Electrical inspections are an important way to discover safety risks and other issues in your home. Knowing when to ask one of our professional electricians to inspect your place can make a notable difference. We encourage homeowners to schedule an electrical inspection with Viper Services in the following situations.
Too Long Since Last Inspection
Even if your house’s electrical system seems to be in perfect shape, scheduling regular inspections is a good choice. If your house is newer than 40 years, you should schedule an electrical inspection at least once every ten years. A house that’s 40 years or older needs an electrical inspection every five years.
If you know it has been longer than this timeline or you don’t know when the last inspection even was, then you should ask one of our electricians to check things out. We can look for common issues that creep up on homeowners, such as melted wiring, weakened circuit breakers, and degraded grounding. These are problems that often develop over time, so you want to check them on a regular schedule, even if your home’s electrical system seems to be working fine.
Following Big Weather Events
Major weather events can pose big risks to home electrical systems. Lightning is a common cause of damage. Even if a lightning strike hits a half mile from your house, it is a good idea to schedule an inspection. Most of the weather-related electrical damage in the U.S. comes from these kinds of indirect lightning strikes. They can impart thousands of volts of surge power into a house, even if the lightning hits somewhere else.
If there were a direct lightning strike at your house, an electrical inspection should be scheduled for as soon as possible. Direct lightning strikes can damage systems such as the ground, GFCIs and AFCIs, surge protectors, and electrical panels. Worse, the damage isn’t always self-evident after a lightning strike. Damaged systems can work for a while, but they could have melted wires or circuit breakers that pose fire hazards.
Flooding is another major reason to schedule an immediate electrical inspection. Even if the flooding happened far from your home’s electrical panel, it may have damaged the wiring. Likewise, circuit damage can cause issues at the breakers or the panel. Flooding corrodes electrical components, often leading to other problems like arcing.
Adding a Major Appliance
The biggest appliances in your house tend to be the ones that challenge your home’s electrical system the most. Our electricians can test outlets and circuits to verify that they have enough capacity to support your new appliance.
For example, many kitchens have one or two circuits to support multiple appliances. If you’re adding an entirely new appliance, such as a dishwasher that wasn’t previously there, then you should confirm that the circuit can handle it. We can determine how much capacity the outlet and circuit offer. Likewise, we can perform necessary upgrades if the appliance requires a new circuit to provide more support.
You especially want to talk with us if you’re installing something very modern, like an EV charging station. A Level 2 charger, which tends to be the standard for at-home EV power, uses a 240-volt circuit. Many homes support 240-volt circuits, but those circuits are often already occupied by dryers and washers. Consequently, you may have to expand or replace your home’s electrical panel to supply the necessary voltage for EV charging.
This is also important if you’re adding a major appliance like a hot tub, large freezer case, or HVAC system to an older house. Many older American homes only offer 100 amps of power. A single added device can easily cause the demand on your electrical panel to exceed that figure. We recommend that all modern houses have 200-amp setups, and some high-demand households may want something a bit higher. An inspection will reveal whether your panel can handle the load.
Home Renovations and Additions
Significantly altering a room or adding a new one can change your home’s electrical demands a lot. Suppose you want to enclose a patio to expand your kitchen. Minimally, this is likely to require new wiring along the new walls. If you wish to add outlets for future upgrades, like more appliances, lights, outlets, and switches, then you want to be confident that the kitchen’s circuits will be up to the job.
We can also confirm whether you can expand demand on an existing circuit or not. If you’re dealing with a low-demand space like another bedroom, it might be possible to wire everything up to an underutilized circuit. However, if you include something like an electrical fireplace in a new bedroom, it might be better to incorporate a new circuit to support the load.
Signs of Damage
You should be especially mindful of any signs that your home’s electrical system has been damaged. Potential signs of trouble include burnt smells, discolored outlets and sockets, warm electrical fixtures, flickering lights, and frequent circuit breaker trips. People may also experience electrical shocks when they touch appliances, devices, or switches.
Even if your house was inspected a few months ago, do not assume that new problems haven’t developed in the meantime.
Missing GFCI Outlets
Modern electrical codes require GFCI outlets in specific places. These are sockets that connect to a ground-fault circuit interrupter, and codes commonly require them in wet areas. You will often see GFCIs in kitchens, bathrooms, and basements. GFCIs are also required for all outdoor outlets.
If you don’t see any GFCI outlets in your entire home, then you should assume it hasn’t been the subject of an electrical inspection in decades. You can differentiate a GFCI outlet by the presence of two buttons between the sockets. One of these is usually a reset button, and the other is a test button. You may also see LED indicator lights integrated into the outlet to tell you whether the GFCI is in a fault state.
The purpose of a GFCI is to prevent injuries and damage from water-related shocks. If someone spilled a glass of water on the kitchen counter near an outlet, a plugged-in device with a GFCI might be shorted. Rather than the electricity flowing to the house’s ground, as it does with a GFCI, it could shock a person or a device.
Following Construction or Purchase
Stepping into a new home with confidence is easier after an electrical inspection. We perform pre-sale inspections for buyers and sellers. Likewise, our electricians would be happy to inspect the system of a newly constructed house.
You’re in Good Hands With Our Electricians
Viper Services has helped homeowners in Taylors, SC and the surrounding areas since 2016. We offer a clear and simple pricing structure for all projects, including electrical inspections and electrical repairs. You can also typically schedule service for the next day.
Our electricians are familiar with a wide range of common systems, including fans, lighting, wiring, home generators, and electric vehicle (EV) chargers. We also offer commercial electrical services.
If you believe it’s time for an electrical inspection at your home in Taylors, call Viper Services today to schedule an appointment with one of our electricians.
