When buying a new home, a pre-purchase electrical inspection can save you thousands of dollars.
When people are considering buying a new home, they will more often than not obtain a building inspection prior to signing a contract. But this doesn’t take into account an inspection of the current electrical installation of the home. Many homes on the North Shore and surrounds are at least 50 years old and many of them may not have been rewired and still have their old electrical switchboards in place. Before you sign on the dotted line of a contract, along with your building inspection, it is a very wise idea to have a licensed electrician undertake an electrical inspection to confirm the electrical safety of the house is safe before you move your family in.
Here are five very good reasons you ought to:
1. To check the wiring in the home is safe.
The electrical wiring in a home is often out of sight so you have no idea the condition it is in. Electrical safety is so important, with faulty wiring being the main cause of interrupted power supply, household injuries and electrical fires. Having a qualified electrician inspect and test the wiring of a home is just as important as a building inspector checking the building is safe and in good working order.
2. To check smoke alarms are adequate.
It’s a fact that 50% of household fatalities could have been prevented if a working smoke alarm had been present. If a smoke alarm was installed more than ten years ago, it needs to be replaced. Having a good quality smoke alarm is critical to the safety of anyone living in the home so it’s essential to have it checked out prior to moving in.
3. Check the condition of the switchboard
Switchboards are an item requiring regular maintenance and are often overlooked by the homeowner. Many existing homes still have the original asbestos-backed switchboard still in place. Safe work practices have long since changed signalling the end of the use of high-speed drilling of asbestos panels. Australian Standards changed again in 2018 and there are amendments released from time to time so if you are planning on renovating, your switchboard may require upgrading. Upgrading a switchboard can come as a very unexpected cost when you’ve just moved in and you simply just wanted to install a new oven or install a new power point where you plan on putting your TV.
4. Ensure electrical systems in the home meets Australian Standards.
When you are thinking of buying a new home, you simply don’t know who has done electrical repairs in the past and the quality of workmanship involved. There’s a possibility that some of the work wasn’t completed safely or meets the minimum standard for safety, particularly if it was undertaken by an unqualified person. Our team of local electricians can conduct an inspection of all circuits to ensure they are protected with high-quality working safety switches to keep you and your family safe.
5. Ensure your electrical devices and fittings are right for you.
Many older homes are not energy efficient. Or perhaps the light fittings are not to your taste. Before you move in, it may be a good idea to make changes to ensure the new home meets the needs of your family. Do the bedrooms have ceiling fans? Are the bedrooms and living areas fitted out with quality energy-efficient LED downlights? Do the bathrooms have exhaust fans? Are there adequate heating and cooling systems in place? If you have a licensed electrician coming to inspect the electrical safety of your home, it’s a good time to get some advice and a quote on doing these upgrades for when you move in. It’s always a good idea to have any fittings removed prior to painting ceilings and walls or sanding floors and new ones installed prior to laying new carpet.
The electricals of a house should never be overlooked when buying a new home. It is, after all, possibly the most dangerous part of the home’s construction. By having your electricals checked by a professional prior to purchasing, you’ll get the peace of mind that your family’s safety has been addressed and that you won’t have any nasty surprises like costly and major repairs to the electrical installation in the near future.