Bolt Electric provides written inspection reports accepted by Texas insurance companies, real estate attorneys, and the City of Arlington. Pre-purchase, insurance-triggered, and peace of mind. AFCI, GFCI, grounding, and thermal imaging.
You are buying a home in South Arlington and the inspector flagged the electrical panel. Your insurance company sent a letter requiring a licensed electrician report. Or you moved into a Dalworthington Gardens home built in 1968 and you want to know what you actually have behind the walls.
All three are reasons for an electrical safety inspection in Arlington TX. Bolt Electric provides written inspection reports accepted by Texas insurance companies, real estate attorneys, and the City of Arlington. Call (817) 754-5700.
Arlington TX grew rapidly between 1950 and 1975. The residential neighborhoods built during that period - South Arlington, Dalworthington Gardens, Pantego, Edgecliff Village - have electrical systems that reflect the codes and materials of that era.
Here is what those homes commonly contain:
Aluminum branch circuit wiring - documented fire hazard at connection points that have never been updated
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco panels - both with documented breaker failure modes
100-amp or 150-amp service that cannot support modern electrical loads
Cloth-insulated wiring that has degraded over 50-plus years
No GFCI protection in kitchens and bathrooms - required by current code, not present in original construction
No AFCI breaker protection - required by NEC 2020 for most circuits in bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways
Missing or inadequate grounding and bonding on older service entrances
None of these are visible from outside the panel or behind finished walls. A licensed electrician inspection finds them. A general home inspector often cannot.
A full assessment of the electrical system by a licensed electrician. Covers the service panel, branch circuit wiring, outlets, switches, grounding, bonding, GFCI and AFCI protection, and all visible electrical components. Written report provided the same day in most cases.
Three buyer types we serve on inspection calls:
The National Electrical Code and the City of Arlington require smoke detectors in specific locations in every home. Hardwired smoke detectors with battery backup are more reliable than battery-only units - they cannot be silenced by removing a battery and they interconnect so all detectors sound when one triggers.
We install hardwired smoke detectors, combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and hardwired CO detectors throughout Arlington TX homes. We also replace outdated battery-only detectors with hardwired units.
Smoke detector installation in Arlington TX →A home inspector or electrician found code violations. The city flagged unpermitted work. Your buyer's inspector found issues that need to be corrected before closing. Electrical code correction addresses the specific findings from an inspection report and brings the affected systems into compliance.
Common code corrections in older Arlington TX homes:
AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter) breakers protect against arc faults - the type of electrical fault that causes wiring fires inside walls without tripping a standard breaker. GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) breakers protect against shock in areas near water.
NEC 2020 - the current code adopted in Texas - requires AFCI protection on virtually all circuits in living spaces. Homes built before these requirements were added often have standard breakers throughout. When selling, refinancing, or upgrading an older Arlington TX home, AFCI and GFCI breaker installation brings the panel into current code compliance.
AFCI and GFCI breaker installation in Arlington TX →Proper grounding and bonding protects people and equipment from electrical faults. Older homes in South Arlington and Dalworthington Gardens often have grounding deficiencies at the service entrance, missing ground wires on branch circuits, or bonding issues at metallic water and gas piping.
Grounding deficiencies are commonly found during safety inspections and flagged by insurance companies. We assess the grounding system, identify deficiencies, and correct them with a written scope and firm price before starting work.
Electrical grounding services in Arlington TX →Here is exactly what Bolt Electric inspects on every home electrical safety inspection visit:
Panel brand and model - including identification of Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and other flagged brands. Main breaker rating and condition. Bus bar condition for corrosion and heat damage. Double-tapped breakers. Properly rated breakers for each circuit. Available capacity for new loads.
Wiring type identification - copper, aluminum, or cloth-insulated. Visible wiring condition in attic, crawlspace, and basement where accessible. Evidence of unpermitted splices or DIY modifications. Proper wire gauge for each circuit's breaker rating.
Representative sample of outlets tested for proper wiring, grounding, and polarity. GFCI protection confirmed in required locations - kitchen, bathrooms, garage, outdoor, and crawlspace. Outlets checked for loose connections and physical damage.
Service entrance grounding electrode system assessed. Ground wire continuity confirmed at accessible locations. Metallic water and gas piping bonding checked where accessible. Grounding deficiencies documented with recommended corrections.
Locations requiring AFCI protection identified per NEC 2020. Locations requiring GFCI protection confirmed or flagged as missing. Existing AFCI and GFCI devices tested for proper operation.
This report format is accepted by Texas homeowner insurance companies, real estate attorneys handling home sale negotiations, and the City of Arlington when code correction documentation is required.
A standard visual inspection identifies problems that are visible - damaged wiring, worn outlets, physical defects in the panel. Thermal imaging finds problems that are invisible to the eye but generate heat inside the wall, ceiling, or panel.
Here is what thermal imaging detects during an electrical inspection:
Overloaded circuits - a circuit carrying more current than its wiring is rated for shows as a hot spot in the thermal image. The wire may look fine visually but is heating up behind the wall.
Loose connections - a loose connection at a breaker, outlet, or junction box creates resistance that generates heat. This heat shows up in thermal imaging as a bright spot around the connection point.
Failing breakers - a breaker that is about to fail often runs hotter than the breakers around it in the panel. Thermal imaging identifies these before they fail.
Arcing - arc faults inside a wall show as heat in the thermal image. These are exactly the type of fault that causes fires behind finished walls without triggering a standard circuit breaker.
Electrical safety inspections in Arlington TX, Bedford TX, Dalworthington Gardens TX, and Edgecliff Village TX. Written reports. Fast turnaround.
Bolt Electric provides electrical safety inspections and code services throughout Arlington TX and surrounding communities.
Call (817) 754-5700 and tell us your closing date. We schedule within 24 to 48 hours in most cases and deliver the written report the same day as the inspection.
(817) 754-5700 📞 Call Now - 24-48 Hour SchedulingA standard home electrical safety inspection from Bolt Electric typically runs $125 to $200 depending on home size and scope. If thermal imaging is requested, add $75 to $150 for the thermal imaging service. We confirm the fee on the call before scheduling. If repairs are approved and performed on the same visit, the inspection fee may be credited toward the repair cost.
Call Bolt Electric at (817) 754-5700 and tell us your closing date. We schedule the inspection within 24 to 48 hours in most cases and deliver the written report the same day. The report documents what we found, the risk level of each finding, and estimated repair costs. You can use that information to negotiate a price reduction, request the seller make repairs before closing, or factor the repair cost into your purchase decision.
Texas insurance companies typically require a written report documenting the panel brand and condition, wiring type, GFCI and AFCI coverage, any safety concerns found, and the name and Texas TDLR license number of the licensed electrician who performed the inspection. Bolt Electric provides all of this in a signed written report. If your insurer has a specific form, share it with us before the inspection and we make sure our report covers all their required fields.
An AFCI breaker - Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter - protects against arc faults, which are sparks inside wiring that cause fires behind walls without tripping a standard breaker. The National Electrical Code now requires AFCI protection on virtually all circuits in living spaces - bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, hallways, and kitchens. Homes built before these requirements were adopted typically have standard breakers throughout. When selling, refinancing, or after a safety inspection flags missing AFCI protection, we install AFCI breakers to bring the panel into current code compliance.
Thermal imaging detects heat generated by electrical problems that are not visible to the eye. Overloaded circuits heat up the wiring inside the wall. Loose connections create resistance that generates heat at the connection point. Failing breakers run hotter than surrounding breakers in the panel. Arc faults inside walls show as heat in the thermal image. These are the problems that cause electrical fires before any visible sign appears. We use thermal imaging on inspections where the initial visual assessment suggests hidden issues or where the homeowner requests it.
For routine safety verification, every 10 years is a reasonable interval for most homes. More frequently for: homes built before 1980 - especially those that have never been inspected - homes with aluminum wiring or older panel brands, after any major storm event that may have caused surge damage, before selling the home, when buying an older home, and when an insurance company requests documentation.
A general home inspector performs a visual overview of visible electrical components and flags obvious concerns - wrong panel brand, visible damage, outdated equipment. A licensed electrician inspection goes significantly deeper. We open the panel and inspect every breaker and connection. We test individual outlets for grounding and polarity. We assess GFCI and AFCI coverage systematically. We identify the wiring type and note any aluminum or cloth-insulated wiring. We check grounding and bonding at the service entrance. Insurance companies and real estate attorneys require the licensed electrician report, not the general home inspection report, because the depth of assessment is fundamentally different.
Buying a home and need a written report before closing. Insurance company asking for documentation. Moved into a 1968 Dalworthington Gardens home and want to know what is behind the walls. Bolt Electric handles all three.
We inspect, document, and deliver a written report the same day. We accommodate pre-purchase closing deadlines. We serve Arlington TX, Bedford TX, Dalworthington Gardens TX, Edgecliff Village TX, and all surrounding communities.
(817) 754-5700Electrical safety inspections in Arlington TX. Written reports accepted by insurers and real estate attorneys. Fast scheduling.