Contemplation

In life there are many times through out the day when decisions must be made. Most often we have simple choices to make, like what flavor ice cream to chose. Every so often a more weighty decision happens upon us, for example should we let our child go with friends away for the weekend. These kinds of decisions are not made spur of the moment. Information must weighed, then contemplated and finally a decision rendered.

When inspecting homes these two basic scenarios can occur over and over again in the few hours of the inspection. I would guess that at least once during any home inspection I will inform my client of my need to research and contemplate information in order to provide them with an accurate assessment. Or a particular condition may initially appear to be repaired, but through writing the report and contemplating all the evidence, the fix is not adequate or safe.

A good example occurred not long ago during an inspection of a condo. I am familar with this particular complex and know aluminum wire is present throughout the entire development. For those who may not know, aluminum branch wires (the wire for outlets and switches) is a known fire hazard. Basically due to it propensity to expand and contract to a greater degree than copper, connections can become loose causing arcing and fires. Its manufacture was halted in the mid 1970s.

The repair for aluminum wiring is to splice copper wire to the aluminum using approved connectors. The Consumer Product Safety Commission describes the types of connectors in Publication 516. The copper is used to then connect to the device. These connectors are expensive and somewhat time consuming to install. One connector that is not on the list, but is very commonly used is a purple twist on connector by Ideal. While the company’s literature basically states these connectors are safe and compliant, inspectors know that in use they are known to fail.

During the inspection of the condo unit I removed several cover plates from the receptacles to have a look see. All I viewed had the purple twist on connector. Not the “ideal” repair.

What caused me more concern was at the main electric panel in the basement I found aluminum wires spliced to copper using standard twist on wire nuts. I also noted that the majority of wiring at the panel was newer copper. All that new copper has to be spliced to the older aluminum some where in the house. The problem is I do not know where, nor do I have the time to search it all out. The one bright spot was the panel had been equipped with AFCI breakers in some of the circuits. AFCIs are good protection for aluminum wiring.

All these issues were pointed out to the client during the inspection with an explanation as to why they were good, not so good or just plain bad. When I sat down to write the report and contemplated all the information I had gathered, I advised that a licensed electrician further inspect and repair the entire electrical system in the home as necessary.

I have learned that inspecting homes as in life a little time to contemplate can often yield better solutions.

James Quarello
Connecticut Home Inspector
2010 - 2011 SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

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