Archive for April 30, 2008

Remember to Label the Electrical Panel On/Off Switches

1479 days
by in Electrical, Interior

?Remember to Label the Electrical Panel On/Off Switches
By Dan Powell

One of my pet peeves of contractors; more particularly, electricians has followed us in every single house we have lived in. Label the gosh darn on-off switches that are in the main electrical panel, will ya!

There is nothing more frustrating when one needs to turn the power off for a certain electrical outlet / light switch. You know what is going to happen, right?

The light switch you need to turn off the power will be the one that is the furthest away from the electrical panel. And, of course there is no label on any of the on-off switches which lead you to having to guess through trial and error, one switch box at a time, which one of them provides the power for the area of the house containing the light switch.

Why are the on-off switches in the electrical panel never labeled? Especially the one you want?

Are electricians lazy? Well, to be honest, that is very debatable. There are building codes and electrical codes and laws of physics which electricians need to adhere. But, none of those codes indicates that the wiring or rewiring job is not finished until the switch box is properly and accurately labeled. Or, do they?

So, today’s waste of 1/2 an hour with a dozen trips up and down the stairs from one end of the house on the main floor to the electrical panel room at the opposite end of the house in the basement was not enjoyable. Of course, not all contractors, electricians and the like are plain lazy and do just enough to get paid and then leave. I am sure any electrical contractor you would use would never do that. It will always be your neighbor who encounters this situation, right? :-)

And, if you are the home owner, for gosh sakes, when you actually do find the on-off switch on the electrical panel that is the one you want, label it yourself! No, you will not remember the next time you need to find it again.

For more lessons learned from our own home renovation experiences, visit our blog, Daily Home Renovation Tips at the following resource link: http://DailyHomeRenoTips.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Powell

What Aluminum Wiring Looks Like

1479 days
by in Electrical

What Aluminum Wiring Looks Like
By Michael Del Greco?Platinum Quality Author

While training a home inspector I saw an electrical contractor’s apprentice look right at a panel wired with single strand aluminum wiring and not even notice it was there.

Why?

He did not think to look for aluminum single strand wire because the home was “too new” to have single strand aluminum wiring. Although he was correct about the age of the home (it was built long after aluminum wiring was commonly used) he missed a major safety defect that is very expensive to cure. Someone must have found an old coil or two around when the addition was added.

What does aluminum wiring look like? How would most home owner’s or Realtors know the home had aluminum wiring?

If the home has BX (metal exterior wiring) it does not have aluminum wiring. I have never seen aluminum wiring in BX and have never heard of it being made. There is a tin coated copper wire in BX that was very common. It is NOT a hazard at all.

If the home has Romex wire (plastic or cloth covered) look at the writing on the wire. If it says CU or copper it is not aluminum. If it says AL or aluminum it is aluminum.

Removing electric panel covers is NOT a job for those who do not know how to do it. There is enough power inside the average electric panel to kill you and a few others. If you are in doubt hire and pay for a professional to determine the type wire in a home, it is well worth it.

Michael Del Greco is President of Accurate Inspections, Inc., a home inspection business.

He has been a home inspector since 1993 and prior to that spent seven years as a construction project manager.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Del_Greco