Electrical inspection - panel upgrade

[jjwire]

Hello,
As the home owner I will be replacing a 100 amp service panel (old panel has 2 cartridge pull outs and 4 screw in fuses) with a new 100 amp circuit breaker panel located in the basement. I will need to have the state electrical inspector inspect this work. My question is, Will he inspect just the new panel and wiring going into the panel? or will he inspect all of the wiring within the house?

thank you
John

[Speedy Petey]

They should only inspect what they are asked to.

[jimbo]

Especially if you are doing the work yourself, an inspector has leeway to look at anything.


Replacing a main panel is pretty agressive DIY work.

[cacher_chick]

An inspector will commonly come in and look at the new work.

If everything is done to code and in good workmanship-like manner, they would have little reason to look further.

When someone asks such a question, my first thought is "why- do you have something to hide?".

[jjwire]

I just haven't been through all the outlets and wiring to see if there are any issues in the house. There is one issue of wiring going to the garage but that won't be fixed until spring when I can bury the entrance. I plan on unhooking it so the wire will be hanging and it will be visable.

John

[cacher_chick]

A lot of the older houses were wired with 60A service, so an upgrade will mean replacement of everything starting at the top of the weather-head, service entrance conduit, meter base, etc)

The main things my inspector looked was making sure that all circuits are AFCI or GFCI protected as need be. (all the new breakers costed WAY more than the panel)

All the breakers are sized to the installed wiring, (no 20A breakers on 14 ga wire).

Grounding/bonding. (All metal components of the service entrance bonded, 2 ground rods, bonding to metal water service).

If the house has no equipment ground to the receptacles, there should be no grounded receptacles unless they are GFCI receptacles & those receptacles must be labeled.

If your work is neat and looks like a pro did it, there will be little reason for an inspector to dig too deep.

[Speedy Petey]

Sorry, an inspector CANNOT simply "dig deeper" into other work that is not directly related to the job at hand.

Also, AFCI and GFCI protection is NOT typically retroactively required for a panel change or service upgrade.

[dlarrivee]

Sorry to sound rude, but if you're asking this type of question I think you're already in over your head.

[jjwire]

cacher_chick
Note as stated panel capacity-meter loop is not being changed, already 100 amp. ok on matching amp capacity and wire size.

Thanks



dlarrivee
seems to be a difference of opinions between those that have offered advice, I consider advice from Licensed Electrical Contractors as being most important.

What is your background?

Many years ago, 35years, I was an electrican and have wired many homes, just been away from it so long that need to get some up to date information.

[dlarrivee]

So the homes you "wired" weren't inspected back in the 1970s?

[leejosepho]

I just haven't been through all the outlets and wiring to see if there are any issues in the house. There is one issue of wiring going to the garage but that won't be fixed until spring when I can bury the entrance. I plan on unhooking it so the wire will be hanging and it will be visible.

Your questions seem to have been covered here, and I had used your own kind of approach. I took care of all known issues prior to our service upgrade, and the sub-feed going out to my workshop would have been disconnected and left loose if the inspector had not accepted it as it was.

In my own case, the inspector *only* looked at the service-upgrade work as "applied for" or whatever on the permit application.

[jwelectric]

In most cases the inspector will look at what was permitted but they do have the power to look at any and all of the installation if they suspect something is array.

They may look at smoke alarms to ensure that they are in place and even look at the GFCI requirements.

[cacher_chick]

I tend to think that the answer must vary greatly from one area to another.

When I was closing on the purchase of my current house, the former homeowners had an electrician friend upgrade the panel as an agreed part of the sale. We are on cellular meters, and the PCO apparently knew immediately that the meter had been pulled. The building inspector posted the house a day later, pulling the occupancy permit until the building permit and inspection was done. They were required to add the ground rods and GFCI for the kitchen and bath circuits, so I got in scot-free. (We were not yet under the code cycle that required AFCI.) The sellers were quite unhappy as the cost of the upgrade increased dramatically from their original agreement with their electrician friend.

I've added additional circuits and plumbing since then, all with permits and inspections done. The inspectors have been nothing but pleasant to work with, but they will call you on your mistakes. The required AFCI breakers cost more than all of the cable, boxes, receptacles, etc. combined. They failed my last rough-in inspection because I had not sealed all the holes with fireblock sealant. My mistake- no problem.

I tend to think a good DIY job is often done better than many hired out jobs. A homeowner has to look at their mistakes every day and because of this will often choose to take the time to do a really good job. Granted, not every person has the ability to learn and follow through with such work. On the other hand, I've seen plenty of hack jobs by people who called themselves professional tradesmen. It's unfortunate that good workers too often fail under the pressures that come with the bottom line of profit and loss.

[hj]

quote; We are on cellular meters, and the PCO apparently knew immediately that the meter had been pulled.

Doing that here would also give you about a $10,000.00 fine for breaking the meter's seal.