How to Perform Residential Electrical Inspections Course

Welcome to InterNACHI's free, online "How to Perform Residential Electrical Inspections Course." This course is provided by our tuition-free college, InterNACHI® School
Developed originally by InterNACHI's Educational Consultant Gerry Beaumont, with help from InterNACHI member/NEC trainer Paul Abernathy, this course teaches the inspector to perform the electrical portion of an electrical inspection. 

Goal:

The goal of this course is to teach students how to perform electrical inspections at a residential dwelling.

Objectives: 

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • inspect the various components of the electrical system of a home;
  • identify the components of the electrical system of a home;
  • understand how the components of the electrical system function and perform;
  • describe to clients defects observed in the electrical system. 

Course includes:

  • 4 InterNACHI® CE credit hours;
  • 4.5 CEU; 
  • 45,900 words;
  • 2.1 hours of instructional video;
  • inspection and writing assignment;
  • research and writing assignment;
  • 60 quiz questions in 7 quizzes;
  • 100-question final exam (drawn from a larger pool);
  • instant grading; and
  • a downloadable, printable Certificate of Completion.  
  • You will learn the following:

INTRODUCTION
  • Note to Student
  • Safety First
  • Basic Terms
  • Simple Theory
  • Conductor Sizes
  • Quiz #1

HOME INSPECTOR SAFETY AND DANGERS 

  • Stay Safe
  • Standards of Practice
  • Working Space and Clearance
  • Circuit Identification
  • Basics of AC Current
  • Electricity Is Shocking
  • Warning Signs
  • What's an Arc Flash?
  • How Serious Is an Arc Flash?
  • Precautions for Inspectors
  • Quiz #2

SERVICE ENTRANCE 

  • Service Entrance Cable, Part 1
  • Service Entrance Cable, Part 2
  • 120/240-Volt System
  • Electric Service
  • Service Drop
  • Service Mast
  • Underground Service
  • Electric Meter
  • Quiz #3

GROUNDING AND BONDING 

  • Grounding
  • Bonding
  • Panel and Subpanel
  • Quiz #4
  • SERVICE PANELBOARD 
  • Panelboard and Cabinet
  • Panelboard Basics
  • Breaker Panels & Breakers
  • The Main Disconnect
  • Service Amperage
  • Common Service Equipment Layout
  • Subpanel or Additional Distribution Panelboard
  • Inspecting Panelboards, Part I
  • Double-Tapping Hots & Neutrals
  • Incorrect Wire Size for a Breaker
  • The “AC” Breaker Size
  • Inspecting Panelboards, Part 2
  • Fuse Panels
  • Inspecting Panelboards, Part 3
  • Problem Panels
  • Quiz #5
  • Three-Phase Panels
  • Panel Anomalies
  • Panelboard Inspection Checklist
  • Quiz #6

ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION 

  • Wiring Types
  • Aluminum Wiring
  • Branch Circuit Connections
  • Protection of Wiring
  • 120-Volt Terminations
  • Inspecting Receptacles
  • 240-Volt Terminations
  • GFCI: Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters
  • AFCI: Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter
  • Lighting Circuits
  • Quiz #7
  • Quiz #8
 

How to Perform Residential Electrical Inspections Course

Course # 3300

nachi.org/electricalcoursereleased2006

Activity

Assignments

Estimated hours for the average student

Academic Engagement

Reading online course material at 140 words per minute. 45,900 words / 140 / 160 = 5.46

5.5

Watching and listening to instructional video 

2.1

Taking quizzes. 60 questions x 1.8 m each = 

1.8

Taking the exam

3.7

Conducting a directed and independent inspection study performed according to the Standards of Practice, including the development of an inspection report 

4.0

Submitting an inspection and writing assignment

0.5

Submitting a research and writing assignment 
0.5

Total

18.1




Preparation

Studying & reviewing instructional material in preparation for taking quizzes and exam

9.6

Reading the downloaded student course book including taking the quizzes with the book

5.5

Reading, research, and studying related to completing the research and writing assignment 
4.0
Studying and preparing for inspection processes according to a Standards of Practice, including capturing and storing digital images with a camera or device, making observations, evaluating conditions, deducing, formulating opinions, communicating observations in written form, attaining competency in performing inspections and using an inspection checklist or software and other inspection tools in producing a report.
8.0

Total

27.1


Sub Total

45.2

Overall Total


  • 45.0 clock hours
  • 45.0 InterNACHI CE credit hours 
  • 4.5 CEU
 
And, in keeping with InterNACHI's commitment to Continuing Education, this electrical course is open and free to all members and can be taken again and again, without limit.
Reminder to members:  InterNACHI's Code of Ethics 1.10 requires that you comply with all government rules and licensing requirements of the jurisdiction where you conduct business.  InterNACHI's courses and Standards generally exceed the Standards of Practice that you are required to abide by locally.  
This course has been approved by:

Upon completion of this course and passing of the 100-question final exam (drawn from a larger pool), the student can download and print their own Certificate of Completion, which is auto-generated in their own name. 

The student's (InterNACHI member's) information is recorded on InterNACHI's servers for membership compliance verification, and automatically logs completion into InterNACHI's online Continuing Education log.  
Members will need their username and password.  If you have forgotten your password, CLICK HERE (instant response) or email fastreply@internachi.org and request it (don't forget your name). 
InterNACHI... #1 in inspection education. 

InterNACHI® Members:

Take the free, online How to Perform Residential Electrical Inspections course now (free to InterNACHI members).

Not a member yet?

Join today for access to this and thousands of other InterNACHI® membership benefits.
   
Some features that make InterNACHI's courses superior to existing continuing education options:
  • The course is free for all InterNACHI members.
  • The course is written in pure XHTML code for quick loading.  The course loads fine on old computers and loads fast, even with dial-up.
  • The course is designed using a hierarchal menu coupled with a sequential page navigation.  This provides the student with the option to easily repeat areas of weakness.
  • The course permits the student to start, stop and restart any part of the course as often as desired.
  • There are a variety of images within the course, including diagrams, illustrations and photos. 
  • The illustrations can be enlarged for clearer viewing by clicking on them.
  • The text is integrated into InterNACHI's Inspector Glossary.  Rolling over blue-colored terms provides their definition.
  • The final exam uses multiple-choice questions that reference the images. 
  • The course's quizzes and final exam have numerous advantages over traditional exam systems:
    1. The course, quizzes and final exam incorporate built-in intelligence which identifies and strengthens each student's unique subject weaknesses.
    2. Not only is each question weighted with regard to score, but each answer is weighted, as well as the correctness of each answer being weighted.
      1. Answers to easy questions are weighted such that the student is penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly, but rewarded modestly for answering correctly.
      2. Answers to difficult questions are weighted such that the student is rewarded, in terms of score, for answering correctly but not penalized for answering incorrectly.
      3. Answers to questions regarding basic safety, or questions every inspector should know the answer to, are weighted such that the student is severely penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly.
  • Upon passing the final exam, the student can print out a Certificate of Completion which is auto-generated in their own name.
The student's (InterNACHI member's) information is recorded on InterNACHI's servers for membership compliance verification, and automatically logs completion into InterNACHI's online continuing education log.
 
"The built-in intelligence behind this course combined with all the images creates a one-on-one, hands-on level of training that is as good as being with Gerry on an actual inspection.  Another home run, Gerry!" said InterNACHI's Nick Gromicko. 
InterNACHI, the inspection industry's leader in continuing education, is very proud to offer this comprehensive electrical course to all InterNACHI members.  The course platform, developed by InterNACH's IT Director Chris Morrell, is currently being used in all other inspection courses.
Special thanks to Mike Rowan, InterNACHI members Paul Abernathy, Mike Holt, and Jeff Pope, contributors to InterNACHI's Web Gallery and message board, and other InterNACHI members for the use of their images and illustrations.  
"I hope that this course is a great learning tool for newer inspectors and a useful refresher to our more experienced members. I would like to thank those whose support and assistance have made this possible."
-- Gerry Beaumont.
  
InterNACHI... #1 in inspection education.

InterNACHI® Members:

Take the free, online How to Perform Residential Electrical Inspections course now (free to InterNACHI members).

Not a member yet?

Join today for access to this and thousands of other InterNACHI® membership benefits.