14 Quick, Easy &
Inexpensive Ways to Improve You Home Inspection Report: Tip #4
Copyright
2007 by Tex-Pro Residential & Commercial Inspections
PH:
713.876.2298 www.texproinspections.com
A broken or missing electrical cover plate
for a receptacle or light switch will trigger an "In Need Of Repair"
comment on your Home Inspection Report. With the exception of
switches
or receptacles that may be covered or blocked by furnishings in the
home, Each of these 
electrical components of your home
should be
inspected and/or tested by your home inspector. If, in the course of
this inspection, the inspector finds a switch or receptacle with a
missing or broken cover, he or she must write up each
occurence as a safety hazard. If there are several in your home, the
notation of location alone can add quite of bit to the length of your
home inspection report.
The homeowner can remedy this situation before it begins by doing a room-to-room quick check of each light switch and receptacle cover. Verify each plate is actually there, examine each plate to ensure it is not cracked, and touch each plate to make sure it is not loose. If it is not there or if it is cracked, then purchase a replacement, for as little as $1.25 each at Lowe's, and install it by tightening the screws that come with the plate. Take care not to over tighten the screws. That is how most of the broken plates got broken in the first place. If they are loose, then again, carefully tighten them up, taking care not to break them.
If, while you are checking these plates,
you find a plate that seems excessively warm to the touch, I
recommend that you call a qualified electrician immediately, as that
can be a sign of overheating, and a fire is
possible.
Most homes that have been lived in for a few years will have one or two
plates that are cracked or even missing, but for a couple of dollars
you can strike that mark off of your Inspection Report.
Copyright 2007 by Tex-Pro Residential & Commercial Inspections PH: 713.876.2298 www.texproinspections.com