{"id":6329,"date":"2024-02-26T23:23:21","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T23:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/?post_type=blog_post&p=6329"},"modified":"2024-02-27T23:25:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T23:25:07","slug":"hud-nspire-february-newsletter-nspire-standard-electrical-conductor-outlet-and-switch","status":"publish","type":"blog_post","link":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/blog-post\/hud-nspire-february-newsletter-nspire-standard-electrical-conductor-outlet-and-switch\/","title":{"rendered":"HUD NSPIRE February Newsletter: NSPIRE STANDARD: Electrical \u2013 Conductor, Outlet, and Switch"},"content":{"rendered":"

NSPIRE STANDARD:<\/strong>
\nElectrical \u2013 Conductor, Outlet, and Switch<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Deficiency #2:<\/strong>
\nTesting indicates a three-pronged outlet is not properly wired or grounded.<\/strong><\/p>\n

NSPIRE TRAINING ANNOUNCEMENT!<\/u><\/strong>
\n\u2018HUD-NSPIRE Demystified: A Deep Dive into the New Inspection Process\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today is the last day to register for the 4-part LIVE webinar training <\/strong>
\n(3 hours each) that starts Tuesday, February 27th<\/sup>!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Click here to learn more: <\/strong>HUD-NSPIRE Full Training!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Click here to see free, downloadable <\/strong>REAC Resources<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

February\u2019s Newsletter reviews the brand-new deficiency, \u201cTesting indicates a three-pronged outlet is not properly wired or grounded.\u201d\u00a0 This is deficiency #2 under the Electrical – Conductor, Outlet, and Switch Standard<\/a>. It\u2019s considered a Severe Health & Safety, which is approximately 0.6 points per Unit on a 100-unit property.
\nThis Newsletter will focus on the following 3 primary areas of confusion amongst PHAs\/POAs and inspectors:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Do ALL<\/u> outlets have to be tested with the circuit tester?<\/li>\n
  2. What if it shows \u201cOpen Ground\u201d when I test a GFCI-protected outlet?<\/li>\n
  3. What if the property has only 2-prong outlets?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Do ALL outlets have to be tested with a circuit tester?<\/strong>
    \nNo \u2013 just the \u201creasonably accessible\u201d outlets.
    \nHUD states:
    \n
    \nThus, it is unreasonable for an inspector to ask you to move a couch or entertainment center\u2026unless they need 2 outlets to test in order to satisfy the requirements for a different deficiency:     Minimum Electrical and Lighting<\/a>.
    \n*Remember a \u201cworking outlet\u201d is one that has been tested with a circuit tester to check for proper wiring!<\/p>\n

    There are a lot of ways the outlet receptacles can be improperly wired. Match the lights at the bottom of the tester to the instructions on the tester itself to see if it\u2019s wired correctly (middle and right light up) or not!
    \n
    \nWhat if it shows \u201cOpen Ground\u201d (only the middle lights up) when I test a GFCI-protected outlet?<\/strong>
    \nThis is where most of the inspectors are misrecording this deficiency.\u00a0 HUD states:
    \n<\/p>\n

    Why?\u00a0 Because even though it\u2019s ungrounded\u2026the GFCI will prevent shocks.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it will NOT<\/u> protect equipment plugged into it (and surge protectors won\u2019t help either).
    \nTechnically, by Code (not HUD), the outlet should have a sticker, \u201cNo Equipment Ground.\u201d The sticker \u201cGFCI Protected\u201d is only required when the GFCI is located upstream or at the breaker and not at the outlet itself.
    \n<\/p>\n

    Many older properties opt to install a 3-prong GFCI-protected outlets on their 2-prong outlets because it\u2019s much cheaper than running a ground wire in!
    \nThe GFCI can also be located on the breaker:
    \n
    \nHere is where it gets confusing for inspectors\u2026.the test button on the circuit tester will NOT work if you have an open ground<\/strong>.\u00a0 In order to test the GFCI functionality, you\u2019ll have to find the GFCI:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The GFCI could be on the receptacle itself and then you just manually<\/u> push the Test and Reset buttons while the circuit tester is plugged in and watch for the light on the tester to go out \u2013 this tells the inspector the GFCI is functioning properly!<\/li>\n
    2. The GFCI could be located in the breaker panel so someone will have to trip it at the panel while the inspector watches the circuit tester to see if the light goes out (loses power).<\/li>\n
    3. The GFCI could be located UPSTREAM from the outlet your testing\u2026this is where it can get fun because I have seen crazy things like a GFCI in a garage is protecting (upstream) the outlets in the bathroom. Someone will have to run around tripping GFCI\u2019s to see if the light on the tester goes out.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      So the ONLY time an ungrounded outlet should be cited under this deficiency is if the outlet is not protected (at the receptacle, upstream or at the breaker) by a GFCI!<\/strong><\/p>\n

      ***IMPORTANT: if the 3-pronged outlet is not properly wired (open neutral, hot and neutral reversed, etc) then usually the GFCI will also not work<\/strong>. This becomes 2 deficiencies (both rated Severe)***\n<\/div>\n

      <\/p>\n

      What if the property only has 2-prong outlets?<\/strong>
      \nThe inspector could use an adapter so they can plug their circuit tester in\u2026however the deficiency is crystal clear that only 3-prong outlets are to be inspected and cited<\/em> under this deficiency if wired wrong.
      \n
      \nAdditionally, there is no direction by HUD via training nor in the Standards that the inspector must carry a 2-prong adapter. Of course, this could always change!<\/p>\n

      Just because we are not required<\/em> to carry adapters does not mean the inspector won\u2019t!\u00a0 Deficiencies 1, 3, 4 and 5 could still be cited with 2-prong outlets:
      \n<\/p>\n

      To subscribe to this free monthly newsletter and read newsletters you may have missed, click here: C4N6 Newsletter Registration and Archive<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      NSPIRE STANDARD: Electrical \u2013 Conductor, Outlet, and Switch Deficiency #2: Testing indicates a three-pronged outlet is not properly wired or grounded. NSPIRE TRAINING ANNOUNCEMENT! \u2018HUD-NSPIRE Demystified: A Deep Dive into the New Inspection Process\u2019 Today is the last day to register for the 4-part LIVE webinar training (3 hours each) that starts Tuesday, February 27th! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6330,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"blog-category":[130],"class_list":["post-6329","blog_post","type-blog_post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","blog-category-hud-assist"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_post\/6329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_post"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog_post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6329"},{"taxonomy":"blog-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c4n6.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-category?post=6329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}