Peter Drougas
09-15-2007, 09:34 PM
First I will show you some items discovered at this inspection. Then I will tell you who owns the home. No it's not an Electrician.
It was two houses. The first one I have no pics. It was a 6 unit apartment. Each unit had breaker panels installed around 1990. Each panel was in the apartment or the hallway with a disconnect of 60 AMP, actually one had 50 AMP. In the basement were main disconnects for each panel. 3 were also 60 AMP but two were 40 AMP. With the owner there I made a remark about using 40 AMP breakers as disconnects. He said it was fine because the total amperage in each unit was low enough (gas supplies stove, heat and dryers). So I replied "but the city of "blank" wouldn't allow this". His reply was that it has nothing to do with the city. The 40 AMP is fine for what is in the unit's. OK keep that story in mind.
The pics below are of the one panel in the other single home. The cover is bolted in place. The cover has been cut to fit over the breakers. The panel was holding on to the wall by one screw and there was not 3 feet of clearance in front of the panel. There is a feed coming out of the panel that is then spliced with electrical tape to two other lines (that are the older 2 wire). When I did get the cover off, it was full of insulation from the mice.
Both homes had several more examples of nasty stuff. They are both rentals. The owner... he was the city's Building Inspector. And I do mean city, this was not a some town tucked away someplace.
It was two houses. The first one I have no pics. It was a 6 unit apartment. Each unit had breaker panels installed around 1990. Each panel was in the apartment or the hallway with a disconnect of 60 AMP, actually one had 50 AMP. In the basement were main disconnects for each panel. 3 were also 60 AMP but two were 40 AMP. With the owner there I made a remark about using 40 AMP breakers as disconnects. He said it was fine because the total amperage in each unit was low enough (gas supplies stove, heat and dryers). So I replied "but the city of "blank" wouldn't allow this". His reply was that it has nothing to do with the city. The 40 AMP is fine for what is in the unit's. OK keep that story in mind.
The pics below are of the one panel in the other single home. The cover is bolted in place. The cover has been cut to fit over the breakers. The panel was holding on to the wall by one screw and there was not 3 feet of clearance in front of the panel. There is a feed coming out of the panel that is then spliced with electrical tape to two other lines (that are the older 2 wire). When I did get the cover off, it was full of insulation from the mice.
Both homes had several more examples of nasty stuff. They are both rentals. The owner... he was the city's Building Inspector. And I do mean city, this was not a some town tucked away someplace.