NSPIRE STANDARD:
Electrical – Conductor, Outlet, and Switch
Deficiency #1:
Outlet or Switch is Damaged
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March’s Newsletter reviews the deficiency: “Outlet or switch is damaged.” This is deficiency #1 under the Electrical – Conductor, Outlet, and Switch Standard. It’s considered a Life-Threatening Health & Safety, which is approximately 2.4 points per Unit on a 100-unit property.
Definition: Any portion of an outlet or switch is damaged such that it may not safely carry or control electrical current at the outlet or switch.
Most inspectors that cite Outlet/Switch damage are calling out outlets that look like this:
Start paying attention to what the outlets look like because this is a Life-Threatening hit – the HIGHEST scoring item you can have!
To put it into perspective, if you have a 100 Unit property where 25 units are inspected….1 LT deficiency in 13 units will FAIL your inspection! (You cannot score more than 30 points in the Unit inspectable area – you’ll receive a score of 59).
Start changing out your receptacles to look something like this so that you don’t have to worry about this high-scoring deficiency:
What about the small cracks in the cover plate?
NOT A DEFICIENCY!!!! This is straight from the mouth of HUD’s QA trainer on September 21st (yes, I have it recorded). It makes sense too because those small cracks do not present a safety hazard! The deficiency states the actual Outlet or Switch is damaged…not the cover plate. If the cover plate was so damaged that a conductor was exposed…that gets cited under Deficiency 4 – Exposed Conductor (see my Newsletter on that here: Exposed Conductor).
HUD states in the deficiency to:
So damaged grounds are not the only concern – these will all be cited under Deficiency #1 – Outlet or Switch is Damaged:
Because inspectors are now required to circuit test every outlet that is “readily accessible,” a lot more outlet receptacles are being cited as damaged! Additionally, because of the Minimum Electrical and Lighting requirements – at least 1 outlet must be circuit tested in living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and kitchens and, if you don’t have a permanent light fixture in those locations, then 2 outlets will have to be circuit tested! (See the Newsletter here: Minimum Electric and Lighting)
In terms of appealing to get your points back, the damage to the outlet or switch CANNOT be a safety hazard and an electrician will have to attest to that fact in writing.
The damaged ground picture and the 3 pictures shown above…none of them are appealable.
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