Now that we’re in the home, let’s stop and look around. What do you see?

Ceiling fans, lights, smoke detectors, plugs and switches. These are all items that need to be addressed at least on some level. It is said that electrical systems need to be updated every 10 years, and replaced every 30 years. So, what does that mean for these basic items.

Switches and Receptacles

For the most part, we are pretty unaware of the basic condition of our electrical components. Not for lack of trying, we are just not trained to notice these things. Also, for those of us who are selling a home we have lived in for any length of time, we are just used to seeing them every day, so they have a tendency to blend into the surroundings.  

The easiest thing notice here that will most definitely come up on an inspection, is the presence of two prong receptacles. 

When we see these, here is what we automatically know.

1. The house was wired before proper grounding was introduced into residential construction. (early 1970’s)

2. The home likely has many if not all ungrounded circuits.

3. There is a potential for antiquated/unsafe wiring.

4. There is potential that any 3-prong receptacle in the home is installed illegally.

5. There are most likely no GFCI protected devices, or a large amount of them in the home.

6. Most if likely the home is overdue for a some sort of rewire along with all new devices.

We talked in the last segment about the importance of grounding, and this is no different. The grounding system is one of if not the most critical safety system in the home. Having two prong receptacles is just one tell tale sign there is more issues to address. Let’s move on to the other items in plain sight. If you want to know more about two prong plugs and how to remedy this situation, you can jump on our web page and read one of our recent blogs on the topic or check out our YouTube page at Electrical Specialists where we have a video dedicated to this prevalent issue.

Lights and Fans

Here’s an easy one for you. Lets take a slow walk around the home and inspect every single light and switch for proper operation. A lot of people miss this step because it seems so obvious. But you would be surprised what items come up on an inspection report that just slipped by our noticing.

That light above the garage that went out 5 years ago, and we just never bothered to find out if it was just a bulb. That mystery switch we spent two days trying to figure out and gave up on. The fan that works but only seems to have one speed. These are all issues that will make just about any simple inspection. Here is a simple check list you can use to get ahead of the process.

1. Test all ceiling fans for proper operation. Make sure the chains and or remote work depending on which they may have.

2. Look for bent or warped blades due to moisture. 

3. See if the fan has any wobble on slow and medium speeds. Most will have some on high but the expectations are usually that it operates without much wobble or noise on these two settings.

4. Make sure lights and light bulbs work. If there are some lights that do not work but are not needed such as outdated exterior lights, it may be easier to get rid of them over having them fixed or replaced. Just know, if they see it, they will expect it to work.

5. Check all dimmer switches. If it’s there it needs to work. You can always replace old non-working dimmers with standard switches as an easy budget friendly solution.  

6. Check all exhaust fans. If you find a bathroom fan makes funny noises or trips a breaker when running, replacement motors and parts are typically not very hard to find if you can locate a model number. If you have a whole house fan in the attic that’s not running, you may want to have someone experienced take a look, as they have several working parts and are a bit more complicated to troubleshoot.

7. Look for any lights or fans with missing parts. This may seem overkill to some but believe me, this will make most inspection reports and is easy to resolve before it ever gets there. A simple replacement is usually the remedy.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors 

As more jurisdictions adopt the latest code, they are pushing the use of hard-wired detectors. Believe it or not, the $5 battery powered detectors you can find on any big box or Walmart shelf, do not offer much protection. Not only do they offer minimal detection of particulates, but its just too easy to take the battery out of an annoying device that keeps reminding you its in need of service, or that you burnt the casserole. Keep your eye out for new built in 10-year lithium ion powered wireless smoke detectors that are interconnected. (they talk to each other) They are new technology that just hit the market in the last few years that can offer maximized protection without opening up walls or ceilings for installation.  In any case, make sure you at least have some sort of detection:

1. In every bedroom.

2. In every hallway outside of bedroom.

3. In every living room.

4. In every basement.

5. In every attic with equipment such as a furnace or water heater.

Keep in mind it is recommended that at least one of these be a combo carbon monoxide detector. Usually the hallway or living room location is ideal as most issues have happened at night while everyone is asleep.