Home Inspector Test Home Inspector Electrical System Safety Hazards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An inspector finds aluminum wiring connected directly to a standard copper-rated outlet. What is the primary hazard?
- Aluminum wiring carries too little current
- Galvanic corrosion and loose connections can cause arcing and fires (Correct answer)
- Aluminum wiring is incompatible with 120V circuits
- The wiring insulation will melt immediately
Correct answer: Galvanic corrosion and loose connections can cause arcing and fires
Aluminum and copper expand at different rates, leading to loose connections, oxidation, and arcing that can ignite fires.
Question 2: What does a double-tapped breaker mean, and why is it a concern?
- Two wires connected to one breaker terminal, risking poor contact and overheating (Correct answer)
- A breaker rated for double the normal amperage
- Two breakers sharing one neutral wire
- A breaker installed upside down in the panel
Correct answer: Two wires connected to one breaker terminal, risking poor contact and overheating
Most breakers are rated for only one wire; two wires can cause loose connections, arcing, and inadequate overcurrent protection.
Question 3: Which condition indicates a Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-Lok panel is a safety concern?
- The panel is surface-mounted rather than flush
- Breakers have been documented to fail to trip under overcurrent conditions (Correct answer)
- The panel lacks a main disconnect
- All breakers are single-pole
Correct answer: Breakers have been documented to fail to trip under overcurrent conditions
FPE Stab-Lok breakers have a documented history of failing to trip, leaving circuits unprotected during overloads.
Question 4: An inspector observes a 30-amp breaker protecting 14-gauge wire. What hazard does this create?
- The breaker will trip too frequently
- The wire can overheat and ignite before the breaker trips (Correct answer)
- The circuit will have insufficient voltage
- The breaker will corrode faster than normal
Correct answer: The wire can overheat and ignite before the breaker trips
14-gauge wire is rated for 15 amps; a 30-amp breaker will not trip until current far exceeds the wire's safe capacity, causing overheating.
Question 5: What is the significance of an open ground on a three-prong outlet?
- The outlet will not deliver full voltage
- The grounding path is missing, leaving users unprotected from shock if a fault occurs (Correct answer)
- The outlet will trip its breaker immediately
- Neutral and hot conductors are reversed
Correct answer: The grounding path is missing, leaving users unprotected from shock if a fault occurs
Without a ground, fault current has no safe path to earth, increasing shock risk to anyone touching a faulted appliance.
Question 6: A bathroom outlet is located 10 feet from the sink and has no GFCI protection. What should the inspector report?
- This meets code because it is more than 6 feet away
- GFCI protection is required for all bathroom receptacles regardless of distance from water (Correct answer)
- Only outlets within 3 feet of the sink need GFCI protection
- The outlet only needs GFCI if it is on the same wall as the sink
Correct answer: GFCI protection is required for all bathroom receptacles regardless of distance from water
NEC requires GFCI protection for all receptacles in bathrooms, regardless of their distance from the sink.
Question 7: What does it mean when a home inspector finds reversed polarity on an outlet?
- The outlet is wired with hot and neutral conductors swapped (Correct answer)
- The outlet has no ground connection
- The breaker amperage is too low for the circuit
- The outlet has two hot wires and no neutral
Correct answer: The outlet is wired with hot and neutral conductors swapped
Reversed polarity places voltage on the neutral slot, leaving lamp sockets and switch-leg conductors energized when the device is off, creating shock risk.
Home Inspector Test Home Inspector Electrical System Safety Hazards 2
An inspector finds aluminum wiring connected directly to a standard copper-rated outlet.
What is the primary hazard?