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TOPIC: I guess now I'm seasoned.

I guess now I'm seasoned. 14 years 4 months ago #34139

  • Bert de Haan
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I just barely got my feet wet in the Home Inspection business and already I killed a deal.

40 year old home.  About half of the wiring was Aluminum.  They owner presented me with a inspection report of the Electrical Safety Authority stating that everything passed.  I politely said that this was a good sign but I will still inspect everything the way I normally would. 
Found a copper and an Aluminum wire under one screw of the fuse holder. (Under the screw is an overstatement.  One was desperately trying to get out from under the screw and almost succeeded.) Copper and Aluminum neutral under one screw in the neutral bus bar.  This connection was loose.  Ground wire in the neutral bus bar. 
All the fuses appeared to be Okay but there were two outlets without power.  I plugged my circuit tester in a receptacle and suddenly no power in that room nor in the next room.  Couldn't find a fuse that could be the cause.  There were some other small concerns that were not electricity related.  Over all the house was well looked after.  Because of the concerns with the electrical, I recommended to have an electrician look at it to give an estimate what it would take to make it safe.  The client said he would talk to the seller to see if she would be willing to look after it.
I was about 3/4 done my report when he called to say the deal was off and to NOT send the report to the agent.  He first had asked me to send her the report as well.  (Right after the inspection, when things still looked hopeful that the deal would go through, the agent told me I did a good job.  I wonder if she would still say so.)
The client also told me he would call me back as soon as he found another house. 

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Bert de Haan
www.KitchenerWaterlooHomeInspector.ca
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Re: I guess now I'm seasoned. 14 years 4 months ago #34140

Bert, like they all say, we don't kill deals, the House does it for us.
My Love Shaq this Saturday was a definite killer, but because of the price, the deal might still go through.  :)

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Re: I guess now I'm seasoned. 14 years 4 months ago #34166

You didn't kill the deal, the house committed suicide

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Bruce Ramsey, ACI

Re: I guess now I'm seasoned. 14 years 4 months ago #34173

You did your job, this is why your client hired you. Hopefully the agent will see that and continue to recommend you. If not you can still sleep easy because you did your job. Nice job!!

You will be called to do the clients next home.
You will be called when the client praises about you to friends and family.
You still may get the bagent referral.

Any pics of the aluminum wiring?

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Re: I guess now I'm seasoned. 14 years 4 months ago #34195

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Here are the pictures of the fuse panel.  The thing that confuses me is that the Electrical Safety Authority signed it off as fine.  The owner paid $250 for that piece of paper.
The fact that all the fuses looked good but two outlets didn't have power and two rooms suddenly lost power is enough for me to not buy the house without an electrician giving me an idea how much it would cost to upgrade.
Attachments:

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Bert de Haan
www.KitchenerWaterlooHomeInspector.ca
Benchmark Home Inspection Services Kitchener-Wateroo and Guelph area Home Inspection
Serving Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Orangeville, Mount Forest and surrounding areas.
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Re: I guess now I'm seasoned. 14 years 4 months ago #34202

Bert, other than the fact that something did not work. I would not have been concerned too much about this old fuse panel other than recommend an electrician to upgrade.

Look at this site concerning neutral bars and ground. I am not an electrician and don't know the code but it helps to look at pictures.  ;D

homerepair.about.com/od/electricalrepair/ss/anat_elec_pnl_8.htm

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