What To Look For:
1. Has the home had electrical work completed by anyone other than a professional licensed electrician?
2. If electrical work was performed, were proper permits pulled? (If not, why not? Electrical permits are required by law for most electrical work and often permits are not pulled so that improper work is not detected.)
3. Does the electrical panel and electrical service meet current code requirements? If the panel must be relocated to meet current code requirements, this can be a very expensive upgrade. Arc-fault protection is required for most 120V circuits that are extended beyond 6'. Arc-fault protection can be prone to nuisance tripping on shared neutral circuits, such as many homes with knob and tube wiring have, and where improper electrical work has been performed.
4. Are there any illegally installed ungrounded plugs in the home? Three prong plugs that do not have a ground require GFCI, and in many cases, AFCI protection.
5. Does the home have knob and tube wiring? If so, please be aware that Washington State code prohibits the installation of light fixtures that have exposed metal parts on ungrounded circuits without GFCI protection. (Knob and tube wiring, in it's original state, does not have a grounding means.) Also, some insurance companies are now asking that knob and tube wiring be inspected by a professional electrician for safety. (I have rewired, or have been asked to rewire, several several homes because the customer's insurance company required it.) Often, a home that has knob and tube has had many modifications (including improper modifications such as open splices, grounding circuits to water piping, etc.) over the years and, when performing an inspection, it is very often not possible to give an insurance company an honest report without listing many costly upgrades in order to certify such a system.
6. Please do not take a referral for your home inspections, no matter how much you trust your agent/s. I can't stress this enough; I have meet numerous homeowners who have had their homes inspected by someone that was referred to them only to find out they are in need of costly repairs after buying.
7. Hire a qualified, reputable electrician to come and have a look before you buy. - You may find out it is the best decision you ever made.
2. If electrical work was performed, were proper permits pulled? (If not, why not? Electrical permits are required by law for most electrical work and often permits are not pulled so that improper work is not detected.)
3. Does the electrical panel and electrical service meet current code requirements? If the panel must be relocated to meet current code requirements, this can be a very expensive upgrade. Arc-fault protection is required for most 120V circuits that are extended beyond 6'. Arc-fault protection can be prone to nuisance tripping on shared neutral circuits, such as many homes with knob and tube wiring have, and where improper electrical work has been performed.
4. Are there any illegally installed ungrounded plugs in the home? Three prong plugs that do not have a ground require GFCI, and in many cases, AFCI protection.
5. Does the home have knob and tube wiring? If so, please be aware that Washington State code prohibits the installation of light fixtures that have exposed metal parts on ungrounded circuits without GFCI protection. (Knob and tube wiring, in it's original state, does not have a grounding means.) Also, some insurance companies are now asking that knob and tube wiring be inspected by a professional electrician for safety. (I have rewired, or have been asked to rewire, several several homes because the customer's insurance company required it.) Often, a home that has knob and tube has had many modifications (including improper modifications such as open splices, grounding circuits to water piping, etc.) over the years and, when performing an inspection, it is very often not possible to give an insurance company an honest report without listing many costly upgrades in order to certify such a system.
6. Please do not take a referral for your home inspections, no matter how much you trust your agent/s. I can't stress this enough; I have meet numerous homeowners who have had their homes inspected by someone that was referred to them only to find out they are in need of costly repairs after buying.
7. Hire a qualified, reputable electrician to come and have a look before you buy. - You may find out it is the best decision you ever made.
