5 Essential Things An Electrician Near Me Checks For During Electrical Wiring Inspection | Myrtle Beach, SC

2/16/2023

Wiring is the most controlled unit of all construction jobs because of the severe hazards of electrical shocks and fires. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) recommends you have an electrical safety inspection if your house has undergone significant restructuring or is 40 years old or more.

Electrical system inspections are also required if you buy a home previously owned or have purchased additional major appliances.

There are various things an electrician near me checks for when conducting a wiring inspection in your home. Some of them include basic signs of damaged wiring that you can identify on your own. However, an electrical service specialist will dive deeper and inspect your entire electrical system with more expertise than you have.

A qualified and experienced electrical service provider can reach that portion of wiring that’s invisible to you since it’s hidden in your wall. Your circuits at the switch box may be incorrectly labeled, or visible signs could be localized in unconditioned areas of your homestead that you can’t reach.

Thus, professional electrical wiring inspection is worth it. The following are five vital things an electrician near me will look for when inspecting electrical wiring in homes in Myrtle Beach, SC.

1. The Electric Meter

One of the first things an electrician near me does while checking the wiring and the electrical panel in your home is to look at the electrical meter to confirm that it’s correctly installed. The pro also checks it for potential defects such as wear and tear.

Of course, some wear and tear is expected with time, but if it’s the biggest reason the mechanisms aren’t functioning as required, the meter may be repaired or replaced altogether.

Most often, water damage and corrosion are the two common issues electrical service experts check for. Water can be dangerous, especially if it seeps into your main breaker box from the electrical meter.

2. The Circuit Breaker Capacity

As a homeowner, checking your switch box regularly is essential. The box is usually installed outside the house or in the garage. You can look for visual irregularities, such as crisscrossing and tangled wires.

But a trained electrician near me goes deeper and helps you know if your circuit breaker is in a sound state and whether it can maintain safe current levels. Also, the artisan can tell if the breaker is overloaded or at risk of an overload. These checks are critical in ensuring your home’s electrical integrity.

As in the case of the meter, your hired electrician near me in Myrtle Beach, SC will also check for possible mechanical or structural damage in your circuit breaker, including rust and water damage. This is necessary to avoid electrical sparks or fires.

3. Proper Grounding

A properly grounded system ensures that the entire electrical unit or almost all the electrical components are directly connected to the earth, or at least, they’ve no unbroken connection to the ground. Such electrical systems are common in many modern houses. Older homes, especially those built in the 1950s, usually have little or no grounding.

During an inspection, your electrician near me wasn’t to certify that there’s proper grounding because a lack of it can be disastrous. If you’ve got grounded connections, the grounding system provides the safest route for earth leakage current when a short or fault occurs. For individuals whose electrical systems don’t have grounding, the chances of an electrical shock are incredibly high.

The electrical service pro uses a receptacle tester to check for grounding. There’s no grounding if they plug the tester into an outlet and an “open ground” indicator pops up. They may also find a similar reading if grounding is there, but the connection is made improperly.

In such a case, if you can’t rewire your house, consider replacing ungrounded outlets with ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Although GFCIs won’t provide a ground, they’ll make your outlet safer.

4. Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters

If you’ve installed GFCIs in your home, the electrician near me wants to confirm that these devices are correctly wired.

As mentioned earlier, a ground fault circuit interrupter acts as a safety tool – it automatically cuts off current to your outlets if there’s a sudden voltage change or other irregularities in your home’s electrical system.

For GFCIs to detect moisture in the outlet and cut off the power, it’s paramount that they’re wired the right way. That will help prevent potential dangers like electrocution.

5. The Electrical Wires Themselves

The electrical wiring inspection will culminate with the electrician near me examining the actual electrical wires. When checking the wiring in the house, the tech will look out for signs of damage or deterioration, which may include wires that are sticking out of their protective cover or cracking insulation due to brittleness.

Electricians can also check if there are wires dangling from your attic or ceiling and potential exposure to wetness, especially for cables in damp areas of your home, such as the basement.

The expert needs to be quite exhaustive with this step, ensuring all areas in your home where electrical wiring runs are inspected. This includes even places looped through crannies and nooks. Some wires could become unsafe with time. Again, your wiring may get loose sometimes.

To Wrap It Up

Electrical wirings are potentially dangerous. Therefore, you must hire a licensed and qualified electrician near me in Myrtle Beach, SC who will perform a thorough inspection and give a concrete report on the status of your wiring.

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