A Closet Case- Chelan Home Inspection

One thing with newer home is they tend to have more closet space. Older homes tend to have fewer and smaller closets.

I know in my home we have a very nice walk in closet. A large dedicated space for shoes, belts and lots of clothes, but this is dedicated to my lovely wife.  No room for boy’s clothes there.

So when someone renovates a home closet space is usually a must have addition to any master bedroom.

During this particular home inspection we have a case where the renovation and closet addition did not account for one little item, access to the electrical panel.

When the closet was installed the framing for the closet went right over the electrical service panel cover (called a dead front).  

When I am doing a home inspection the evaluation of the service panel is one of my main concerns. Many times there will be issue in the service panel that need to be addressed for fire and safety reasons.

In this case it was double whammy because this is a Zinsco Panel and I have seen too many issues with these panels to not have a higher level of concern for my clients. For a moment I thought I would be able to slip the Dead Front out behind the framing but I was not able to.

Service panels always need to be properly accessible in case or emergency and to allow the ability to service any component in the panel.

In this case the best solution would be to replace the Zinsco Panel and relocate the service panel to a better location.  But this will not be a cheap correction and would have been best (and least expensive) to be performed during the remodel.

“I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.”

Abraham Lincoln

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…       

Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service  

509-670-9572 or on the web at www.ncwhomeinspections.com