Jeffrey Campbell

There are a couple of electrical panels out there that immediately draw our attention as professionals:

FEDERAL PACIFIC - STAB LOK = a unique circuit breaker panel that has a very poor history and some substantial complaints. we recommend further evaluation by a licensed electrician for likely replacement. Sometimes we find these panels in good condition... however that may just mean they have not been subject to the overloads that may create failure. Sometimes the breakers do not trip under a heavy load and end up overheating, ultimately catching on fire... Yikes... so then it is TOO LATE! Recently an electrician told me he found a dryer that still had power despite the breaker indicating it was tripped!!! Upon removal of the breaker, the backside was all scorched... A potential fire averted, barely!! Not a good situation. I recommend and most of the electricians I know will recommend these Stab Lok panels be replaced.

ZINSO - another unique circuit breaker panel that I've only seen once in MAINE... that was up near Sunday River I believe many years ago. These panels have a poor history as well.

For more information on both of these panels click on the following links:

http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/fpepanel.htm

http://www.inspect-ny.com/electric/Zinsco.htm

If you see these in your home or a home you visit, list, show etc... SERIOUSLY consider consulting a licensed electrician. A qualified professional home inspector will definitely flag these as a potential hazard. If he does not, then you are using the wrong INSPECTOR!

Without going into too much detail, A LOT of Maine homes (and others) have older wiring still in operation. This includes Knob n Tube, ungrounded, metal conduit, and cloth covered (ungrounded)... Often a mix of these and newer romex wiring... two prong receptacles swapped out for newer three prong despite STILL not being grouned.

When performing an inspection and I come across these types of wiring I have to share this information with the client without causing too much of an alarm. Granted knob n tube is very old and becoming more and more unsafe as the insulation becomes more and more brittle and falls off... So providing the proper advice to the client is important.

First and formost I advise them the system will have to be evaluated by a licensed professional electrician. In all likelihood knob n tube will have to be upgraded (safety and insurance concerns)... Other forms of wiring can be deemed safe by the electrician and only areas that are really needed to be upgraded should be...

Upgrades can include complete rewiring of certain circuits or the entire home; upgrading ungrounded receptacles to GFCI receptacles using alternative grounding methods, ensuring that any ungrounded circuits have either two prong receptacles installed or the proper upgrades to acheive ground.

It is not safe to simply swap out a two prong receptacle for a three prong WITHOUT obtaining safe ground.

You can see how complicated it can get, but realize that often the ENTIRE home does not need a total $10,000 or more re-wire. Take each circuit or room on a case by case basis... upgrade where needed.

If you are plugging a lamp or alarm clock into a bedroom receptacle, you may not need to rewire an ungrounded circuit. If you plugging in a new plasma tv, newer appliances or computer (which should have its own UPS)... you may want to upgrade that particular circuit.

ULTIMATELY... consult a licensed professional electrician to evaluate your needs/wants and provide a safe environment. Home inspectors can certainly point out the issues, but it is up to the individual contractors to provide the end solution!

I hope this can help!

The State of Maine has no regulation for Home Inspectors... that is unfortunate in some ways, but there are various Professional Associations to belong to... each with their own benefits and drawbacks. I've chose to belong to NACHI which is the InterNational Association of Certified Home Inspectors. They do the most for their members in my book and I've belonged to NACHI for almost 5 years.

Recently they've provided a forum for ANYONE to ask a question, home related, and get a professional answer in a timely manner.

The site is called AskNachi.org or http://www.asknachi.org/

I recommend checking this out to get an opinion of a particular issue or a second opinion of a possible hazard or defect... anything home related that you think you might want to ask a home inspector.

I suspect you will be pleased!

Inspecting oil tanks has always been a visual thing... yes/no it's leaking, its rusted, its leaning.... etc... but how much could we really tell about the life expectancy left in an oil tank just by looking at it... NOT MUCH that is for sure...

Today we have a new tool... I love tools/gadgets... its manufactured by Boston Environmental and provides us the capability to determine how much metal there is remaining in the bottoms of tanks using an ultrasonic pulse.

I am sure there is way to much science involve to explain it here... but here is run down of what we are INCLUDING on ALL inspections with OIL TANKS!

Oil tanks will typically corrode from the interior out and on the bottom of the tank where water settles... this is impossible to see until too late. Wait... I know... you see tanks rusting on the outside too... typically the damp basements... I know... that is an obvious problem. But the hidden problem inside the tank is what we are after.

The equipment measures the metal thickness and provides us a reading. We can now tell our clients whether the tank is acceptable or not. NICE!

We provide a Certificate of Acceptance which allows the client to join a program (TankSure) which will warranty the tanks that pass against failure... typically free for the first year and a small annual fee there after (covers annual inspection)... if/when the tank fails... boom $1000 towards a new tank.. (1200-1800)

So even if you stay on the program 20 years and it costs less than 40.00 per year... you still make out.

In addition, depending on your provider, you can get a homeowners discount... saving you even more money.

Again we will provide this service as part of our everyday inspection, but it is up to the homeowner to take care of the available benefits...

It's a NO LOSE situation!

I've been doing this for over five years now and I could not be more happier.

There will always be homes to be purchased and people buying them. I hope to be helping those people for a long time to come.

There are a lot of hidden defects out there... and while I or any inspector cannot find them all, I challenge myself to go above and beyond.

My family is happy, spring is coming, business is good... now if I can just find that time for a vacation?!

****11/03/2008**** UPDATE

I still love this work... but a lot has changed in the last year or two... the market is weird... people are scared with their money... it is a GREEEEAT time to buy...

some of the properties out there that are good deals... have their issues too... so don't go without an inspection just because you are getting a good deal...

Good luck to all as we face certain changing times...

Jeff Campbell