Above and beyond

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peter d

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
The "Inspector Resonsibility" thread got me thinking about some of the things that inspectors ask for around my area in some different towns.

Note that we have no local or state code ammendments requring these things (I've asked.)

-Pool bonding wire must be green insulated.

-Laundry receptacles (not in basement) must be single receptacle type.

-Flourescent strip lights in closets must have tube guard. (Admittedly a good idea, but not required by NEC.)

-#4 copper to driven ground rods on 200 amp service.

-GFI protection for lights over hot tubs. (not a bad idea also, but can be found nowhere in the NEC.)

I tried convincing an electrician once that inspectors can't make up their own rules, but I would have better luck performing heart surgery on myself. :roll:

I'd like to hear other "The inspector wants it this way" stories.
 
Re: Above and beyond

The worst request I have had was during a fire alarm inspection.

The inspector made me solder the end of line resisters onto the circuit wires. :roll:
 
Re: Above and beyond

This wasn't an inspector, but a builder I know was requiring "in-use" weatherproof covers for all areas inside a home within 6' of a sink. They assumed these areas were wet locations. The job spec man for the builder apparently went to a code update class for the 2002 NEC and misundertood the new requirment. :roll:
 
Re: Above and beyond

At this very moment we are painting ductbanks "fire engine red" because a CBO didn't think the iron oxide additive made them red enough. (In honesty they were sorta mauve ;) ) He had already shut the entire project down over this issue before I was involved.

It wasn't enough to show him that they didn't have to be colored in the first place. The owner just didn't want to fight him over it
 
Re: Above and beyond

A state "Divisions of Facility Services" (DFS)which is the AHJ of hospitals and prisons in NC has an inspector who has the idea that an EGC from one conduit can not be stripped and wrapped around the ground screw before pigtailing.

His interpretation is that all conductors must come together under a wirenut before terminating on a device or the box :roll: :roll: :roll:

He has another weird idea that if two branches in a patient care area, say Critical and Normal come together in one box, the EGC's can not both be connected to the box, yet if we look at the requirements of 517.14 we have already done this. :roll:

One more stupid idea he has, is that since door holders are not actually required, they are not part of the F.A. system, and can not be fed from the "Life Safety Branch", this is over ridden by the local Fire Marshals and Electrical Inspectors.

Roger
 
Re: Above and beyond

"while-in-use" in the kitchen. LOL...


So why is everyone picking on the inspectors?

I started inspecting in an area where the electricians keep telling me "things have been done this way for the last 30 years".....all I asked was that they start bonding the metal piping entering a building.

I'm sure that's been code for at least the last 29 years...whaddya think?
 
Re: Above and beyond

I am sure that there is not one electrician here that knowingly has not violated an NEC rule at some time,some point in our chosen field.It`s just that some inspectors want things there way.Here we are required to have labels on all non gfci single receptacles in a garage that say appliance use only.Why so nobody plugs an extension cord in it and uses it outdoors ????? Like a sticker is going to stop that.But it is a requirement and we go along with it.There is supposed to be a uniformed code but in conversations with our inspectors they agree that they can even be uniformed in the same county never mind state wide.3 county offices and at least 2 different requirements for the same thing.It gets so frustrating......
 
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