems They should never be relied upon except to verify that code was followed for the installation You CAN NOT rely on visual inspections of electrical equipment to asses it's health An infrared scan of the equipment while under full load and normal load is the only adequate way

[myfletcher]

Here in MIchigan you do NOT have to be a licensed electrician to be an electrical inspector in most cities. That is so Mayors and City Council people can hire relatives for city jobs regardless of qualifications. Sad but True. So stop picking on us poor home inspectors! Some us actually are electricians!! LOL

[myfletcher]

I worked in the electrical trade for a couple of years and NEVER saw a code inspector for any city use an infrared camera to inspect a panel while under load. I have seen some home inspectors do it though!!!!

[kaotikconstruction]

where do you see an infrared camera? That is a just a dummy pen. Used to tell if power is on, that is why the tab is pulled back so it won't be going off in the video.

[oldskoolcrazy]

I've seen it for the main service(old stuff). But with teck cable its just so much easier. If your talking about secondary circuits, then no I've never seen that bfre

[Etrician55]

looks like the whole panel is done in conduit :S

[ExpertRealEstateTips]

The home inspector in this video is only showing what a home inspector would look at during a routine home inspection that a buyer would pay for before purchasing the property. It isn't meant to be a full-fledged electrical inspection. He's just checking to make sure it looks like it's wired correctly. Ilyce Glink ExpertRealEstatetips

[oldskoolcrazy]

but its not. The problem will arise when "joe" believes that when he got a home inspection they checked the electrical and everything is ok. When someone buys a house based what a home inspector says is ok, then where does the liability lay when its not ok? What if a house burns down and it was something that the home inspector missed. The inspector has no liability owed to the homeowner simply because he/she is not certified to inspect electrical.

[oldskoolcrazy]

If that was the main service panel that he opened up the first thing he should have noticed is there is no shield over the service conductors and service side of the main breaker which is a code violation in Canada (not sure if the NEC requires it). If he was an inspector in Canada I definately wouldn't recommend him. ps totally agree with texas

[oldskoolcrazy]

not only that but there is secondary wiring(load side) that travels by the main service conductors which, if that was the service panel, is illigal according to the CEC

[TexasHomeInspector]

Sitting on top of the sub panel box are additional circuit breakers which usually mean they were replaced with newer breakers and which should be a big red flag indicating these boxes have had considerable problems in the past.

[Etrician55]

not always the case, i sometimes leave some spare breakers behind when i wire a new panel... if i didnt use all the breakers that the homeowner purchased or if they have decided against a few circuits for me to install

[Extra44Files]

Learned absolutely nothing from the video, next time you run across a trouble panel box, video tape it with some detail.

[ironslayer666]

LOL. I was about to add the same. This video was absolutely useless.