Contractors or Inspectors

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cowboyjwc

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Simi Valley, CA
So either I have been dealing with the lyingest buch of contractors lately or my peers in the inspection trade are really dropping the ball.

I can't believe in the last year how many times I have heard:

"Is that a local code"
"I just did this in ______ and they didn't make me do that"
"I have never heard of such a thing"

Well you get the point.

I just told a guy that he had to take his redundent grounding system back to the panel after he ran from the exam room to the last box in the office area. I had to ask him where he was going to get his redundent ground if he ran it to a box with only one ground. He told me that he had just been OSHPD certified and that I was the only inspector asking for that.

Also had his receptacle boxes to low, now that is a CA thing, and they did change it from "no lower than 15" measured to the center of the box" to "no lower than 15" measured to the bottom of the box". Measurements are AFF. Even with the change, it's still his job to know that.

Sorry no real question, just venting.
 

satcom

Senior Member
I do think inspectors are missing a lot of stuff.

My thought is we have a lot of Contractors out there that are not up to speed on the codes and if they don,t get with it, the license boards will just add more required CEU 's and everyone will suffer not just the guys that are code dead
It is the contractors responsibility to assure the job is code compliant, not the inspector
 
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SEO

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
Iv'e been inspecting for over thirty years and these phrases haven't changed a bit.

Iv'e been inspecting for over thirty years and these phrases haven't changed a bit.

"Is that a local code"
"I just did this in ______ and they didn't make me do that"
"I have never heard of such a thing"
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
My thought is we have a lot of Contractors out there that are not up to speed on the codes and if they don,t get with it, the license boards will just add more required CEU 's and everyone will suffer not just the guys that are code dead
It is the contractors responsibility to assure the job is code compliant, not the inspector

I agree that contractor is responsible for his work but if inspector is letting things slide there are many that will never know what things they are doing wrong, until they run into an inspector that does not let much get by then the contractor feels he is either being singled out, or he feels the inspector is *&%$. Seen it happen.
 

Ponchik

Senior Member
Location
CA
Occupation
Electronologist
Also had his receptacle boxes to low, now that is a CA thing, and they did change it from "no lower than 15" measured to the center of the box" to "no lower than 15" measured to the bottom of the box". Measurements are AFF. Even with the change, it's still his job to know that.

is this for commercial? or residential?
can you cite a code section?
 

wawireguy

Senior Member
Time to bust some balls! If you tell them the code violaton and they still whine I'd tell them to suck it up.
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
I just told a guy that he had to take his redundent grounding system back to the panel after he ran from the exam room to the last box in the office area. I had to ask him where he was going to get his redundent ground if he ran it to a box with only one ground. He told me that he had just been OSHPD certified and that I was the only inspector asking for that.


This would be a good one to check on. I would ask him what other jobs he has done and I would call those jurisdictions and check to see if they are letting this slide.

I'm not sure that a local jurisdiction could even give "special permission" on something like this. Some of those jobs may need to be re-inspected. :dunce:
 

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
I just told a guy that he had to take his redundent grounding system back to the panel after he ran from the exam room to the last box in the office area.
John, I don't understand this, why would the "redundant bonding" be required in an office area?


I had to ask him where he was going to get his redundent ground if he ran it to a box with only one ground. He told me that he had just been OSHPD certified and that I was the only inspector asking for that.
Are you saying he did not have an insulated EGC in his conduit or cable?

Roger
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
John, I don't understand this, why would the "redundant bonding" be required in an office area?


Are you saying he did not have an insulated EGC in his conduit or cable?

Roger

I understood that to mean that a receptacle was installed in an exam room and it was extended from a branch circuit that serves an office area. If the office happened to be fed from metal raceway and there is an insulated EGC with that circuit, then there is nothing wrong with what he cited. Redundant ground is not required in the office but often times what is installed meets the redundant ground requirements. Maybe he can clarify that a little more.
 

cowboyjwc

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Simi Valley, CA
is this for commercial? or residential?
can you cite a code section?

It's 1117B.6.5.2 of the 2010 California Building Code which is the amended 2009 International Building Code.

This is for Commercial, but there are requirements for receptacle heights in multifamily that you need to be aware of, just in adaptible and accessible units, but it's there.
 
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