Electric Heat

[afrost]

anything in particular i should look when inspecting a property with electric heat? at the radiators or panel or t/stat or ?
i'm about to inspect a condo that has e-heat.

advanced thanks
andy frost

[Marc D. Shunk]

Electric baseboard heat, I'd assume? From an electrician's standpoint, I would look for receptacles that might be installed over the baseboard heaters that aren't supposed to be. Draperies that might convey that are too close to the baseboard heater. Baseboard heat circuits can run full-blast for hours and hours on end during very cold weather. This can cause loose connections in the panel to visually declare themselves in grand fashion.

[tdietrich1]

Originally Posted by Marc D. Shunk

This can cause loose connections in the panel to visually declare themselves in grand fashion.

LOL! Nice one Marc.

As for what "I" look for, above what Marc pointed out, is overall condition of the heater. Metal will often react 'faster' being heated, so heavy corrosion is a potential (so check for recent paint jobs). Also, sometimes poor connections can cause for nuicense trips in breakers, so some home owners 'upgrade' the breakers to higher amperage, I look for this. Also, concentrate on the condition of the wire insulation at the breaker, as well as the breaker itself.

Nothing special, just observe with your nose, eyes, and ears(pinging sounds). No special tools, or a lot of time required to inspect.

tom