Electrical Home Safety Inspection

home-safety-inspection           

We inspect the Entire Electrical System

We look for any safety hazards and potential energy saving suggestions.

 checking-panel

The Main Panel/Load Center

These should be inspected annually to ensure the wire connections on the breaker are properly torqued (tightened) and the breakers are properly connected to the buss bars. The screws connecting the wire to the breakers can become loose over time. We also use an infrared scanner/thermometer to identify any hot spots on the breakers and connections.

 gfci

GFCI Protection

This should be installed in the kitchen, bathrooms and on all outdoor outlets. A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter is designed to trip with only a very small amount of impedance detected from a hot circuit to ground. In the unfortunate example of a person getting shocked, the circuit is designed to trip instantly before a person would sustain a shock or electrocution. They should be tested monthly and inspected annually by a qualified electrician.

 arc-fault

Arc Fault Protection

Should be installed for outlets in all bedrooms and living areas. Since the 2008 NEC came out, these life saving devices have been a requirement in new construction.

For many years there have been house fires caused by appliances such as televisions, alarm clocks and lamps that have had their plugs pulled slightly loose causing arcing. When drapery is near the arcing it can catch fire and quickly spread. The Arc Fault protection is designed to trip instantly when even the slightest arcing is detected. Thus saving countless lives. The licensed electricians at Berkeys, carry high tech testing equipment to thoroughly test these devices. They should be tested monthly and inspected annually by a qualified electrician.

 smoke-detector

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Smoke Detectors and CO Detectors should also be tested monthly and inspected annually by a qualified electrician. The 9 volt batteries in either stand-alone detectors or back up batteries for hard wired systems should be changed annually. Berkeys electrician will actually use canned smoke and a carbon monoxide testing agent to thoroughly test these annually.

Did you know that even if your home is total electric, if you have an attached garage, you need carbon monoxide detectors? The reason is, with an attached garage, if a vehicle is left idling even for a short time. Carbon monoxide can build up in the garage and then infiltrate your home with potentially fatal consequences.

 backstabbed-connections

Checking for Back Stabbed Connections

These are installed on the electrical switches and receptacles in your home.

Back Stabbing is still being done today, even in many new homes by incompetent electricians that take a “short cut to save time” when installing switches and receptacles. Many electrical switch and receptacle devices have connections that can be used to insert the wires into the back of the device, instead of the proper way of curling the wire around the screws that are on the sides and properly tightening them. It has been proven that the spring mechanism in the back of these devices is too weak and can lead to overheating and cause a fire.

 testing-fixtures

Existing Incandescent and Fluorescent

This kind of lighting can now be retrofitted with LED fixtures using 85% less energy. The new LED technology means also extending the life of the bulbs. LED bulbs last up to 25,000 hours, equaling 25 incandescent bulbs. Your ROI (return on investment) by installing LED now is often break even in less than 2 years and pure savings thereafter. Saving $200 to $400 or more annually on electricity usage.

 surge-protector

Whole House Surge and Lightning Protection

This should be added to protect your valuable electronic equipment and appliances. Berkeys offers 3 levels of protection from the manufacturer. The different levels have varying levels of surge and lightning protection capabilities with either $25,000, $50,000 or $75,000 of protection from the manufacturer.

 tamper-resistant

Tamper Resistant Outlets

These are required now in new construction and remodeling electrical systems. If you have small children or grandchildren, the peace of mind that knowing the electrical outlets in your home are safe in regard to children not being able to insert metal objects into an outlet is very comforting.

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Automatic Standby Generators

Can be installed for your home electrical system. You and your family can be safe and comfortable in the event of a winter ice storm or spring or summer thunderstorms that cause many power outages every year, sometimes lasting hours and even days.

 grounding-check

Checking for Proper Grounding of Your Electrical System.

If your ground rod is not conducting well to the Earth, you can experience problems with your electrical system, e.g. lights dimming or even an electrocution hazard condition can exist. Berkeys can check the ground rod connection to the Earth and determine if it has less than the required 25 Ohm resistance. Extreme drought can effect this and could require installing an additional 8’ ground rod more than 6’ from the existing ground rod.

csst

Checking for Proper Grounding / Bonding of Yellow CSST (Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing) Gas Piping in the Attic of Your Home.

If you have this type of gas piping in your home that was not properly grounded/bonded. There is a danger that in the event of a lightning strike, a hole can occur by melting the stainless steel tubing and literally become a blow torch that could burn your home to the ground or even cause an explosion. Berkeys can properly ground/bond the gas piping in accordance with the 2011 NEC (National Electric Code) and 2012 IFGC (International Fuel Gas Code).