Should a home inspector be able to identify a problem with the circuit breaker box?

Question

We had a home inspection done and they said our electrical box looked good. However, we had an electrican over last night because we smelled burning plastic from our electrical box. He opened the box and it was fried. We need to replace our electrical box. He said that the damage has been done for months, but is just a step away from an electrical fire. Should the home inspector noticed this?

They replaced the box yesterday, and it seems that when the old homeowner replaced the heater and the hot water tank the voltage was to high for the size of box that we had. To mee, it's starting to sound like an issue with the past home homeowner

Answer 1

Sometimes,
Inspectors cannot perform the duties that require licensed people to perform.
Unless the cover was off the panel, the inspector would not have noticed the problem. By law he cannot remove any panels in order to check the wiring, you should have had a licensed electrician inspect the panel. If the inspector opens the lid and sees only the breakers that is the extent of their inspection, if the wires are exposed he would have recommended an electrician to correct the problem and if the breakers are FPE (Federal Pacific) he should have recommended upgrading the panel.

Answer 2

Your question could have many answers: First did this just start happening maybe after a repair you may have made? If this is the case then reverse engineer what you did or at least revisit the repair. Next ensure that all the connections are tight on the breakers. I would kill the main and tighten everything including the neutrals. There are several things that should have their own dedicated circuits: Micro waves, refrigerators and etc. Also ensure you have a surge protector on the electronic stuff as well ( the higher the joule rating the better). You should only have 7 or 8 recepts on the same circuit. Might also be time to upgrade the panel. Hope this gives you some ideas. What you said about the main CB though. is there a sub panel for the basement? if so check this panel too.

Answer 3

NO!!!!!! Home inspectors are NOT qualified to inspect a breaker box. They do not know the ins and outs of electrical wiring.

Inspectors are trained to look at obvious problems and give suggestions on things they do not think are right.

My hubby is a electrical contractor, he says he has more than once went to a home with a "faulty breaker box" and have found nothing. Some things were questionable but not out of the ordinary. In your particular situation, he would say that there is a loose connection on the service entry cable or loose buss work with in the breaker box itself. This would only be found by an electrician if there was a known problem.

Not knowing all the symptoms/causes, (brown outs of lighting, white noise on TVs, tripped GFI outlets), it could of been a surge kicked off from the utility company. So to answer your question again, no a home inspector would NOT of seen this, basing this on the information provided.

Answer 4

NO. inspectors are not qualified electricians, they are trained to spot potential hazards and /or safety problems,if the box was open and the wiring was exsposed he would of looked for doubled up wiring,wrong size breakers or illeagle taps but not much more he is not trained to be an electrician, even if he was he cannot say in a report what he is not trained to do, if by some chance he did spot something plainly visible all he can do is suggest you have an electrician look at it.

Answer 5

This severe of damage should have manifested in your electrical supply for the house, i.e. appliance(s) not functioning properly, dead outlets, and dim lights. If this was happening before the home inspection was done, then the home inspector should definitely have noticed this. But irregardless of timeline, your electrical box should have been one of the items for the inspector to look at.

Answer 6

Yes, the home inspector should have seen the problem right off the bat but they don't really care as long as they get paid. It varies from city to city but I've seen it more so than not that they don't care. They take a quick look and if nothing is actually burning when they look, everything is fine with them not to mention that most of them are old electricians who can't do their work any more and aren't old enough to retire.

You need to get that box fixed ASAP.

Answer 7

Do you trust the electrician? it sounds like just a breaker was overloaded and burned up.
There is nothing else plastic in a breaker panel but the breakers and wire insulation.

No, you can't blame this on the inspector.

Answer 8

I find that most home inspectors are lacking in electrical knowledge. They are usually better at looking at just the structure.
Your inspectors company may pay for this call and check. I know my Mom just had her inspector pay for something he missed.

Answer 9

Yes, He should have noticed this. My brother in law is in a apprentiship program right now learning how to do Home Inspections. For the price they charge you for their services...............you definitly should have been total of this problem. I would go back to this company and complain and at least get some kind of discount for their sevices. Simply because they did not do their job properly!

Answer 10

WHEN THE INSPECTOR OPENS THE CIRCUT BOX HE /SHE ARE LOOKING FOR ILLEAGAL CONNECTIONS AND ANYSPLICES A INSPECTION IS GOT TO BE NON-INVASIVE BECAUSE IF ANY THING HAPPENS [LITE BULB,BAD BREAKER,ANY ELECTRIC FAILURE]THE HOME OWNER WILL SAY ITS THE INSPECTORS FAULT .