Homes in Florida must be compliant with both the National Electrical Code and the Florida Building Code. A safety violation means that some element of your electrical system is not compliant with current standards.
If an inspection discovers code violations in your electrical system, this is serious and needs to be corrected. However, it’s also important to understand that these types of violations are not rare, particularly if you live in an older home.
Electrical Safety Inspections and Your Home
You may have scheduled an electrical inspection for several reasons. Maybe you need it for insurance purposes, or perhaps you’re planning to sell your home. You might be installing an EV charger, upgrading your HVAC system or having other work done that requires an inspection.
Maybe it’s simply been a long time since a professional took at look at your electrical system, and you’re not sure whether it’s up to code. Code compliance is not just a matter of following regulations. It also helps keep your home safe.
Whatever the reason for the inspection, it can be stressful to find out that there are code violations in your Ocala home. Your first step should be to find out what the code violation is. Note that some issues are not considered violations if they were originally code compliant and you have not made substantial modifications in your usage.
For example, this is the case with ungrounded outlets, which may be permitted in older homes. However, if you’re doing new work on the home, you may need to bring your system up to code.
In addition, the heat and humidity in central Florida put an extra strain on outdoors panels, meters and other components. They may wear out and need replacement to remain code compliant sooner than they would if you lived in another part of the country.
Below are some common reasons that a home may fail an inspection.
Old Wiring
If your home is old, your wiring may be old as well. Knob-and-tube wiring and aluminum wiring are not necessarily code violations in older Ocala homes.
However, they may be accompanied by other issues, such as deteriorating insulation around wiring or deterioration in the wiring itself. If this is the case or if you’re adding appliances, you may need to rewire your home.
No GCFIs or ACFIs
Outlets in areas that are likely to get wet, such as kitchens, bathrooms and outdoors, are required to have GCFI protection. You need outlets with ACFI protection in other living areas. Older homes often lack these.
Grounding or Outlet Problems
Loose connections or outlets that are not grounded property are another common issue.
DIY Electrical Work
DIY electrical work can seem like a way to save money, but it can be costly in the long run. Spliced wiring, loose connections and wrong gauge wires are among the many errors that an amateur electrician may make.
Whether it was you or a previous owner who attempted the work, you’ll need to fix these issues for both safety and compliance reasons.
Electrical Panel Problems
Your electrical panel may be out of date or damaged. Another common electrical panel problem is overloaded circuits. You might have an electrical panel that was sufficient for your home’s electrical needs 20-30 years ago, but it may not be able to support your current level of usage.
Surge Protection
For new homes, surge protection may be required. This is because of the high incidence of lightning strikes in central Florida. Like many other code requirements, this does not apply to older homes.
Reviewing Your Inspection Report
Your inspection report will give you all the information that you need in order to understand how to proceed. This will include the severity of the issue, the section of code that refers to the violation and what’s required to fix it.
Receiving a report informing you that there are code violations in your home can be stressful. However, keep in mind that these codes are designed to keep your home safe. This is an opportunity to tackle fire hazards and other dangers.
Fixing code violations might also save you money in the long run since these issues can cause appliances to run less efficiently, driving up your power bills.
Next Steps if Your Ocala Home Has Code Violations
Depending on the nature of the violation, it might be unsafe for you to use certain parts of your system until the problem is addressed.
There are also situations in which you may need to upgrade your system even if your home is code compliant under your present usage. This could be the case if it’s older and has been grandfathered in under previous regulations but you’re installing appliances or systems that require more amps. Older homes may have only 60- or 100-amp service, and newer systems may require 200 amps.
You may also need to upgrade in order to meet the requirements of your home insurance company, which may have more stringent guidelines than state or federal codes.
You need to hire a licensed electrician to do the required work on your home. Once the work is complete, you can schedule a re-inspection.
Make Sure Your Ocala Home Meets Electrical Code Requirements
Mister Sparky can perform an electrical safety inspection at your home in and around the Ocala, FL area. We can also do the work to bring your home up to code if necessary.
Don’t put up with any malarky, call Mister Sparky! Contact Mister Sparky today to schedule your electrical home safety inspection or to discuss electrical upgrades for code compliance.
