Before you buy a home, you should inspect or have a professional inspect the electrical installation and its components. You could have the county or city inspector take a look, or you could find an electrical contractor to help you with the task. Make sure that the home is up to date and safety standards as required by the National Electrical Code. You should have an electrical service that is large enough to supply the home and have room for future expansion. The wiring should be grounded and in good working order. The switches and outlets should be inspected to ensure they are in good working order and of the right type. Here are some of the electrical components of the electrical system that should be inspected.
The receptacles, often called outlets, should be inspected to make sure that they have a ground, don't have any cracks or physical defects, that they have the proper tension to hold in a cord that is plugged into them, and that they are the proper type for the area. Specific areas to watch are bathrooms, kitchens, basements, garages, and outdoor outlets. Any of these areas could be wet or damp and are required to have ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) installed. Kitchens require many special outlets and circuits to supply the vast number of kitchen appliances in them.
There are plenty of common electrical mistakes that people make. Along with that, you may be wondering if the old wiring is safe? Another concern may be whether your home has aluminum wiring. You can check for incorrect electrical wiring and save yourself a big headache later. Afterall, this is the home you are thinking about purchasing and you don't want surprises or large expenses later to repair problem areas. Then, you may have had a previous owner that overloaded a circuit. This can be evident when examining the basement or attic areas for signs of overloaded circuits.
Electrical service panels have changed since 1900. To examine the electrical system even further, you can perform a service panel checklist examination. Oh yes, it will take some time to do all of this, but it is well worth the effort of finding out what makes your home tick. After all, you wouldn't buy a sinking ship with holes in it and you shouldn't buy a faulty home either. If you know the defects ahead of time and negotiate the price to offset the faults, you may just get the home of your dreams at a price that you can afford and a safe one at that!
