Electrical Inspection Calgary AB
Home Inspections take on average 2-3 hours. We will respond as quickly as possible but 24 hours notice is often required.
Why Choose Archer Inspections Limited?
- Your Home Inspection is backed by bonded and insured inspectors using the latest tools and techniques.
- Your Home Inspection Report will be delivered by email within two hours of the inspection being completed.
- We provide best in class service at affordable rates while hedging all associated risks.
- We provide a written Home Inspection Report with photographs, usually at the conclusion of the inspection.
- Certified and Licensed with more than 100 hours of Provincially approved classroom training and continuous online learning created by industry professionals.
Electrical System
From the days when the light and heat in a home was provided by fire, meaning open flames on candles, fireplaces, and burning wood in iron stoves, to today's cold LED lighting, cold induction heating for cooking, and furnaces that do not have pilot lights and water heaters that do not have tanks, the electrical system has come a long way.
These changes are implemented on an unplanned, ad hoc basis, meaning in some cases electricity was added to an existing house as it became available and the homeowner could afford it. In other cases a new home is constructed by an owner or builder who wants to attract first time buyers looking for a home that incorporates the most modern of conveniences.
The first form electrical systems in the house took was knob and tube, also called open wiring. Knob and tube is a single conductor, ungrounded system. The knobs support the wires, which are wrapped with a cloth insulation that breaks down over time, eventually dropping off the wire, leaving bare wire carrying electricity. The heat insulation capability of the insulation is minimal at best and requires air space around it to dissipate the heat. The tubes carry the wires through walls or floor joists, insulating the wire from the dry, flammable wood. These devices are made of a ceramic material that, in my experience is usually brittle as a dry bone and often broken.
The problem is that an inspector will find the wiring is often hidden in the walls or under insulation in the ceiling. This is a very dangerous situation, because as mentioned, the wiring requires air space to dissipate heat and the crumbling insulation bares wires that only need contact with dry wood or shavings to start a fire.
Unfortunately, the best remedy for this circumstance is complete replacement of the knob and tube with new modern wiring. This may even be required by insurance As a shortcut, most likely at some time a previous owner has done some renovation and spliced new wire onto the old existing and then hidden it behind walls. There will usually be no documentation and with a house that is 60 to 100 years old, it could be a couple of owners back when the work was done and the current owner has no idea of the extent of the old wire and its attendant problems.
And of course none of the old wiring is up to code, which only references knob and tube as not recommended and should be replaced.