In the modern age, we are so used to having electricity that we truly take it for granted. We don’t realize how much we rely on it until it gets shut off, and we don’t respect the danger until we get hurt. As home inspectors, we constantly see cases of people messing around with electricity and putting themselves and their homes in danger.
Here are some examples of electrical problems in the field:
Extremely Close Call
Here’s a tip: When you are drilling a screw through a wall, make sure you check what’s on the other side of that wall. This handy homeowner had a very, very narrow escape. In the first shot, you see the panel box, and the second is a close-up shot of the area just below where the sharpie is written. See that screw? A teeny bit to the right and that screw hits a hot wire, and ZAP! A very bad day.
Where Not To Put The Electrical Panel
“It will add so much value to this flip house if we add on a bathroom right here. We’ll just hide the panel box in this little nook.”
Nope. You can’t have an electrical panel in the bathroom. Because water + electricity = bad. It’s expensive to move electrical panels, but now that the bathroom has been added, that is what will have to happen.
Renovation Fail
“I don’t care what that ugly gray thingy is, I need my cabinets installed right there!”
DIY Fail
Seems legit. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again — loud enough for the ones in the back — DON’T DIY ELECTRICAL.
