Important information - Please read

This is a hybrid Interactive and Self-study course, approved for FOUR CEU's for InterNACHI and CMI.  What this means is that you will be expected to participate in a live session of approximately one hour and study independently for at least three hours.  The times listed for the individual sections are only a general guide.  You will see that they add up to five hours and a half hours, not four hours.  The BestInspectors.Net ™ class ID code is CMI39420 for CMI credit and NACHI39420 for NACHI credit.

The Self-study portion of the course is Web based.  This is it.  This is the page where you should start start each session.  New information will be posted here.  The Self-study portion of the class includes the outline, the individual lessons, software downloads, and questions and answers from participants. 

You must complete at least one one-hour live session to qualify for the FOUR CEU's.  Live interactive sessions will be scheduled approximately once every two weeks.  Sessions will be scheduled for both daytime and evening hours and both weekdays and weekends so everyone should have an opportunity to participate.

Online sessions will be limited to approximately 25 participants for each session.  Try to be well prepared for your online session so that we get the most out of the time.  Registrations for online sessions will be on a first come - first served basis.

We will maintain a database of all participants.  The information will be forwarded to the CMI Board for CMI's and to InterNACHI for InterNACHI members.  Your information must match our records when you submit your annual CEU's.  

Introduction and Instructor's Opening Statements

Thank all of you for being here.  It is an honor to have the privilege of doing this class.

The purpose of this class is to begin to take you to a new level of expertise with electricity and electrical systems.  Topics of discussion will include basics of electricity, what to look for during a home inspection, and understanding and using electrical test equipment.

This is not a building codes course.  We will not go very deeply into Code discussions because as home inspectors we are not there to inspect for code.  We will focus on the What, How, and Why of electrical system design, construction, and inspection.  In this first in a series of courses, we will put a bit more emphasis on the What and How than on the why.  We will save some of the Why for more advanced courses.  Our discussion of building codes will be limited so please limit your code related questions.

This is also not a class about specific brands of electrical components.  Here again, we need to try to limit our discussion of specific brands.  In general, please try to stay on-topic; especially during the live sessions.  An hour goes very quickly!

Jump in with questions at any time.  You may e-mail questions to CMI39420@BestInspectors.Net.  I will try to answer as many questions via as I can.  Save your questions for the live sessions.  Even if you get an answer before your live session, please save your questions to share with others during the live session. 

We are all smart about some things and dumb about other things.  Don’t be embarrassed to ask a question.  I’m certainly not going to embarrassed if I don’t know the answer! I will tell you that I don't know.

There are thousands of web sites with lots of great information.  Instead of merely regurgitating stuff that you can find elsewhere, I would rather have you ask questions about the things you have heard or already sort-of know but want additional information about, need clarification, or are outright confused about.

I’d rather have you learn a few things really well than to have you exposed to a lot of information that you don’t understand or remember.

Part 1: Are You Inspecting the Things That are REALLY Important?

Time: Approximately 2½ Hour

Everything is important when it comes to inspecting electrical systems.  The reality is, however, that we can't spend as much time in a house as we would like to spend.  Almost every home inspector I know would spend at least a full day in every house if they could.  The trouble is that we are not going to be making much money if we spend a full day in the house.

Go to the lesson

Part 2: Branch Circuits Are Most Likely to Fail:

Time: Approximately 1½ Hour

Do you know where branch circuits are most likely to fail in a house?  I’m looking for a physical location.  Why do they fail there?

We have already covered failure modes and some of physical locations where circuits fail in Part One but in Part 2 I am going to elaborate both on the reasons for failures and the locations. 

Go to the lesson

Part 3: Live Online Session

Time: Approximately 1 Hour

The online session is where we fill in the blanks and tie everything together.  Bring all your questions.

Go to the live forum

The Second Course in This Series:

The next course in this series is also a FOUR CEU course.   You must complete the first course or at least have a good understanding go the concepts covered in the first course to take this course. This course will take you deeper into the nature and behavior of electricity and  how electricity's behavior relates to the design of electrical systems.  We will also examine the concept of "Demand Load" and how demand load differs from "Connected Load".

Here are some of the things you will learn about in the next four hour course:

Part 4: Most Common Causes of Failure in an Electrical Service

Time: Approximately 2 Hour

Do you know what the root causes are for most catastrophic failures in residential electrical services?  You will by the time you finish this section.

Part 5: Wiggy Lesson with Lab

Time: Approximately 1 Hour

"With Lab" means that to fully understand this section, you should do some hands-on practice.  Budget an approximately an hour for this lesson.  There is not much text to read but you need to understand the steps involved.  If you don't have a Wiggy, go out and buy one.  Even if you decide not to use it, it will be a handy tool to have in your tool box and using it will be a great learning experience.

Go to the lesson

Part 6: Where Does Electricity REALLY Want to Go

Time: Approximately 1 Hour

This is a very important concept.  It becomes much easier to understand how and why electrical systems are designed the way they are once you understand the behavior of electricity. Until now, we have been focused on the mechanics of electrical systems.  Now it is time for just a little bit of science.

Go to the lesson

Part 7: Live Online Session

Time: Approximately 1 Hour

The online session is where we fill in the blanks and tie everything together.  Bring all your questions.

Go to the live forum

Residential Single Family Electrical Service Calculator

http://www.bestinspectors.net/products/ElectricalServiceCalc-R1F.exe

Ohm's Law

Ohm's Law Wheel

Alternating current

http://www.bestinspectors.net/education/alternating_current.htm

Multimeters

Simpson 260

http://www.simpson260.com/260-6/simpson_260-6m.htm

The Third Course in This Series:

The next course in this series is an EIGHT CEU course.  In this course you will  go a little deeper into the mysteries of electricity.  The concepts are going to be a little more complex so you are going to spend at least eight hours between self study and live online time with this course.

Electrical Basics - ELI the ICE Man

http://www.bestinspectors.net/images/ELI-theICE-man.gif

Electrical Service Types article

http://www.bestinspectors.net/education/electrical-tutorial-service-types.htm

What is Fault Current

Videos

Electrical Switches, Switch Contacts and Arcing

Electroninstructor's Videos

Multimeters - Hands-On Lab, Measuring Resistance (A)

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FREE Downloads

Most home inspectors and many experienced electricians guess at the electrical service size requirements using rules of thumb (usually involving only square footage).  With the rapid growth in the number of electrical appliances and electronic equipment during the past few years, making a guess could be a costly mistake. 

The Residential Electrical Service Size Calculator takes the guesswork completely out of determining the electrical service size requirement.  The Calculator requires no special knowledge of electrical systems or codes.  All you do is make basic observations about the house and fill in the blanks.  The Calculator lets you enter electrical loads in either Amps or Watts.  the required information can almost always be found on the nameplates of appliances and mechanical equipment.

The Calculator will tell the "Demand Load" (a trade term, different from "connected" load), the nearest standard size panel and main breaker, the conductor (wire) size and the conduit size.    

The Calculator's worksheet can be filled out in about three to four minutes and can be included with any inspection in PDF format.      

Features of the Calculator:
-Automatically calculates the total demand load for a residential single family dwelling
- provides the demand load in both volt-amperes and Amperes
- Automatically adds the minimum of small appliance and laundry branch circuits
- Automatically determines the heating and air conditioning demand load
- Determines the standard service panel size for the system
- Determines the service wire gauges in both aluminum and copper
- Calculations are based on the National Electrical Code (optional method)
- NEC section references under each heading

NOTE: This worksheet is intended to be used as a general guide.  It does not account for all possible factors involved in determining the size of an electrical service. Consult a qualified electrician or the NEC® for additional information.

Digital download

Download the Calculator Free

or
Purchase
The entire collection of electrical calculators on CD

$9.⁹⁹

Residential Single Family Service Calculator

Electrical Conduit Fill/Size Calculator
Enter any combination of up to 30 different conductor sizes or types in any quantity to determine the conduit size for every type of conduit recognized by the NEC^®.

Power Factor Correction - 3 Calculators in one
Allows you to choose either Voltage and Amperage input or Wattage input. 

The calculator can also be used to determine transformer size 

3 Phase 4 Wire Wye - 8 Calculators in one
Neutral current
Phase leg power in V-A
Phase leg power in Watts
System power in V-A
System power in Watts
Line to neutral voltage
Transformer phase current
Transformer phase power  

Fault Current Calculator
Utility to service equipment
Service equipment to panel
Panel to sub-panel
Sub-panel to load
Transformer vault

The calculator is essentially an Ohm's Law calculator.  The difference between the BestInspectors.Net  Voltage, Current and Power calculator and most Ohm's Law calculators is that Ohm's Law calculators are usually geared toward electronics, not power systems.  This calculator is for power distribution systems.  The calculator has a Power Factor component to it.  Most Ohm's Law calculators do not.  Calculations can be performed quickly and easily using name plate data or actual measurements.

The calculator is also a training calculator.  There is a list of relevant electrical terms and units of measure on the screen at all times.  Every time you enter a value, the related terms are highlighted.  Once you have entered the values needed to complete the calculations, the remaining input fields are blacked out so you don't inadvertently enter a conflicting value.  For example, if you have entered Voltage and Wattage values, the Current input field is blacked out so you can't insert an invalid value.  The Current in this case would be among the calculated values in the results section.

Digital download

Download the Calculator Free

Inspection Report Comparison Chart

Note: all BestInspectors.Net ™ inspection report systems include the complete BestInspectors.Net ™ set of Business Tools and customizable Pre-inspection Agreement

MSI International, Inc.
Best Inspectors Network
P.O. Box 326
Sylvania, Ohio 43560-0326

Software is not refundable or returnable.  Defective media may be exchanged for the same title within 30 days of purchase. After 30 days, replacement CD's are available for a nominal fee.

Mail your payment to:

Management Science Institute
Best Inspectors Network
P.O. Box 326
Sylvania, Ohio 43560-0326

For fastest service, pay by credit card.  It's fast, safe, and secure.

Make your PayPal payment to:
"msipp AT bestinspectors.net"
Replace "AT" in the e-mail address above with the "@" sign

Software is not refundable or returnable.
Defective media may be exchanged for the same title within 7 days of purchase.

Be sure to visit the Home Inspection  Store (hosted eBay) for additional items
The Home Inspection  Store features software, self-study courses, and training CD's

Software registration

Please consult our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages before calling for technical support

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