Electrical Safety Inspection, Do I Really Need One?
Posted by Darrell Boyd on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 @ 10:57 AM
Electrical Safety Inspection - Do I really need a yearly inspection?
I often get weird looks when I ask our new customers if they have an electrical maintenance program for their homes electrical system. It usually goes something like "No, am I supposed to? I have a maintenance program for my heating system and I have a pest maintenance guy that comes out 4 times a year but I never heard anything about needing an electrical maintenance program." Well, let me give you a huge secret and tip to that can and will save you thousands of dollars over the life of your home ownership. - Get a maintenance program on your electrical system, heating system, & plumbing system.
Why?
Maintenance programs and or safety inspections done yearly can pick up on existing problems and potential problems before they become BIG EXPENSIVE problems.
The National Fire Protection Agency and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) state that every homes electrical system needs annual service, not to mention the manufacturer's who make your electrical panels, gfci receptacles, afci circuit breakers, smoke detectors, CO detectors, etc... All recommend you do a yearly inspection at a minimum on all their equipment to keep their warranty's valid.
Electricity is constantly flowing throughout your homes electrical system 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It never takes a break and throughout those 365 days it’s constantly heating up and cooling down. This can and will cause connections to loosen up. Loose connections cause more electrical problems than anything else electrically in a home and can cause severe damage. An annual inspection done by the proper electrician can catch these problems and save you major problems.
Most plans are very inexpensive and can also get you priority service, discounts when you do have a problem, but more importantly an electrician you can trust when you need them most.
The electrician who has your maintenance program will know your home better than anyone, know what parts to have for your particular make and brand of panel, electrical device types and colors, and what has and hasn't been repaired in the past. This alone will save you money and a lot of time!
Did you know?
That you should check your main electrical panel connections yearly?
That your smoke detectors expire after 10 years?
Each year in the United States, arcing faults are responsible for starting more than 30,000 home fires, killing and injuring hundreds of people, and causing over $750 million in property damage.
Over 70 million homes in the United States are over 20 years old. As our homes evolve, more demand is placed on these outdated electrical systems making them unsafe and prone to failure.-National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
What to do?
To many homeowners pay way too much money for repairs they could have avoided had they just had a yearly safety inspection and or maintenance program. I can't express to you enough the importance of this and how it can and will save you money and protect your home. I see way to many electrical panels that have been corroded, rusted out, burnt from loose connections, circuit breakers that are burnt, wrong sized circuit breakers, smoke detectors that don't work, loose electrical connections and splices, or open splices and j-boxes in attics and crawls that caused severe damage and would have easily been caught and prevented with a yearly maintenance plan. Please do yourself, your home, and your wallet a favor and get an electrical maintenance program.
What does it cost?
It will vary from city to city and from electrician to electrician but most range from $99 -$199 a year for a yearly electrical maintenance program. Yes, that’s it to protect your home, your family, and your wallet.
Mention this article and Mister Sparky will do a FREE safety inspection and show you what an electrical maintenance inspection looks like and what we look for.