Q: My Insurance company would like me to have a report done on the electrical in my house?
A: The Electrical Safety Authority offers General Inspection service to the Ontario public. This type of electrical inspection maybe requested by agency’s such as insurance companies, municipality’s, fire department, real-estate company, or to address an occupant’s electrical safety concern.
Q: Who can apply for a General Inspection?
A: A property owner or agent of a property owner or a tenant may apply for a General Inspection.
Q: What is a General Inspection?
A: A visual inspection of the electrical wiring and/or devices that are accessible at the time of the inspection to identify if there are any electrical defects that need to be corrected. Electrical devices and/or wiring located behind walls, in attics, in crawl spaces or otherwise obscured from view are not included in the inspection.
Q: What’s included as part of the General Inspection?
A: An inspection of an entire premises including outbuildings and associated equipment such as pools, hot tubs, saunas and fountains. If the premises is energized at the time of inspection, a sample testing of visible/accessible outlets may be conducted. The power may be turned off at some point during the inspection to safely inspect the panel board service and other devices.
Q: Will a sample testing of outlets be conducted?
A: The inspector may or may not be able to test outlets depending on the type of outlet, and the inspector will not test outlets that cannot be accessed at the time of the inspection.
Q: What’s not included as part of a General Inspection?
A: Wiring installations located behind walls, in attics, in crawl spaces or otherwise obscured from view are not included in the inspection.
Q: How much does a General Inspection cost?
A: It depends on the dwelling type and/or the reason for the inspection (insurance, resale, Fire Code Compliance). The fee entitles the applicant to one inspection visit. There is a possibility of incurring additional charges in the event the premises is deemed inaccessible and the inspector is required to revisit the site on another day, or electrical deficiencies are identified during the inspection. The General Inspection fees must be paid at the time of the application by credit card or cheque.
Q: What happens if defects are identified during the inspection?
A: ESA will send a Notice of Deficiency to the property owner outlining what must be corrected to satisfy Code standards. A wiring application must be submitted to ESA for any work done to correct the defects and the applicable fees paid. The remedial work shall be done by either the property owner or a licensed electrical contractor. A tenant, through Freedom of Information, can request a copy of the Notice of Deficiency.
Q: What is the inspector looking for during the inspection?
A: Same examples of what the inspector will be looking for include exposed wiring, proper fusing, misuse of electrical equipment such as extension cords, etc.
Q: What happens when there are no defects found or defects identified are corrected?
A: ESA will issue a General Inspection Report to the applicant.