Electrical Home Safety Inspections

When was the last time your home had an electrical home safety inspection? Can’t remember? Not sure when you need to have one? According to the Electrical Safety Foundation, there are four major times when your home should be inspected by a licensed residential electrician:

Apart from that, anytime you feel there are electrical problems in your home that could pose a safety hazard, you can always call us in for an electrical home safety inspection just to make sure. It is absolutely critical that these home electrical safety inspections be done by a licensed electrician because:

So whenever you have a home electrical concern, do not leave it to chance: contact Root Electric and be safe about it!

During an electrical home safety inspection, these are some of the important aspects of your home’s electrical system that we’ll examine:

Electric Panels

This is the electrical nerve center of your home. Whether it’s in the garage, the basement, the utility room or somewhere outside, we will thoroughly examine the fuses and/or circuit breakers for proper connections, damage, age, rust, residue, smoke etc. We’ll check whether or not the panel is providing sufficient electrical capacity for your home’s needs too. We will also check whether or not your electrical panel is a brand that has been recalled or discontinued.

Electrical Wiring

We’ll check that all visible wiring is up to code and in good shape without any exposed splices. We’ll make sure cables are secured and protected. We’ll also double check the following issues many older homes run into:

These old wiring configurations can create safety hazards as well as making it harder to get the home insured or to sell the home.

Electrical Systems in Wet Areas

Any electrical systems that are in close proximity to water need to be especially inspected and updated. This usually means areas in the bathrooms, kitchens, workshops or outdoors. The outlets in these areas must have GFCI outlets (“Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters). These GFCI outlets are programmed to cut electricity to that area if exposed to water. We will test these during an inspection and we advise homebuyers to check these during any pre-purchase walkthrough.

Interior and Exterior Lighting, Outlets and Switches

We test whether all the lights, switches and outlets (and the things plugged into them) are properly grounded. Loose outlets, warm outlets, humming noises, lights that flicker or switches that spark are a sign that something needs to be tightened, repaired or replaced.

Other Home Electrical Aspects We’ll Check

In addition to these four main concerns, we will also walk through your home and note any safety issues you might have with:

So if you’re getting ready to buy a home, your home is reaching its 40th birthday (or more), you’re remodeling or installing anything new—or if you just have an electrical safety concern that needs checking, contact Root Electric today at (703) 494-3989 to schedule an electrical home safety inspection. Our job is to keep you safe!