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The evaluation of an
electrical system begins at the exterior of the home and does not end until
the inspector has been in every accessible room and area of the house.
On the exterior, the inspection begins
with where the service wires come to the house. This photo shows an electrical service
coming to the house above ground. In many homes today you will see the
service come to the house underground. Newer service wires will enter
the house through a conduit as shown in the photo to the left. Many
older service wires are not covered and need to be inspected for wear.
Every system needs to be grounded.
Typically this is done by one or a combination of attaching the ground wire
to the water main or attaching it to a long metal rod in the ground.
The meter will show how many volts the
system has. 240 volts is needed by today's standards.
This
provides enough electricity for fixtures such as outlets and lights, which
use 110 volts and electric ranges and cloths dryers, which require 220
volts.
Once inside the house, the first thing
to look at is the electrical panel containing fuses or breakers. It
must be determined how many amps of electricity the system has. The
easiest way, in most cases, to determine amps is by looking at the main
disconnect fuses or breaker, they are usually marked with its size. The size
of the service wires also reveal the amperage. The panel must be of
adequate size to accommodate the amperage. All
homes are different and the amperage needed depends on the size of the home
and the kinds of things that will be used which draw electricity.
Houses built today begin with at least 100 amps; however, some older smaller
homes originally built with 60 amps still exist. In some cases 60 amps
will be adequate but in most cases an upgrade is needed. Homes with
electric heat typically have 200 amp systems. Homes with 4 bedrooms
or more, with all appliances running on electricity (not gas) and using
central air conditioning will need 200 amps. Houses and condos will
range from 60 amps to 100 amps to 125 amps to 150 amps to 200 amps and
even more in some very large homes.
The panel cover should be removed whenever possible to examine the workmanship and type of wire used. Most
homes have copper wire. However, some homes built in the 1960's and 1970's
have aluminum wire. In most cases, some improvements are needed to make
the aluminum wiring safe to use. In very old homes, knob and tube
wiring still exist. It is an obsolete type of wire but still
acceptable in most cases, as long as it is in good condition.
Government mortgages such as FHA and CFHA require an upgrade where knob and
tube is visible. In a few rare cases, insurance companies will also
require an upgrade.
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