Complete Guide to Home Electrical Safety Inspections
In the home, there are a lot of systems that need to work properly in order for you and your family to be comfortable. One of them is your electrical system. Electricity lets you keep the lights on, use appliances, and go on with your day-to-day life, so it has to remain fully functioning and safe at all times.
Electrical safety inspections ensure that your Sacramento area home’s electrical wiring and other components are working properly, which keeps your home safe from electrical hazards. Learn more about what home electrical inspections are below.
What is a Home Electrical Inspection?
A home electrical inspection is when a qualified electrician examines the entire electrical system of the home. They are checking to make sure everything is compliant with home safety standards. Electricians use the National Electrical Code, the minimum standards for safe electrical wiring, to examine the home. These standards exist across the U.S
The goal of the home electrical inspection is to check that your electrical system complies with current government regulations and meets the most up-to-date safety standards. Among other things, the electrician aims to identify safety issues. Electricians usually start with the electrical panel, as that is the heart of the home’s electrical system , and then move out to properly examine the rest of the home.
A home inspection typically includes some or all of the following:
Evaluate the electrical panel’s age and condition
Check wiring for uncovered, exposed, or outdated wires
Assess electrical equipment to see if it is outdated or degraded
Examine and test safety switches
Look for non-compliant electrical components
Locate and test smoke alarms and CO-2 to ensure they meet standards
Check for DIY wiring, splicing, and extensions to ensure proper connections
Inspect light switches and fixtures
Assess wall outlets to make sure they are safe and grounded
Search for any other electrical hazards
Electrical Inspection Checklists
The checklists are intended to help inspectors keep track of the numerous aspects of an electrical installation that must be checked, verified, reviewed, determined, or otherwise examined for NEC compliance.
The checklists are also intended to serve as an organizational tool for contractors, project managers, or anyone who conducts, receives, or is responsible for electrical inspections, or who may wish to perform self-inspections, of electrical installations.
The checklists are organized as follows:
Checklist 1-1: General Safety Checklist for Electrical Inspections
General Requirements Inspections
Checklist 2-1: General Requirements for Electrical Inspections
Wiring Methods and Devices
Checklist 3-1: General Wiring Methods
Checklist 3-2: Boxes and Conduit Bodies
Checklist 3-3: Cabinets and Cutout Boxes
Checklist 3-4: Switches and Receptacles
Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits
Checklist 4-1: Services
Checklist 4-2: Feeders
Checklist 4-3: Branch Circuits
Grounding and Bonding
Checklist 5-1: Service Grounding and Bonding
Checklist 5-2: Equipment Grounding and Bonding
Dwelling Units and Mobile/Manufactured Home Sites
Checklist 6-1: Residential Rough Inspection: General Requirements (All Areas)
Checklist 6-2: Residential Rough Inspection: Kitchen
Checklist 6-3: Residential Rough Inspection: Dining Room
Checklist 6-4: Residential Rough Inspection: Bathrooms
Checklist 6-5: Residential Rough Inspection: Other Habitable Rooms (Bedrooms, Family Rooms, Parlors etc.)
Checklist 6-6: Residential Rough Inspection: Hallways and Foyers
Checklist 6-7: Residential Rough Inspection: Stairways
Checklist 6-8: Residential Rough Inspection: Closets
Checklist 6-9: Residential Rough Inspection: Laundry Area
Checklist 6-10: Residential Rough Inspection: Basements and Attics
Checklist 6-11: Residential Rough Inspection: Attached Garages and Detached Garages or Accessory…
Checklist 6-12: Residential Rough Inspection: Outdoors
Checklist 6-13: Residential Rough Inspection: Services and Feeders and System Grounding
Checklist 6-14: Residential Rough Inspection: Feeders and Panelboards
Checklist 6-15: Residential Finish Inspection: General Requirements (All Areas)
Checklist 6-16: Residential Finish Inspection: Kitchen
Checklist 6-17: Residential Finish Inspection: Dining Room
Checklist 6-18: Residential Finish Inspection: Bathrooms
Checklist 6-19: Residential Finish Inspection: Other Habitable Rooms (Bedrooms, Family Rooms, Parlors etc.)
Checklist 6-20: Residential Finish Inspection: Hallways and Foyers
Checklist 6-21: Residential Finish Inspection: Stairways
Checklist 6-22: Residential Finish Inspection: Closets
Checklist 6-23: Residential Finish Inspection: Laundry Area
Checklist 6-24: Residential Finish Inspection: Basements and Attics
Checklist 6-25: Residential Finish Inspection: Attached Garages and Detached Garages or Accessory…
Checklist 6-26: Residential Finish Inspection: Outdoors
Checklist 6-27: Residential Finish Inspection: Service Equipment, Feeders, and Panelboards
Checklist 6-28: Residential Finish Inspection: Mobile/Manufactured Home Site Inspections
RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICAL INSPECTION
Home inspectors working in the demanding and fast-paced real estate market need tools to help them analyze a residential electrical system and provide homeowners and buyers with an accurate and thorough inspection of these systems. Residential fires caused by faulty wiring are a critical issue and home inspectors need to avoid missing electrical problems and be faced with legal action.
For the home inspector faced with this challenge, this book examines critical issues in residential home inspections with over 150 supporting photos and diagrams. Electrical theory and basic electrical calculations are introduced with review sections, exercises, and comprehensive checklists.
will provide you with the tools you need to deliver an authoritative electrical inspection report and build your own home inspection business.
The inspector shall:
service entrance conductors, cables, and raceways.
service equipment and main disconnects.
interior components of service panels and subpanels.
overcurrent protection devices.
a representative number of installed lighting fixtures, switches, and receptacles.
ground fault circuit interrupters and arc fault circuit interrupters.
amperage rating of the service.
location of main disconnect(s) and subpanels.
presence or absence of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.
the predominant branch circuit wiring method.
The inspector is NOT required to:
remote control devices.
or test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, security systems, and other signaling and warning devices.
low voltage wiring systems and components.
ancillary wiring systems and components not a part of the primary electrical power distribution system.
solar, geothermal, wind, and other renewable energy systems.
measure amperage, voltage, and impedance.
determine the age and type of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms
Licensed Electrical Inspectors (LEIs)
This licence may be issued to experienced electrical licence holders, or a person with an equivalent qualification or experience, who wishes to undertake work inspecting electrical installations for safety or compliance with regulatory requirements.
Applicants must provide evidence demonstrating they have the qualifications, experience, competency and proficiency for the class of licence required, as detailed below.
All applicants for the Class G licence must complete three assessments: G Class Theory, G Class Practical and Safe Approach.
Read the LEI assessment information.
All Class G assessments are conducted by Future Energy Skills.
H, M and V licence classes
Applicants for the specialist Licence classes H, M and V do not require formal assessment, but applicants must demonstrate on-the-job training and competence. See below for further information on the individual classes of licence.
Applicants must produce evidence demonstrating they have the qualifications, experience, competency and proficiency for the relevant class of licence required. To apply for a licence, create a user profile in Connect and lodge your application from there.
Class G allows an inspector to undertake inspections of any low voltage installations, except for those required under Class H, Class M and electric fences intended primarily for the control and containment of animals.