Often many do not think of that innocent extension cord as a potential safety issue. From the Electrical Safety Foundation they estimate that roughly 3300 fires in homes are attributed to the use of extension cords. Here are some things Read more…
Heat pump water heaters are going to be much more commonplace. With the new energy codes in place in Washington State, if you apply for a building permit and it is submitted after February 1, 2021 you will be required Read more…
Service conductors, or in this case overhead service drop which is from the pole to the splice where they become the service entrance conductors. Need to be installed in a manner that is safe. These conductors from the pole are Read more…
Common for homes built around 1962 and earlier there will not be any grounding conductors to the receptacle outlets in the home. The Equipment grounding conductor (the third prong on the receptacle outlet) provides extra safety to the circuit by Read more…
When evaluating older homes often you will find remnants of electrical systems past. On this home inspection it was just that case. Here is an example of a old fused panel with what is referred to as “Edison” style fuses. Read more…
With composite architectural roof shingles designed to last upwards of 50 years and cost more it seems just silly that we often rely on the old traditional plumbing vent boot that is designed to last about 12 to 15 years.We Read more…
Stairs, they are everywhere, yet for so many they never give it much of thought…till. We all seem to have this little built in stair-o-meter when we climb or descend a flight of stairs. We seem to be able to Read more…
You have to sometime wonder if people actually understand what and why they are doing something. When we build homes there are rules and they have reasons. Here is a great example. This was a new construction home and we Read more…
One of the great myths of home inspectors and the home inspection industry is – “we are home inspectors and not code inspectors”. That is a bit of a myth, we should all be using codes and industry standards in Read more…
There was a period of time that you will find electrical service panels that do not have a single main service disconnect on them. By code it is required to have a means to disconnect the power to a building Read more…