[mulligan]

You are 100% correct, Gracie, but the point is, the people doing the electrical work in the homes don't have to be licensed, and some of the possible issues would not be addressed during inspections.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by mulligan

You are 100% correct, Gracie, but the point is, the people doing the electrical work in the homes don't have to be licensed, and some of the possible issues would not be addressed during inspections.

I know you must be right because you always are and I respect you very much, but an official inspection is required by either county or state after those things are installed in each home, before they can put up the dry wall. Or is that what you meant?

I truly would never argue with you Mulligan. You are always correct and I mean that from my heart.

[eremite06]

Originally Posted by 2 Oldcrabs

The "ARC" breakers are designed to trip with any arcing. If you remember the old drill motors or saws you could see a little "blue arc" where the the brushes meet the armature. Some vacuum's do the same thing. This will cause the ARC beakers to trip. Another problem is "Back Stabbing" of outlets on 15 amp circuits ( It is legal to do). They just push the wires in the back of outlets instead of wrapping the connection around the screws. I tested voltatage at a 15A outlet to be 123volts, plug an Iron in and the voltage dropped to 114 volts. That is more than a 5%. Plug the Iron in a 20amp circuit and the the voltage drop is 2 volts. Some the the voltage drop on 15 amp circuit is the smaller wire allowed. IMHO "Back Stabbing" of outlets should be outlawed. It is a terrible connection and can lead to arcing in the outlet. I will be changing all of them in my home in the near future. One thing you can do is buy a $4 single surge suppressor from Home Depot and move it around where you want to plug a motor into.

That's what I was thinking...."back stabbing" is the same as quick wiring. The speed at which these homes are built lends to this oversight and if it's code, it will be done. Unfortunately.

[mulligan]

I was referring to some of the finer points such as overstripping wires or loose connections that may fail. The inspector does not take off cover plates to check, so you must rely on the skill/training of the "electrician".

[2 Oldcrabs]

Most inspectors were never electrician. They go by the book they "read". They even had to "color code" the romex wire because they could not tell the wire size by looking at it and faster to do the inspection. They do not check connection, only check "polarity" at outlets.

[KeepingItReal]

Reference: AFCI guide to arc fault interrupters for home owners and home inspectors: how to buy, install, test, & inspect AFCIs

http://inspectapedia.com/electric/AF...m#AFCINuisance

[eremite06]

There was a whole development in Miami where condos blew right off their mono slabs during hurricane Andrew (Naranja Lakes). No rebar at all in the CBS walls. Inspectors were bought off by the developer.

Think it could happen here?

[mulligan]

Probably not. Take a look at a block house under construction, and you will see the patches at the bottom of the walls where the wall steel is tied to the slab dowels. I'll bet they don't miss many, if any.

[mulligan]

The situation in Miami may have been caused by an inexperienced inspector. The inspectors in large developments are actually hired by the builder, and the county just signs off on the inspector's report without actually doing an inspection. The inspectors in TV are TV employees, and the county accepts their reports. This is called a threshold inspection, because the inspector from the county doesn't have to cross it (the threshold).