Doing what is required, knowing the SOP’s. Wenatchee and Chelan Home Inspection Services.

Like anything knowledge is power. I think it is very important that Realtors as well as home buyers actually read whatever Standards of Practice (SOP) your Home Inspector is using. This will help you choose a home inspector that is actually performing his/her job as they should and properly reporting it.

It is unfortunate that many people in the home inspection and construction industry do their job because that is the way they always do it. They do this without really thinking about what they really should be doing, which means studying the appropriate codes, standards, recommendations or rules.

This is sort of human nature, you develop a habit and then do not think much about it. I am very fortunate to have several home inspectors that I talk to almost daily. We talk about information pertaining to our industry and our standards. This helps me learn and also challenges my preconceived ideas.

I was performing a home inspection for a client that was not happy with the inspection they received from the previous home inspector. I had a chance to review the other home inspector’s report which brought me to the conclusion that this home inspector either has developed some poor habits or just does not know what is in our State Home Inspectors SOP.

This is just one item that caught my eye. The inspection report did not mention AFCI/GFCI requirements in the home inspection report per our state SOP.

Per WAC (Washington Admin. Code)- 308-408C-110 for Electrical systems. (Link toCode)

The home inspector will-

(f) Report the location of any inoperative or missing GFCI and/or AFCI devices when they are recommended by industry standards.

(g) Advise clients that homes without ground fault protection should have GFCI devices installed where recommended by industry standards.

This means we are to inform our clients of where GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)/AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter) are recommended by industry standards.

Now you may have noticed something here in our standards. We are not required to “Advise” the client on homes without AFCI’s that should have them installed. We are to report they are not there but why not advise the installation?

Well like anything else SOP’s have some politics/opinions involved and the writers of the SOP were not all in the camp about the need of AFCI or effectiveness of them versus cost, so they did not include the language that home inspectors should advise their clients have them installed. (I always recommend their instillation. SOP’s are minimums.)

Now the Electrical Code is very specific on AFCI requirements and if you know the reason for their development you would better understand why they are a good thing and we should advise our client to have them installed.

“If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

Red Adair

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…  

Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Real Estate, Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service

www.ncwhomeinspections.com                                               509-670-9572