Whole-House Safety Inspection
Why Do You Need a Home Inspection Before Buying a New Home?
If you’re preparing to put down an offer on a new home, a home inspection prior to putting down an offer is crucial
Here’s why:
Get a detailed evaluation of the home which highlights any problem areas, such as old wiring that needs replacement.
Have more leverage when negotiating the price of the home if there are things that are not up to code.
Prevent a major headache, later on, to make sure you know what you’re getting into.
Sellers should also consider having a home inspection done in order to find prblems that the buyer would have found in the inspection. That way, they can make the necessary repairs before the home is on the market.
What Happens During a Safety Inspection
A professional performing an electrical safety inspection will do thorough diagnostic testing on your home’s electrical system
Electric, Plumbing, Heating + Air, we check the following components:
OUTLETS/SWITCHES: We will inspect and test all electrical outlets and switches in your home.
WIRING: We will conduct an inspection of all wiring, suggesting when replacement wiring needs to be scheduled.
CARBON MONOXIDE/SMOKE DETECTORS: Our team will test all carbon monoxide and smoke detectors to make sure all occupants will be alerted if toxic fumes are threatening the home’s safety.
BREAKER PANEL: We will inspect all of the electrical panels in your home and notify you if your home needs breaker panel repair or replacement.
CIRCUIT BREAKERS: We will inspect all of your circuit breakers to ensure they are working correctly.
OUTDOOR LIGHTING: We will inspect your outdoor lighting to ensure emergency and motion sensor lighting is operating properly.
Why Regular Safety Inspections Are Important
Many electrical issues that result in house fires could have possibly been prevented with proper electrical maintenance. Electrical issues can go on undetected for a while before you realize what is happening. Oftentimes, we don’t know our wiring is malfunctioning until we get shocked plugging something into outlets or frequent power surges completely destroy most of our electronics.
Electrical Safety Protection
Are you confident in the safety of the electrical system on your property? Did you recently purchase an older property with the intention of renovating it or turning it into a commercial space? Are you adding a room to your home and want to make sure the wiring is just right? Whether you are concerned about your home or your business property, an electrical safety inspection can provide you with peace of mind, identify any glaring safety issues, and potentially save you thousands in future electrical repairs and property damage from unseen hazards.
Why Are Electrical Safety Inspections Important?
Electrical problems can easily lead to significant property damage, and they may also cause severe electrocution injuries. Unfortunately, electricity in a building largely operates out of sight. Small problems might occur that do not have immediately noticeable symptoms, and these problems can worsen to the point of becoming severe hazards for everyone in the building seemingly without notice.
An electrical safety inspection is a chance to have a trained professional inspect every aspect of your property’s electrical system, including fixtures, wiring, appliances, and all other electrical components in the structure. During this process, the electrician conducting the inspection will verify that the structure’s electrical system meets all applicable codes and regulations and perform a series of checks designed to locate common electrical hazards that often go unnoticed.
It’s vital to remember that you cannot and should not simply wait for something to go wrong with your property’s electrical system before having a professional look into it. All the time wasted will only allow the problem to cause even more damage to your property and increase the risk of catastrophic injuries, fires, and other serious problems. You should arrange for a professional electrical safety inspection any time you purchase a home that is 40 or more years old, when adding a new electrical appliance, or after completing a major renovation.
Electric Safety Inspection
If you want to ensure the highest level of safety when it comes to your property’s electrical systems, it’s vital to work with an experienced and reliable electrical contractor who takes electrical safety seriously.
All homes need an electrical-installation condition report (EICR)
getting a heating engineer to service your boiler, we all need to get an approved registered contractor that can be found on the Electrical Safety Register to check our electrics are safe. An EICR is the safety certificate and report that an electrician supplies following an inspection of your property.
Campaigning charity Electrical Safety First recommends getting an EICR done every 10 years in a private property. Landlords are encouraged to get a new EICR each time they change their tenants, or every five years, whichever is sooner. If you fail to check and maintain your electrical systems, insurance companies can use this as a reason to refuse claims if they’re a result of electrical faults. But not enough people are aware of these checks. It’s essential to stay safe when using electricity, which is why we’d always recommend employing a professional registered electrician to work on your installation.
What is an electrical-installation condition report (EICR)?
comprehensive check of the fixed wiring of your electrical installation. It’s a snapshot of your electrics to establish whether they’re safe and compliant with the regulations, and to identify any potential safety issues. It’s about checking the underlying electrical system – the wiring, the fuse board, earth bonding and all the other bits you can’t see that could be a risk – rather than whether your lights come on or not.
Your electrician will visit your property, make a visual assessment, and then carry out a series of checks on your electrical systems. If they find any ‘code one’ problems, ie problems that are immediately dangerous, they will need to arrange to fix those there and then or at least make them safe. They’ll note any other ‘code two’ problems that are potentially dangerous, and will provide a quote to fix them at the end of the process, along with any ‘code threes’, which are recommendations not deemed unsafe.
During the visit, the electrician will complete a seven-page report. A qualified supervisor will then sign off the report to make sure it’s correct. The electrical company will then provide you with a copy, following your payment for the visit and any work carried out. It will also provide you with a quote for any further remedial works recommended in order to bring your system up to standard. It can take a couple of days to process the paperwork.
Electrical Safety Inspection Tips For Fall
An electrical safety inspection will keep any scares and surprises down to a minimum this fall. However, if you neglect your electrical system long enough, your home may indeed become a house of horrors. Damaged outlets and wiring will be waiting to cause the next electrical emergency. Malfunctioning smoke detectors will threaten to send your home up in flames
Even something like battery chargers left plugged in can turn your home into a giant safety hazard. Life during the fall should not be this way, especially when a lack of electrical safety inspection can higher costs on bills and lower property value. With that in mind, you need to take action so you can enjoy the fall without worrying over a single wire or outlet. Taking electrical safety into greater consideration can go a long way in ensuring each member of your household lives comfortably and conveniently throughout the season.
Helpful Electrical Safety Inspection Tips
While nothing can compare to comprehensive electrical services. it’s also important that you, as a responsible homeowner, do your share when it comes to electrical safety. You may not have the tools or expertise of a professional, but you do have the power to make your home secure
helpful safety tips from our electricians that you can apply to your home:
Test Your Smoke Detectors: Now here is a scenario you do not want to run into this season—smoke billowing throughout your home in the middle of the night, with a detector that won’t work to wake you and alert you of danger. To prevent this from happening, you need to test your smoke detect to determine if batteries need to be changed or if you need to contact us for smoke detection installation.
Check Wiring and Cords: Some homeowners out there will think it’s totally okay to seal up any damage on wiring or cords with tape and call it a day. That will keep the home safe, right? Wrong. 100% wrong. Any damaged or frayed wiring is means for short circuiting or residential fires. If you want to prevent any significant damage, it is time to call for home rewiring or further inspection from one of our professionals.
Pay Attention to Wattage Requirements: Each of your lighting fixtures is rated by wattage. Any fixtures in your home currently exceeding the wattage requirement for an electrical system should be replaced. Similarly, any lighting with wattage well below the requirement can bring stress to your electrical system. Always keep an eye out for wattage requirements in your home and make sure your fixtures are following them accordingly.
Test Outdoor Safety Lighting: Fires and electrocution are not the only thing you have to worry about this season. You also need to consider the risk of break-ins from intruders. You need to make sure motion sensor lighting, spotlights, pathway lighting, and more is working to the best of their abilities. A well-working electrical system outside your home will give intruders little space to hide.
Check Service Panels: Do you remember the last time you upgraded your service panel? Maybe not, as an electrical service panel can last up to 20 years. The panel could have been last upgraded well before you moved into the house. If you are noticing frequent circuit breaker trips, it may be coming from an old panel that cannot deliver enough electrical power for a modern home.
Unplug Chargers: In 2016, battery chargers are a core appliance. They’re essential in supplying electrical power for cell phones, laptops, and so many other appliances we now use to function throughout the day. However, you need to make sure you unplug battery chargers after every use, or else the electricity will still run through the wires.
Keep a Safe Distance from Fixtures: Any personal belongings and objects need to be kept at a safe distance from electrical fixtures like outlets and running appliances. This is especially true if any of these objects are flammable. Even a minor spark from your outlet can send any surrounding objects up in flames. Don’t leave such a needless safety risk go unchecked and make sure to remove any clutter, if at all. Also keep any children in your household a safe distance away to protect them from danger.
Home Electrical Safety Inspection Services
As fully licensed Mission and Abbotsford electricians, we will not only do a thorough inspection but also provide a detailed report highlighting areas in need of immediate attention, recommendations for improvements in the future and potential electrical upgrade options to help cut your electric bill. We also provide many other electrical services to help you remedy whatever shows up in the inspection report.
Benefits of BC Electrical Safety Inspection
The overall purpose of a whole house electrical safety inspection is to ensure that all electrical components in your home are in safe operation. An inspection can pinpoint areas in electrical wiring and components that are unsafe and need correcting. This may include:
Oversized fuses
Electrical components that may have naturally deteriorated over time
Outdated aluminum or knob and tube wiring
Or even mistakes made by previous contractors and DIY homeowners
Identifying these electrical issues now can allow for correction and prevent fire and safety hazards for you and your family down the road. Electrical safety inspections can also help you save energy and reduce the costs of your electrical bill each month. An electrical inspection by our licensed BC electricians may also help lower your premiums with your Insurance Company.
When Do I Need a Home Electrical Safety Inspection?
Many home buyers will get an electrical safety inspection prior to purchasing a new home to ensure that all the electrical wiring is safe and up to code. This helps eliminate unpleasant surprises down the road and if any electrical issues are found, your Realtor can likely work this into negotiations and your offer.
Electrical safety inspection for Landlords is also a good idea when new tenants move in, to ensure the property is safe. As a landlord in BC, you are required to replace or repair electrical systems as they wear out with age. Furthermore, electrical repairs performed by non-qualified relatives or friends are not only in violation of building codes and municipal law, but you could also be legally liable if a tenant or a guest is injured as a result. A rental property electrical safety inspection by a licensed electrician can reduce your risk of this.