If you are buying a house or seem to have a few mild electrical faults, it might be time to have your electrical system inspected for faults. Many people don’t even know their home has a fault until a serious problem occurs. Electrical inspections are viewed as lengthy and expensive as well as unnecessary, but this simply isn’t true. A modern inspection can be quick and very important for your safety as well as potentially saving you money in the long run.

When Do You Need One?

The following are all good reasons to undertake an electrical safety inspection, but for most people, it should be when minor faults are detected. Constantly blowing light bulbs, fuses blowing on your consumer unit or the safety switches tripping, fuses blowing on appliances and flickering lights. But often people will just live with these issues even though they are often masking much more serious issues which could not only be dangerous, but costly. Here are some common reasons when you should have an inspection:

  • When buying a home
  • If you have detected some mild electrical faults
  • When you want to add a new appliance that consumes power
  • When your home is more than 40 years old
  • After your home has undergone a major renovation

What happens during an electric inspection?

The following is a broad checklist of the major tests and inspections that are carried out in a home electrical inspection. Obviously, each property is unique, but the below list should give you a good idea of what’s covered and what happens.

Wiring

This is one of the key parts of the electrical system in your home and usually the first place they will start. They’ll look and test for damaged or exposed wires which is especially likely if your wiring is over 40 years old. They will commonly suggest you switch from aluminium wiring to copper if this is the case as it’s more efficient, durable and safer.

Lighting

Your electrician is likely to then proceed to the lighting aspects of your home, including switches, types of lighting, their condition (inside and out). Often they’ll recommend switching from expensive halogen lighting to LED as it’s way more efficient or recommend switching from 2 pronged outlets to 3 which are much safer for modern appliances like lighting.

Power Surges

These can be particularly damaging to anything connected but also dangerous as they can lead to fires. They’ll examine the stability of the power coming into your home and recommend surge protectors or any other upgrades that eliminate this problem.

Electrical Leaks

If you’ve suddenly had an increase in your electricity bill, then it’s likely your wiring has an issue somewhere and this can be tracked down.

Report

Lastly, all the findings will be written up in a report with findings and recommendations. This will include a list of upgrades and estimated costs.

If you’d like an estimate on the cost of an electrical inspection, then just give Rob Martin a call on 0412 083 349.