Electrical Safety Inspections Northern Virginia
LQ Contracting Electrical Home Safety Inspection
Keep your family safe with a comprehensive electrical home safety inspection. An electrical safety inspection will identify dangerous conditions within your home’s electrical system that could pose electrical fire or electrocution risks. Problems with electrical systems can occur from aging and outdated electrical components and wiring. Sometimes problems arise from improperly installed components by previous builders, contractors, and unqualified DIY homeowners and handymen.
You can rest assured that every inspection by LQ Contracting is performed by an experienced licensed master electrician. Our electricians are familiar with current building code requirements for residential electric service. After the inspection, you will receive a prioritized checklist of problems and recommended remedies for anything that needs attention.
When we complete the electrical home inspection, you will receive a detailed proposal for work needed to correct the problems that were found. There is no obligation to complete the work and it will ultimately be your decision to move ahead with the repairs.
Who Needs an Electrical Saftey Inspection
If You Own an Older Home
If your home is over 20 years old, it’s time to have an electrical home safety inspection. Little’s electrical inspection will look for any electrical safety hazards within your home. Older homes can have wiring, panels, and receptacles that have succumbed to environmental issues such as corrosion. An electrical inspection can also identify installations that have been performed with materials that are no longer acceptable by today’s standards. In recent years there have been numerous electrical panels and circuit breakers that have been recalled. Our electricians are up to date and know what to look for such as panels manufactured by Federal Pacific, Challenger, and Zinsco. There are also many circuit breakers that have been recalled and should be examined. Our home electrical inspections will be looking for items that do not meet today’s standards. The most recent NEC National Electrical Code was updated in 2020. In fact, the NEC updates every 3 years. Major code changes for dwellings occurred in 2014. Prior to 2014 125V receptacles in kitchens and laundry rooms could be protected with a GFCI Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter but in 2014 the updated code requires these circuits to be protected by an AF/GF Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter. There are many other items that have been updated over the years. Our installers pull permits and meet with city and county building inspectors on a daily basis. Therefore we are up to date on current building codes and trained to identify any potential safety hazard in an older home.
Real Estate Transactions
Inspections can be an important step in preparing to buy or sell a home. Sellers are encouraged to have a home inspection prior to listing their property for sale and buyers will typically include a clause in the real estate contract that allows them to have the home inspection prior to closing. This type of contingency allows the buyers to hire an independent home inspector to examine the home for any potential problems with the home. In Virginia, it’s mandatory for home inspectors to have a license issued through the DPOR. It’s important to note that Little’s Quality Contracting does not perform general home inspections, but rather we are called in when inspections flag problems with the electrical system that needs to be addressed. As professional electricians, we can provide a second opinion with specialized expertise but moreover, we can provide an actual estimate with a breakdown of materials and labor and get the job done. So if you are a home buyer or seller and a general home inspection has identified some electrical problems we can help.
Periodic Routine Electrical Saftey Inspections
As mentioned above electrical codes are updated every three years. That’s why we recommend that you have a periodic safety inspection. It’s a good idea to have your home’s electrical system inspected periodically not just for code changes but also to see how the electrical components are holding up to daily use and age. If you need to have any electrical repairs or upgrades it’s a great time to have us look at the entire system while we are on the property.
Home Electrical Inspection Process
The first thing we will examine during the electrical home safety inspection is the connection to the electric meter. The meter is owned by the power company, but anything from the meter to the house will be inspected. The home’s electrical wiring is typically connected to lugs in the metal electric meter box. We will check the overall condition including the meter, cables, grounding, and connections. Is important that outside electrical boxes are water-tight.
In the second step of the inspection, we will focus on the electrical panels. Depending on your property we may find more than one panel that will need to be inspected. During the panel inspection, we look at the overall condition of the panel and make sure it does not have any damage or missing slot covers. It is important that the panel box is in good shape to keep the components safe and dry.
The inner components of the panels will be thoroughly inspected. We will check all the breakers and make sure that they are functioning correctly. A professional electrician will also check to see if the breakers are appropriate for the circuits and that the panel is not overloaded based on the type of electrical service providing the power. Finishing up this step we will check that it has been properly grounded.
The last step of the electrical home safety inspections We will continue looking for electrical hazards as we examine the electrical outlets, switches, and light fixtures. We will make sure every receptacle meets today’s building code, especially the ones installed in bathrooms, kitchens laundry, or utility rooms. These outlets will require either a GFCI or AFCI outlet and will be tested.
Upon completion of the inspection, you will receive a detailed report, and if any problems are found we will provide you with an estimate for the work that needs to be completed in order to have a safe home.
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Inspections Service
- Homeowners
- Realtors
- Buyers
- Sellers
- Property Managers
- Insurance
Don’t Ignore These Problems
- Frequently Tripped Circuit Breakers
- Flickering, buzzing, or Dimming Lights
- Burning Smells
- Discoloration of Outlets
- Insufficient Number of Outlets
- Extension Cords
- Outlet Splitters and Adapters
- Sparking
- Electrical Shocks
- Warm Switches and Outlets
Common Problems
- Loose Wiring Connections
- Cracked or Damaged Wiring Insulation
- Amature Homeowner Wiring
- Wiring that has damage from rodents
- Two-Pronged Outlets
- Recalled or Faulty Electrical Panels & Breakers
- Insufficient Number of Outlets
- Bathroom and Kitchens Without GFCI Protection