Home inspector's eyesight questioned
Q. The home inspector we hired when we bought our home doesn't seem to know his business, or maybe he needs a pair of glasses. His report listed two electrical circuits as being "over-fused." Our electrical panel has circuit breakers, not fuses. How can a professional inspector make such an obvious and elementary mistake?
A. The term "over-fused" does not refer exclusively to fuses. It is a technical designation that applies to improper overload protection for an electrical circuit, regardless of whether there are circuit breakers or fuses in the service panel.
The purpose of a circuit breaker or fuse is to disconnect the power in the event of a power overload. For example, let's say a particular wire is designed to carry 15 amps of electricity. If more than 15 amps are drawn through the wire, overheating will occur unless the circuit is wired to a 15-amp breaker or fuse. If we connect the circuit to a 20 amp circuit breaker or fuse, we have created a hazardous condition known as "over-fusing." If an overload takes place, the breaker or fuse will not trip until an a load exceeding 20 amps is passing through the 15-amp wire. This means the wire and insulation could overheat, causing a fire in your home. Fortunately, your home inspector's eyesight was sufficient to identify this hazardous condition, without the benefit of glasses.
It is advised that the over-fusing in your breaker panel be corrected immediately. And be sure to have the work done by a licensed electrician, not a handyman or other type of contractor.
Q. The exhaust pipe from our clothes dryer extends through a hole in the floor. It's been working that way for nearly eight years and has caused no problem that I'm aware of. Last week the TV cable guy was under the house and said we should extend the dryer duct to the outside of the building, rather than letting it blow into the subarea. As long as the dryer is working OK, what difference does it make where we run the exhaust?
A. Your TV cable installer deserves a hearty thank you for alerting you to a potentially hazardous condition. There are three reasons not to vent a clothes dryer into the crawl space under a house:
• All of the water from your wet laundry is being blown into the subfloor area in the form of steam. During cold weather, this vapor may condense on the wood framing, where it can cause fungus damage (commonly known as dry rot) and possible mold infection.
• Dryer lint is a highly combustible material. Therefore, the accumulation of laundry lint in the crawl space creates a fire hazard.
• Venting a clothes dryer anywhere other than the exterior of the building is forbidden by the building code, precisely for the two previous reasons.
It is advised that you hire a licensed plumber to install a sheet metal duct to convey the dryer exhaust to the exterior of your home, as required.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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