Homeowner Wiring

Before I became an indoor air quality (IAQ) professional, I was a home inspector and used to teach adult education classes on home-buying in Cambridge and Brookline. Once I was asked to address home repairs. I submitted my outline for the course, which did not include electrical wiring. The program director requested I include this subject, as it had always been included in the repair course. Previous teachers had not been home inspectors, and based on all the electrical hazards I had seen on home inspections, I was fearful of teaching homeowners any electrical skills more sophisticated than changing a light bulb—so that was one topic I refused to include.
As a home inspector I found that some homeowners did a lot of wiring in houses as a way to save money. Obvious signs that alerted me to the presence of homeowner wiring were electrical cables hanging in the basement, open metal junction boxes with covers missing or wire nut connectors hanging out of the box, and missing electric switch and outlet plate covers. While buyers may not consider such conditions to be as significant as something like a roof that needs to be replaced or a foundation that is sinking, home inspectors know that even a missing outlet cover can result in a fire or electrocution if contact is made with a live wire.

One indoor electrical deficiency I often saw was the type of wiring the least knowledgeable homeowners will do: using ordinary lamp-cord wire, even through walls. Need an outlet in the closet? No problem. Buy a spool of wire, run it from an outlet in the bedroom, tack it or staple it along the baseboard, run it in the corner up the wall into the closet, and install the outlet. I even found staples and nails that were live, having been set through the wires in such cords. In one home, the owner used telephone cable to wire the disposer and kitchen lights.

A broker once described to me what had happened to her when she plugged her iron into a homeowner-installed electric outlet at the end of a lamp-cord. Starting at the outlet, smoke and then flames appeared at the cord insulation. The flames, consuming insulation, moved up the wall toward the ceiling. She quickly removed the iron plug and the flames subsided. Several years later while inspecting a home, I noticed a charred wall with burned wiring in a basement; there was an iron nearby.
On another home inspection I noted a rather peculiar connection at the ceiling in the basement. My client, the buyer, was filling out the form for the radon test kit. Standing directly beneath the light I touched the wire and an explosion ensued, sending hundreds of bits of burning molten copper into the air. Luckily, my buyer was not ignited. Shocked, yes. But on fire? No. After that, when I saw electrical deficiencies, I did not touch them.

A common outdoor homeowner installation I found was the entry walk light. Very few homeowners realize the electrical supply cables to outside fixtures have to be rated for exterior exposure, as ultraviolet light from the sun will deteriorate non-rated plastic, possibly allowing the cables to crack, which can make live wires accessible to curious dogs or children. In addition, any electric cables that come down the foundation of the building must be enclosed in a conduit to protect them from damage inflicted by overzealous gardeners. (I sometimes found exposed wires that had been damaged by shovels and weed wackers.)
One of my most terrifying moments as a home inspector occurred when I decided to test an outside outlet. I inserted the outlet device I used to test for grounding and polarity. The tester did not draw any significant current, but the moment I inserted it, flames shot out of the outlet, burned my fingers, and set fire to the tester. The only way I was able to stop the fire was by kicking the tester out of the outlet. I immediately removed the outlet and the box, and with the help of the buyer’s broker and the buyer, I pumped several quarts of water into the wall of the 80-plus-year-old home. Luckily, nothing in the wall burned.

A broker once described to me what had happened to her when she plugged her iron into a homeowner-installed electric outlet at the end of a lamp-cord. Starting at the outlet, smoke and then flames appeared at the cord insulation. The flames, consuming insulation, moved up the wall toward the ceiling. She quickly removed the iron plug and the flames subsided. Several years later while inspecting a home, I noticed a charred wall with burned wiring in a basement; there was an iron nearby.
On another home inspection I noted a rather peculiar connection at the ceiling in the basement. My client, the buyer, was filling out the form for the radon test kit. Standing directly beneath the light I touched the wire and an explosion ensued, sending hundreds of bits of burning molten copper into the air. Luckily, my buyer was not ignited. Shocked, yes. But on fire? No. After that, when I saw electrical deficiencies, I did not touch them.

ASHI’s Standards of Practice (SOP) require home inspectors to remove the electric panel. This is beneficial for homebuyers but can be time-consuming for a home inspector. Sometimes there are several panels to open. The screws are often very difficult to remove or replace, and sometimes the covers cannot be replaced. Such mechanical difficulties can be compounded if the electric panel is improperly located with limited access.

At one particularly annoying panel installation I was forced to stand on a stairway above the electric panel; apparently the cables for the dryer had been installed by the homeowner, who had left long lengths of stiff cable in the panel. When I replaced the cover I was unable to see that one loop of cable was sticking out of the bottom of the panel because it was hidden by stairs, so I was unable to close the cover completely. As covers are often recalcitrant, I gave it a rather energetic punch. There was an explosion and a cloud of smoke, which sent the buyer and brokers running for cover. Luckily, I was uninjured and realized immediately what happened. The power to the entire house was out. I turned to the group and said, “The main breaker is working.” Fortunately there was enough cable left to reconnect the dryer.
Opinions or statements of authors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents, or editors. Always check with your local governmental agency and independently verify for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.
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