Electric Cert Question

[ROBERT JONES]

Lender/Client is telling me that a VA Appraiser is calling for an electrical cert due to an older breaker box. Age is the only reason being noted. A photo of the exterior of the box has been supplied. I said that seems to simple and not enough cause for concern - is age alone a reason to call for an expert opinion?

 

[JTip]

a VA Appraiser is calling for an electrical cert due to an older breaker box. Age is the only reason being noted.

Define Age.

 

[ROBERT JONES]

Define Age.

1950's 100 amp circuit breaker

 

[JTip]

Getting warmer....

A picture would help. It may determine if it is one of those that could burn the house down. Don't forget to include the wires coming out of the box too.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

1. Buying a house with a fuse panel? Here's what you should know ...
   
   
   www.startribune.com/buying-a-house-with-a-fuse-panel-here-s-...
   Oct 13, 2011 ... Old electric services will have fuses, and old electric services can have problems. This is why people get scared of fuses. A typical 60 amp fuse ...
   
   
2. Scary Fuse Boxes | Old House Web
   
   
   www.oldhouseweb.com/how-to-advice/scary-fuse-boxes.shtml
   Well, for hundreds of different reasons, we use much more electricity than did our parents or grandparents. ... If the main fuse (or circuit breaker) is rated for 100 amps, which was normal residential capacity from the early 1950s to the mid- 1960, ...

1. Home Inspectors: Electrical Systems of Older Homes
   
   
   www.workingre.com/electrical-systems-older-homes/
   Often, while inspecting older homes, I will still find electrical systems that are ... less than 100 Amp/240 Volt service, yet I still occasionally find 60 Amp electrical systems ... Installing a 30 Amp fuse or circuit breaker on a 14 AWG circuit presents a ... that breaker panels and their components have an unlimited life expectancy; ...
   

 

[glenn walker]

The appraiser does not cert electrical ** A licensed electrician or general contractor inspects the electrical and says it' either safe or not and gives report to lender ( NOT THE APPRAISER )

 

[ROBERT JONES]

The appraiser does not cert electrical ** A licensed electrician or general contractor inspects the electrical and says it' either safe or not and gives report to lender ( NOT THE APPRAISER )

Correct. But is age alone reason for concern or just cause for the appraiser to call for a cert. I say no. But if age alone is a reason I want know and be on the same page as everyone else.

 

[ROBERT JONES]

Getting warmer....

A picture would help. It may determine if it is one of those that could burn the house down. Don't forget to include the wires coming out of the box too.

Naturally I'm at a disadvantage not having the pic. I am not calling for certs due to age.

My post is inquiring if others are based solely on age.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

But is age alone reason for concern

If your home was built between 1950 and 1990 and is equipped with a Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) circuit breaker panel with Stab-Lok circuit breakers, you run a significant risk....So maybe, just maybe you should mention it, suggest inspection but requiring same? Maybe, maybe not.

 

[Noreen]

[QUOTE="ROBERT JONES, post: 2731658, member. But is age alone reason for concern or just cause for the appraiser to call for a cert. I say no. But if age alone is a reason I want know and be on the same page as everyone else.[/QUOTE]

My cousin is a LT on the Lowell, MA Fire Department, he explained to me that wiring fries from the inside out, once you are looking at raw wiring, you are is the "catastrophe zone" ( my words not his). I tell friends & family to have an electrican give it a once over every 15 to 20 years. The firefighting instructor in MA told him, 70% of all household fires of unknown origin commence in faulty electric, so maybe an electrician won't be such a bad idea. Are you a broker in this deal?