Electrical Safety

I recently discovered two instances of a false ground where someone connected a short length of copper from the grounding lug to the neutral lug on electrical outlets in an older home.  Using my three prong outlet tester, the outlet demonstrated a grounded connection. Not seeing new conductors in the electrical panel I suspected that something was wrong. After de-energizing the circuit I discovered this bootleg ground. This act of de-energizing an electrical circuit is not normally conducted in a home inspection. 

The following are excerpts from the October 2008 ASHI Reporter Issue

Q. Why is a false ground unsafe at a three-wire (grounded) receptacle outlet?

Answer: The grounding prong of a grounded receptacle outlet should be connected to a separate grounding conductor or grounded raceway system. 

Explanation: Sometimes this situation is found when a grounded receptacle is installed in an ungrounded two-wire system. When a false ground (a jumper from the neutral to the ground terminal at an outlet) is made, the grounding prong becomes a parallel path with the neutral. The grounding conductor of the appliance cord is connected to the metal frame of the appliance, which lays out the path from the grounded prong through the cord to the frame. The metal frame becomes a parallel path with the neutral. Any contact between the frame of the appliance and a grounded object can result in current flow. If the contact point is a person, then there is potential for fatal shock. 

Q. Why is it dangerous to use a Nonmetallic-Sheathed cable (NM) grounding conductor as a neutral?

Answer: Using the grounding conductor as the neutral creates an ungrounded circuit. There is no grounding conductor available for clearing ground faults.
Explanation: Sometimes this is found at retrofit ceiling fan installations or where an outlet has been added at a switch box. Also, it can be found at well pumps and AC disconnects where one leg of a 240-volt circuit is tapped and the grounding conductor is used as a neutral to run a light or 120-volt receptacle. The frame of the fan, yoke of the device and metal box are not grounded (bonded). Just as with the false ground, any contact between these parts and a grounded object will result in current flow. Anyone working on the circuit would not expect neutral current to be flowing on the grounding conductor and could get shocked or electrocuted if he or she disconnected it. In the event of a ground fault on the metallic parts of the connected equipment, there would be no way to clear the fault and the metallic portions of the equipment would become and remain energized, creating a very hazardous condition. 

Q. Is it legal to install grounded receptacle outlets on a two wire ungrounded system?

Answer: The National Electrical Code (NEC) allows the installation of grounded receptacles on a two-wire system if a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) is installed at the beginning of the circuit, either as a breaker or a feed-through receptacle at the first receptacle in the circuit. All receptacle outlets installed downstream must have a label stating that they are GFCI-protected and that there is no equipment ground. 

Explanation: A GFCI does not need an equipment ground to function and provide protection. The person using the outlet will be protected, but the equipment will not be grounded. The GFCI will trip if there is an imbalance between the hot and neutral return currents, thereby protecting the circuit. 

Ventilation

Are You Buying a New Home?

Buying a new home is an exciting time. For those of us lucky enough to find that dream home and qualify for the mortgage it also provides a great deal of personal satisfaction.  It can also be a time of apprehension and fear of the unknown. 

You can alleviate some of those fears by being smart during this home buying process. One of the first things we should do is not buy on impulse. What I mean by this is many people will hop in the car and go to the neighborhood they have heard about and walk into a builder’s model home without representation and simply use the builder’s Site Agent and sign a contract. 

While at first blush there may be nothing wrong, however, in my experience I have seen young home buyers make mistakes with their choices; floor plans, add-ons and builder up-grades.  Some of those choices can be unnecessary and can add thousands to the total purchase price, and not bring lasting value.

I recommend that a home buyer always have a Realtor® on their side. The professional Real Estate Agent costs you nothing and depending on their experience level they can guide you through the complete process. They will help guide you through the buying process, sales contracts, mortgage selection, etc., and they can also assist you in making cost effective choices. Always have a team of people, on your side.

Many people wonder if they need a home inspection when they are buying a new home since the City or County has conducted code inspections on the home during construction.  Did you know that Code Inspectors are in many cases over worked and can only be at the home for a brief amount of time and the building code is a minimum standard.

As a home inspector, with over 22 years of experience, and having built many homes, for a popular Jacksonville home builder, I can emphatically say, YES. Simply said, new homes need a private third party inspection. And most builders appreciate a second or third set of eyes on their product.

At a minimum, the inspection process will provide you with peace of mind, which can be priceless. More importantly, the new home inspection can assist you in documenting the visual condition of the home prior to closing.  

The inspection process will also help you communicate any defects to the builder so they can ensure completion prior to closing (it eliminates builder warranty items after closing).  Most builders want you to be happy and the home complete prior to closing as this will eliminate any post-closing repair issues and hassles associated with making your home available for those repairs.

Some of the common issues discovered during a new home inspection are:

1.  Broken trusses.  Trusses are not to be broken during installation. When they are they should have specific design engineering to make an effective repair. 
2. Missing insulation. Insulation is one of the last items installed in a home. In the rush to complete the home, insulation can be over looked or can be incomplete.
3. Improper cultured stone installation. Cultured stone has very specific installation procedures that are often overlooked.
4. Lack of roof to wall flashings.  Proper roof to wall flashings, keeps the water out.
5. Improper roofing materials. In our area we tend to have very complicated roofs and in many cases the roofer has used improper materials for the sake of expediency.  Low slope crickets are often shingled rather than covered with a proper membrane.
6. Broken or inoperable windows. During construction the insulation contractor may use too much expanding foam to fill the voids in the framing around window openings causing the window to break of be so tight in the frame that they cannot be operated.
7. Hot and cold reversed. Hot water to the commodes. Easily corrected but can be overlooked and a nuisance and in the case of reversed plumbing expensive if not caught.
8. Heat pumps not working in the heat pump heating mode.  Did you know that heat pumps are like air conditioners that work in reverse in the winter (condensing unit must operate in the heating mode).
9. Split zone systems that are wired incorrectly. This means the thermostats are sending the wrong signals or to the wrong zones.
10. Large overhanging granite/stone counters that are not corbeled (supported).  There a specific national installation standards that address when a granite/stone counter should be corbeled.

The list provided in not all inclusive. Many other items can be discovered during a new home inspection.  Getting these issues resolved prior to closing assists all parties and most importantly will provide you a defect free new home.  

The best time to schedule that new home inspection is prior to your Builder’ Walk Through. The home inspector should make arrangements to get the inspection results to you in plenty of time so that you can review the results with your Builder prior to your Walk Through. In many cases the Builder will make a prudent effort to schedule any items needing attention and have those items completed prior to your scheduled Walk Through.

  

Additionally, the home inspector will want you there for the new home inspection. He/she can help familiarize you to the home and can also assist you in understanding the definition of cosmetic defects. While cosmetic defects are not part of a home inspection the inspector can help you in understanding what is expected of the builder as it relates to cosmetics and installation standards.

Charles Gifford     

Something is wrong in the roofing industry

Something is amiss in the roofing industry

I usually do not wear a consumer advocacy hat, but I have on a few occasions. The first was over Louisiana-Pacific Inner Seal Siding and a Florida Contractor that was taking advantage of home owners well past the Class Action Settlement period. The second was the improperly installed plaster stucco systems in the mid 1990’s where our builders were installing plaster stucco wall cladding, but calling it a cementicious finish, so they did not have to meet the building code and the relevant ASTM standards.

Today, I am alarmed at an ever increasing issue that is occurring.  Free roofs!  Bought and paid for by our property and casualty insurance companies (home owners insurance).  And encouraged and directed by a duly qualified and licensed roofing contractor headquartered in South Florida.

   

A roofing contractor, using their proxies, are traveling neighborhoods in the Northeast Florida area that are 17-20 years old or older, where they are looking for single family homes that have not been recently re-roofed. They politely knock on the door and ask the owners if they would like a free windstorm roof inspection. 

NOTE: Any roof in Florida has a typical life expectancy. A three tab shingle roof, will last between 15-17 years. An architectural shingle roof will typically last between 19-22 years.  As asphalt composition roofs age they begin to lose their adhesion to each other. And when these roofs are at/near the end of their typical life, they may be in full statistical failure due to the lack of adhesion, and the risk associated with wind storms.

As these roof inspections are FREE the inspectors are compensated by a fixed rate or a percentage of the re-roofing costs.  Are these guys all qualified and duly licensed roofing contractors or are they working under someone else’s license? Do they follow any ethical standard?  I cannot answer those questions.  However, when you do something for free, and your compensation is a direct result of discovering storm damage, an ethically challenged individual can easily fold over shingles on an old roof that has lost tab adhesion in a matter of a few minutes. 

I don’t know about you, but nobody would mount my roof unless I knew if they had workers compensation coverage. 

The roof inspector will dismount the roof and inform the owner that they have storm related damage and they will gladly assist in helping the owner file an insurance claim and select a qualified roofing contractor to re-single the  home. Now, I am sure these guys will find legitimately damaged roofs, now and again however, I challenge anyone to justify filing an insurance claim on a 17-22 year old roof that has already reached the end of its statistical life.   

Some home owners will express concern, how can they do this? They know they have an old roof that has performed for 17-22 years. Is it ethically and morally the right thing to do?  After discussion with their inspector and an explanation of their rights as a consumer in Florida and that our homeowner’s policies provide full replacement value, and that you have paid for this coverage, it’s your right!  It may be your right however, the unintended consequences of this act may harm you in the future and may harm all policy holders in Florida, if this practice is allowed to continue.

We must all be responsible for the conditions of our roofs. If they need replacement due to age then we should replace them.  If you have legitimate storm damage, then file a claim. Don’t file a claim if you have an old roof that has performed for its lifetime.  Don’t fall for the scheme.  Tell them to get off of your property. 

In my mind insurance is for those events that are unplanned, unexpected, and not routine.

I have spoken to folks at the Florida Department of Insurance, The State Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Professional and Business Regulation, and my own insurance company. There are no easy answers or solutions.  It is up to the business owner to run an ethical business and the home owner to act ethically. Do the right thing.                

Buying An Old House In Northeast Florida?

 Are you thinking about buying an old house in NE Florida or are you a Realtor selling your first old house?

Older homes are wonderful, especially, in our area. Some of the craftsmanship is remarkable and would be difficult or impossible to find in a modern home. Sometimes the value of the home and the neighborhood are simply too good to pass by.  However, there are several things that you need to be aware of during the due diligence process. 

First, let’s talk about that old house. What is an old house? Well, the home owner’s insurance industry is helping us define an old house. Some would say, 20 years would make the home old. Some will say 30 years makes the home old.  The insurance requirements may make them equal.  For sake of argument let’s assume you are thinking about buying a home that is 35 years old or you are a Realtor selling that first older home in a similar age bracket. 

Secondly, what’s the worry? The greatest everyday risks to an insurance company are fire, wind, and water loss from leaks, be it a roof leak or a supply or waste line leak.  Simply said, age of the home increases that risk of loss.

What do you need to know?

1.  Older homes in the greater Jacksonville area may have galvanized steel supply piping or was re-piped with Polybutylene plastic piping. Galvanized steel piping was used extensively from the 1940s through the middle of the 1970s. Typically this piping rusts from the inside out and will experience leaks and flow reductions as it ages.  Polybutylene plastic piping was used extensively in the 1980s as the water distribution system of the future. The problem with this piping is premature pipe leaks and leaking fittings, not to mention numerous class action lawsuits.

2. An older home in our area may have older shingles (roof covering).  Depending on the age of the home, you simply can’t tell from the ground if there is any remaining roof life. They may look good, and there might not be any leaks, but what about shingle tab adhesion?  Shingle tab adhesion is a critical component to withstanding a high wind event.  

3. An older home may have original wiring. As the home ages more and more demand is placed on the original wiring system as we install higher demand electrical fixture such electric dryers, new cook tops and oven and air to air heat pump. You know that stuff wasn’t around in the 1950s to 1970s. This places additional load on these original circuits. And older homes don’t have the same numbers of convenience outlets to plug in our lamps, computers, TVs, etc. Some of these older homes have only one or two outlets per room so owners end up using electrical strip centers. All of these things are fire risks. Older electrical distribution centers have fuses. Insurance companies don’t like fuses. Older homes often have home owner wiring, exposed wiring conditions, open splices, and other correctable electrical issues. All of these conditions can increase your risk and coverage.

 So, you have fallen in love with a cute bungalow in the San Marco area (it could be anyone of our wonderful eclectic communities) or your buyers are committed to an older homes charm and location. GET IT INSPECTED by a knowledgeable, trusted, home inspector. Your home inspector will be able to identify those risk factors and will put together what is commonly called a 4.0 Letter to use in the insurance buying process.

The 4.0 Letter will address four major components of the home, Heating and Cooling System, Plumbing System, Electrical System and Roofing. This information is then provided to the insurance company to assist them in understanding the home and the related risk.  It can also cause your trusted insurance agent to “pass on the home” causing you to shop for coverage.  This can be a trying process and don’t give up!

Additionally, a knowledgeable home inspector can help you understand those risks and can oftentimes suggest manageable solutions, such as prioritizing a to-do-list for improving conditions that may lower your insurance risk factors.

Now that we understand the 4.0 Letter there are some other factors that can impact you during the due diligence process.  Some mortgage lenders have concerns about loaning money on older homes, especially, if they are investor owned and flipped. They may require that a home inspection be conducted and that all items listed on the inspection report as a defect, get repaired. 

It is important to be informed and to ask those questions up front during the application process so you don’t have a delayed closing because repairs weren’t made.

Good luck.

Charles S. Gifford, ACI, RPI, CRC

President

AllSpec Services

CS Gifford Home Services, Inc.

Trusted. Valued. Experienced.

Each and Every Time!

Guranteed. ®

Certified ASHI Member 096358

FABI Registered Professional Inspector 0111

Licensed FL HI 1046

Licensed FL CRC 1326414

FL DACS WDO Inspector JE112133

Faulty Circuit Breakers Could Cause Fire
By Chris Glorioso and Tom Burke NBCNewYork.com
4/30/2012 11:15:18 PM ET MSN.com

Circuit breakers are designed to keep you and your family safe from fire, but one brand of breaker might not only fail to protect your family – it could actually cause a fire.

“There’s thousands of them out there,” Clifton, N.J. Fire Chief Vince Colavitti told NBC 4 NewYork's I-Team. “It’s a ticking bomb waiting to happen.”  The breakers, mostly found in homes built before 1990, were made by a now-defunct company called Federal Pacific

Electric, and experts tell the I-Team there are scores of those breakers in homes throughout the tri-state.
“Instant red flag. You see those and they’re suspect immediately,” said Colavitti, who is also a fire investigator. A circuit breaker is designed to trip during an overload or short circuit, thereby cutting off the flow of electricity and preventing a fire. But if the breaker doesn’t trip, the increasing current can cause the wires to overheat, and even ignite. Sometimes, Federal Pacific Electric breakers fail to trip. Colavitti said firefighters around the country as well as home inspectors and even some insurancecompanies are aware of problems with Federal Pacific Electric breakers. Some insurance companies are refusing to cover homes that have the breakers.

According to fire investigators, the Federal Pacific Electric breaker in Clarissa Rosario's NewJersey home did not trip when overheated wires were burning in the ceiling between her bedroom and the attic in 1999.
“I saw the light flickering and I thought it wasn’t normal,” said Rosario. “When I opened the attic, it was full of smoke.” Rosario was able to grab her two children and escape. Firefighters saved her home.
A family in Longmeadow, Mass. was not as lucky. Their home was destroyed in a 1998 blaze when electrical wires overheated and the Federal Pacific Electric breaker failed to trip.

In his notes, the fire investigator on the case wrote: “The Federal Pacific Electrical panels are notorious for
malfunctioning. Many of these circuit breakers fail to trip during an overload condition which causes the wiring to overheat and to ignite combustibles in the area.” Engineer Jesse Aronstein has been studying the breakers for decades. He has testified in lawsuits against the company and published reports about the failures. According to his research, Federal Pacific Electric breakers may be associated with as many as 2,800 electrical fires each year in the U.S. “People should know that these have a high defect rate and should be advised to have them replaced,” said Aronstein. Aronstein said Federal Pacific Electric cheated on testing and inspections decades ago to achieve approval from Underwriters Laboratories, a nonprofit product safety testing and certification organization. Nearly every item using or carrying electricity sold in the UnitedStates is tested and verified by UL. “They were applying UL labels to products that did not meet the UL requirement,” said Aronstein. According to Aronstein, representatives of Federal Pacific Electric would use a remotecontrol to “trip” the breaker if it didn’t trip properly during UL testing.

A 1982 Security and Exchange Commission filing by a company that purchased Federal Pacific Electric reads, “UL http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47240777/ns/local_news-new_york_ny/t/faul=#.T6E9X1Lhe4Y
Page 2 of 2 02/05/2012 07:57 AM listings on circuit breakers made by Federal Pacific had previously been obtained through the use of deceptive and improper practices.” The company and UL ultimately removed the UL listing for the breakers, but not before millions had been sold from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Not every Federal Pacific Electric breaker will fail to trip if overloaded and, after the company was bought in the early 1980s, the breakers were modified and did legitimately pass UL inspection. According to Aronstein, the safer, working breakers are marked with a white dot on the on/off toggle switch. He also
suggested that anyone with a Federal Pacific Electric breaker contact an electrician to determine if it should be replaced. Federal Pacific Electric is no longer in business and was ultimately divested by the company that purchased FPE. It exists now only as a legal entity.

Messages left with the last known attorney for the company were not returned.

Preparing For Emergencies

February 2012

Preparing for Emergencies

Question: I know I can't always prevent emergencies, but what can I do to help prepare for an emergency if one was to occur?  

Answer: Although you can never truly predict when disasters or emergencies will come, there are some things you can do to help prepare you and your family for emergency situations. The following includes a list of things you can do:

• Make sure each member of family/household knows where the main water shutoff valve, electrical box, and air conditioning/heating unit controls are located.
• Designate two emergency evacuation routes from each room, and decide on a meeting location for the family - inside and outside - just in case you are unable to return home.
• Decide on the safest room in the home to meet based on the type of disaster.
• Install smoke alarms on each level of the home. The batteries should be reviewed once a year.
• Place important documents such as birth certificates, insurance papers, titles, etc. within a single folder so you can access it easily when needed.
• Stock up one gallon of water per person per day in a plastic container.
• You should have at least a three-day supply of non-perishable foods including: canned goods, dried foods, energy bars, and any other foods that do not require cooking or refrigeration.
• Create first aid kits that you can keep in your home and your car.
• It is always useful to own a battery-operated radio, flashlight, and always have extra sets of batteries. Other items that are good to have on hand are duct tape, manual can opener, knife, and matches.
• Make sure you have an emergency stash of cash.
• For your pets, prepare their food and water in advance as well.
• If you have to leave quickly, be sure to have a spare set of house and car keys in close proximity of an exit.