Pending house Electrical issues

[Gabriel Benavidez]

Im currently under contract for a my second rental property i had the inspection done Saturday and my inspector found aluminum and copper wiring and he said the house would need to be rewired. Should i let that be the reason why not to buy the house or is the wiring not a big deal and will be an easy fix?

[Michael Noto]

@Gabriel Benavidez Do you have the pages from the inspection report that you can upload? That would probably help shape people's opinions on if this issue is serious or not.

[Gabriel Benavidez]

Service Entrance and Panels

Electrical Service Conductors: Overhead service, Copper

Panel Capacity: 225 AMP

Panel Type: Circuit breakers, GFCI Breakers, AFCI Breakers

Electric Panel Manufacturer: GENERAL ELECTRIC

Comments:

B. Branch Circuits, Connected Devices and Fixtures

Type of wiring: Copper, Aluminum

Wiring Methods: Romex, Conduit

Comments:

The smoke detector should be tested at common hallway to bedrooms upon moving in to home.

1) No smoke detectors were noted in the home at the time of inspection, standard states that smoke

detectors should be in every bedroom of the home, hallways leading to the bedrooms and any other

habitable rooms of the home. This is considered a fire, life and safety hazard.

2) At the time of inspection, the receptacle to the left of the kitchen sink did not perform as a Ground Fault

Circuit Interrupter (GFCI), standard states that any receptacle within 6 feet of a plumbing fixture has to be a

GFCI, and or perform and label GFCI certified. This issue was also noted in the bathroom of the home, this

is considered a shock and safety hazard.

3) All of the receptacles throughout the home showed open ground, this is when the ground wire is not

connected to the receptacle, this is considered a shock and safety hazard.

4) Exposed wires were noted by the sub panel of the home and in the attic, aluminium wires were also

noted in the home, this does not meet the current standard of practice and is considered a fire a safety

hazard.

Recommend having these issues looked at further and all aluminium wires in the home replaced.

[Matthew Paul]

You dont need to rewire because of aluminum wiring ,  a licensed electrician has to do pig tails at the sockets . Its done all the time .  the GFI and the smoke detectors were probably note code at the time of construction . Simple fix , change the recepticle and add battery smoke detectors .

The only problem is number 3 showing an open ground . that needs a second opinion of a real electrician . 

[Pat L.]

I would plan on replacing the Al wiring & have always done so in any of the properties we hold. Unfortunately, electrical failures & the resulting fires involving 60-70's Al wiring are VERY well documented. 

Admittedly, a continuous run of aluminum wire does not present a problem but when the Al wire is subsequently connected to outlets, light switches & especially spliced to other branched circuits (buried within junction boxes), these connections can & will by the metallurgical nature of Al oxidize. Once these 'sites' have deteriorated they have the potential to overheat & become a fire hazard. What's sobering is the fact that the average home may have 100-150 of these junction box splices/connections imbedded in the walls & ceilings. Furthermore, when these 'connections' do overheat they will not trip a circuit breaker per se (typically activated by excess current), but instead could become 'hot' enough to ignite the surroundings.

Assuming it hasn't been a problem for 30-40 years is also a misconception, because the longer these splices/connections etc are allowed to deteriorate the greater the potential for a fire hazard.

Good luck !!!

[JingJing He]

Would also suggest getting some quotes for rewriting the house just to be on the safe side. Requiring a house is not a deal breaker as it will add value and convenience for landlords. Imagine renting a house out and having tenants complain about electrical issues! Even an experience electrician would have a hard time figuring out old wire connection behind walls.

[Wayne Brooks]

The open ground at All outlets likely indicates No ground wires were run thru the house.....easy to determine by opening up the receptacles and/or the service panel.

[Gabriel Benavidez]

Thank you for the great advice you guys! I will keep ya updated!

[Justin Owens]

@Gabriel Benavidez just rewired 2 homes in AZ, 1400ish SF 3/2 and it was about 8k per home plus drywall repair etc. Hopefully an attic or crawlspace is available for wire runs. Your mileage may vary

[Charlie MacPherson]

@Gabriel Benavidez Get a licensed electrician in to do a proper diagnosis and get you a quote for repairs.

Then use that quote to negotiate the price down - and watch your due diligence timeline.  You might want to get an extension.

[Loren Thomas]

There isn't anything wrong with aluminum wiring. Most services here are fed with aluminum. The problem is when people mix it's ampacity with copper wiring and overheat the wires. Keep the correct breaker in place and there will be no problem. 

There are some solutions to a house with no ground, but it's usually cheaper to just rewire it.