Why get an electrician when you already have a home inspector?
Missouri doesn't license home inspectors at the state level, according to Spectora's guide to home inspector licensing in Missouri. Many inspectors in Springfield are well trained and certified through national associations, but training and standards vary from one to the next.
A home inspector looks at the whole house, from the roof to the plumbing, and points out visible problems. An electrician goes deeper on one system. A city-certified electrician can open the panel, test circuits, check grounding, and tell you whether a flagged item is a safety problem, an upgrade, or normal for a house that age, and how it would be fixed.
What does an electrical inspection cover?
A typical visit checks:
- The service and panel. Meter base, service mast, main breaker, panel brand and condition, breaker sizes compared with wire sizes, and signs of heat or corrosion
- Wiring type. Knob-and-tube, cloth-covered wiring, aluminum branch circuits, or ungrounded two-wire circuits
- Grounding and bonding, including the ground at outlets
- GFCI and AFCI protection where it's expected
- Outlets and switches that are loose, warm, reversed, or missing covers
- Signs of amateur work, like splices outside boxes, extension cords used as wiring, and double-tapped breakers
- Each item on the home inspection report, one by one
You get a plain-language summary that separates safety problems from upgrades.
When should you get an electrical inspection?
It's worth calling when:
- The home inspection flagged the panel, wiring, or grounding, or recommended an electrician's evaluation
- You're buying an older Springfield home. About 40 percent of the city's homes were built before 1970, and about 13 percent before 1940, according to NeighborhoodScout's housing data. Some of those still have knob-and-tube or ungrounded wiring. See home rewiring.
- The house has a fuse box or an older panel brand that insurers ask about
- You're selling and want to know what a buyer's inspector will find
- You plan big additions after closing, like an EV charger, a shop, or a heat pump, and want to know whether the service can handle them
Why do inspections turn up electrical problems?
Codes changed. A house wired correctly decades ago doesn't have the grounding, GFCI, or AFCI protection a new house gets. That doesn't automatically make it unsafe, but inspectors note it.
Owners added on. Finished basements, garage circuits, and added outlets done without permits are common in houses that have changed hands several times.
Old wiring aged. Insulation on old wiring gets brittle, and knob-and-tube wiring was never designed to be buried in attic insulation.
Storms took a toll. Ice and wind damage service masts and meter bases, and repairs aren't always done right.
What affects the cost of an inspection and repairs?
The inspection itself depends mostly on the size of the house and how much needs testing. Repairs it turns up are priced separately. The biggest swings come from:
- Panel replacement or a service change. See panel upgrades.
- Rewiring if old or ungrounded wiring is widespread
- Small corrections, like GFCI protection or fixing double taps, which are usually quick
A written estimate from a local contractor is useful in a repair negotiation.
Repair before closing or after?
That's a negotiation, but safety items, like a hot or damaged panel or active knob-and-tube in a finished attic, should be fixed before anyone moves in. Upgrades can wait. Inside Springfield city limits, repairs should be permitted where the city requires it, with a city-certified master electrician on the permit, and you should ask for the paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
My inspector said "recommend evaluation by a licensed electrician." Is that serious?
Not always. Inspectors use that phrase when something is outside their scope. Some items turn out minor. Some, like heat damage in a panel, are urgent. An electrician's visit tells you which.
Can I get a price before my inspection period ends?
Usually, if you call right after you get the report. Inspection periods are often short, so don't wait.
Do I have to bring an older house up to current code when I buy it?
No. Existing wiring isn't required to be updated just because the code changed. New work and replaced equipment generally have to meet the code the city has adopted.
Will an insurance company care about knob-and-tube wiring?
Some insurers ask about it or limit coverage for homes that still have it. Call your agent early, and get an electrician's written assessment if the house has any.
Talk to an electrician in Springfield
Call and describe the problem or the project, or send the form with a few details. Someone will follow up to set a time to look at it.