Client complaint

[mnicholet]

I had a client call me and complain today. I did an inspection on her home 2 months ago. She said she plugged her radio and coffee maker into a receptacle outlet in the kitchen. The new radio died (fried) and the coffee maker steamed and smelt burnt. There was no GFCI in the breaker panel or receptacles for the kitchen. I told her to call an electrician. She isnt very happy. Any suggestions?

[Jeffrey R. Wicklander]

Sounds like an open neutral that an electrician would need to track down and fix. I'm assuming this wasn't the first time she used the receptacles.

Jeff

[Mark Thorman]

Did you schedule a visit to check it out while sparky is there?

www.mauihomeinspections.com

[Speedy Petey]

I fail to see how this is remotely your problem two months down the road.
Tell her to call an electrician.

[Marc D. Shunk]

I guess she's mad at you because you don't use a crystal ball when you inspect? She needs to go pound sand.

[Marc Benz]

Senice you are from BC area.,,

I have a hunch { rough idea } the kitchen have MWBC { multiwire branch circuit } and somehow the netural went bad and cause the voltage get unbalanced.

That person need to get ahold of electrician to trobleshooting that one.

Merci,Marc

[jkogel]

Originally Posted by Speedy Petey

I fail to see how this is remotely your problem two months down the road.
Tell her to call an electrician.

IMO, It doesn't hurt to offer some free advice even 2 years after the inspection, it's good PR. She does need an electrician. Talk is cheap, though.
Assuming it's a typical split duplex outlet, the upper and lower receptacles would be on separate circuits, but they may be sharing a neutral, right?

Jo0hn Kogel
www.allsafehome.ca

[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by mnicholet

I had a client call me and complain today. I did an inspection on her home 2 months ago. She said she plugged her radio and coffee maker into a receptacle outlet in the kitchen. The new radio died (fried) and the coffee maker steamed and smelt burnt. There was no GFCI in the breaker panel or receptacles for the kitchen. I told her to call an electrician. She isnt very happy. Any suggestions?

I had a radio like that once.

Lexapro might make her Happy, you might suggest that.

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

Lexapro might make her Happy, you might suggest that.

Maybe some of this?:

[Speedy Petey]

Originally Posted by jkogel

IMO, It doesn't hurt to offer some free advice even 2 years after the inspection, it's good PR. She does need an electrician. Talk is cheap, though.

Oh I agree. I guess I took it that she was mad at Mark for not catching it before it happened.
I am all for good PR, but ultimately this is not Mark's fault.

[jkogel]

Fair enough. Even if she'd never used that outlet, Mark tested it, top and bottom, and it was ok, right?

BTW, for BC inspectors, the new code allows for 20A kitchen outlets which are not split, and you can now have two, but only two adjacent outlets on the same #12 conductor.
The 15A split duplex circuits are still allowed as well, and i don't know which uses less copp$$er. Seeing mostly 20A being installed.

John Kogel
www.allsafehome.ca

[mnicholet]

I talked to an electrician today and he said it was likely an open neutral as well, he will be going out to the home. I pull a face plate(s) off kitchen receptacles to ensure top and bottom are wired on seperate circuits. There was no open circuit on any of the receptacles I tested on the day of the inspection. So how does an open neutral happen? A white conductor splice/connection comes apart all by itself? Was this condition most likely present on the day of the inspection? The only electrical mods she has made since the inspection is, her hubby added a GFCI receptacle in the bathroom and installed a new dishwasher.

[Christopher Currins]

Originally Posted by mnicholet

her hubby added a GFCI receptacle in the bathroom and installed a new dishwasher.

You may have found the problem, and have also been cleared from any responsibility.

[Jeffrey R. Wicklander]

Actually... the keyword is 'hubby'.

Jeff

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by mnicholet

The only electrical mods she has made since the inspection is, her hubby added a GFCI receptacle in the bathroom and installed a new dishwasher.

Sounds like this may be the source of the problem!! Did Hubby, most likely NOT an electrician, try to steal a circuit for the dishwasher from a split receptacle set (2 allowed per 14-3 circuit) and screw up the neutral or do a poor Marr/Marette connection for the neutral that eventually let go?

Story:
Did a 12 year old semi-detached inspection a few years ago. The electrical panel was close to perfect with all wires arranged in parallel, plainly labbeled, etc.......you know, the one you find every few years that you want to take a picture of as an example of really good work!

So I figured this place should be a breeze electrically until I started testing the kitchen counter receptacles. There were 3 but #'s 1 & 3 were not split....just standard 120 V recepts. Stood back and looked......and then it hit me. These were starter semis and did not have dishwashers as part of the original package. This unit had a dishwasher installed in front of #3 recept. Took the cover off #3 recept and found that someone (the electrician that lived in the other semi !!!!!) had stolen a circuit from the split recepts to feed the dishwasher. This saved 4-6 hours of time to run a new dedicated circuit from the panel. Since #1 & 3 recepts were on the same 14-3 circuit, #1 was also lost as a split receptacle.

So....... a licensed electrician took something that was legal/required and altered it to not meet codes in order to save some time!!! This was the last inspection of that week done late on Friday.......I get a call from the electrician early Sunday evening!! He firstly asks if I was a licensed electrician to which I said "No". He begins to berate me for calling something like this "not being an electrician", to which I stopped him and replied "Buddy, do you know that I have been twice asked to join the local Electrical Inspectors Association , once by the Chief Electrical Inspector and once by a Field Inspector that I had the chance to do a presentation with to the local Realtors Association". (many years ago)

That stopped him in his tracks and then I quoted the code on these items from memory......to which he asked "Do you have your code book open in front of you?" "No", I said.......... Silence for a few seconds until he said "Well, since you're going to report me, I might as well give you my license # now!" I told him I would not report him but would expect that item to be corrected (for free) by the closing date!!