Home Inspection - Electrical

Inspecting building requires proper skills and a lot of hardwork. Very well explained video showing proper functioning of #buildinginspector.

Knob and tube isn't "bare wire" as stated in this video, and is not unsafe unless the insulation has worn away or its overloaded. I was always taught from my instructor that when present, it can be used safely for things like lights and low current appliances like clocks just fine, just supplement the system with modern wiring for things with a higher draw.And in that same vein, some fuse boxes can be perfectly safe when the same guidelines are followed, usually as sub panels. A major hospital in Portland where I live still has fuse boxes in the old building for the stairwell lighting systems and it passes current inspection (as I was curious and asked when I worked there).

At 8:17 the ball valve that is being operated looks like it supplies nothing but the capped off pipe stub. Also, is that a flexible hose supplying the water heater? And the hose is in contact with the flue?

This is an awesome series. Did know this was available. Public Adjuster Careers - NJ Public Adjuster - Public Insurance Adjuster Michael Martinez

If this is aimed at the homeowner, here are numerous unsafe practices practices shown and inaccurate statements in this video.

Quote from a well known industry publication which discussed this very topic. "Anti-oxidant joint compounds used in electrical wiring are doped with zinc particles. The grease keep out oxygen to prevent corrosion, and the zinc particles enhance conductivity. The connection does not rely on the conductivity of the paste anyhow. There is metal to metal contact between the terminal and the conductor. The zinc doping just enhances any other incidental contact that is not at the precise terminal-to-conductor interface and I suppose reduces any other potential difference that might cause heating of the paste. Dielectric grease is not really used in electric wiring on terminals (except maybe in your marine industry). Dielectric grease is used to lubricate moving internal parts of disconnects and circuit breakers where the reduction of arcing between internal parts is desirable, (where incidental amounts of grease between metallic parts with potential difference would cause trouble if the grease had less than dielectric properties). A bit of it is also used on plug-on circuit breaker stabs to make it easier to get the breaker plugged on. It's essentially wiped off when metal to metal contact is made at the point of electrical interconnection."

Knob & tube is not that bad. I would rather sleep with knob & tube than aluminum wiring in my home. I have seen copper spliced to aluminum catch fire and continue to burn while being sprayed with water. I am a master electrician with 30+ years of experience. I will go to sleep tonight and an alarm clock plugged into a knob & tube fed outlet will wake me again tomorrow. I ran a 3000 volt hi potential tester on the knob & tube. No issues! I used an AC hi pot set at 3000 VAC and then a DC hi pot set at 2000 volts VDC. I am slowly eliminating ALL the knob & tube. One light bulb will probably remain on the knob & tube as that portion of the home is inaccessible. It is 12 ga copper wire. I will put that on a 10 ampere arc fault breaker. I have seen far scarier things than knob & tube. How about 18 gauge lamp cord inside walls. How about partially melted lamp cord? Extension cords run under flag stones in a home office? FPE breaker boxes? 50 amp breakers feeding # 12 AWG branch circuit wiring? We added a family room, bath & bedroom, and tied it into the old circuit. The 20 amp would not hold, nor would the 30 or 40 so we put it on a 50 amp. WOW! Who let you do that? I have seen hardware store salesmen sell 50 amp breakers to people describing this very same scenario. Consider a circuit breaker can run at 125% of the listed trip rating for 12 hours or more! Yeah, it looks easy.  That was partly why I became an electrician. Installing outlets looked easier than hanging sheetrock, and without electricity we would essentially be living in barns.

Very informative

Thanks Good to know

 I do not understand how an electric board placed outside the home. What happens if problems arise and the outside is rain.

Ive heard many folks think about living without electricity.

This is a misleading representation of Aluminum Wiring. The stranded Aluminum, typically size 8 AWG and Larger is safe and of the AA 8000 Series variety mandated by the National Electrical Code. In 1972, UL began to require AA 8000 Series AL for use in building wiring and the National Electrical Code followed suite in the mid to late 80's. The issues of potential fires associated with AL Conductors was more about the poor connections, lack of devices (receptacles and switches) that were actually rated for use with AL Conductors and poor termination and inadequate installation practices. The use of AL Wiring in sizes 8 AWG and Larger is very safe and with nearly 40+ years of active use with reliable results the Aluminum wiring produced after 1972 are safe and compatible in creep and reliability with copper conductors. Now if you question my knowledge of Aluminum Wire and Copper Wire (which we make both) then you clearly do not understand wiring methods.

You should get professionals from each trade to correct you.

National Electric Code Does NOT require you to replace knob and tube wiring, fused panels, or a lot of what you said. Yes, you should, but your home inspector won't mandate it, and if he does, you need to have a word with his employer.

This video is misleading and dangerously too vague. Why would you inspect a water heater without testing the required pressure relief valve which you didn't even mention?

this video is so abstract. i do not believe an inspector with out trade experiance and actual trade school learning should be an inspector

Some good info but not entirely accurate.

I would never ever install a gas water heater in a garage as the flames are very likely to ignite any leakage or spilled gas & or other flammables that fumes can & will easily ignite!

"Hot water heater" Really? If the water were "hot" why would you need a heater?

You are teaching inaccurate information. It is Single-Strand Aluminum wiring that is the concern...not Multi-Strand Aliminum wiring as you show in this video. MSA is commonly used today and perfectly safe. And I agree with hiuno11...you are teaching unsafe techniques to lay-people. AND there are many other defects inside that electrical panel.