Bad inspector calls

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Jim W in Tampa said:
I am guilty of calling in 4 weeks worth of work on a permit that ink has not dried. But that is because of slow permiting. Paper is on them windows for more than keeping the sun out LOL
Here we often get early start permits, just can't cover anything up. Never had an inspector care. Not trying to get away with anything but jobs don't need held up over a dang permit.
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I'm doing a little work now where the builder is waiting for his permit. No chance that the permit will be denied, but he can only do so much before we start getting into inspection territory.

I guess the town has to approve the building permit and give it to him...meanwhile, as an electrician, I just need to pull the permit within 5 days of starting the work.

I can't even apply for my permit right now because, officially, his permit needs to be accepted.
 
RICK NAPIER said:
I have been on both ends of this issue. Time constraints often doesn't leave me enough time to list all the code sections with my violation notice but I am always ready to gove a code reference to anyone who asks. I encourage it. I figure that 99% of the guys out there are trying to do it right. If they do it just because I said so they will go to their old way of doing it in the next town but if I can show them why its required they will change the way the do it.

I also appreciate it if the show me my mistake. I am very good at what I do but I will not get better if I am repeating a mistake again and again and no one calls me on it.
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I agree with you Rick. If I don't know the section off the top of my head I know it exists and I encourage EC and EE to challenge me. Not always right and I am not afraid to admit it. I already have one eye closed so I am not going to close the other. Can not learn anything if you know it all."Nobody knows it all" so we can all benefit from a properly stated challenge.
 
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As an EE, I agree with a lot of what's being stated here. I think an open line of communications is pretty improtant indeed in order to get the work done properly. One a lot of jobs I get to know the inspectors and give them a ring if there's a hairy issue and get their input. So far my experience is they appreciate that I get their opinion before making changes; in addition, there's certainly been times when they bring up valuable points that help me improve my own work, including not only code interpretation and application but also practical stuff. The contractor's a good source to learn how to choose the routing/trenching etc. for the work to be done easily and properly - in the same way the inspectors have taught me where place certain equipment/devices for ease of testing and I've found that doing so is not only logical form a design prespective, but also is a great way of improving the chances of a clean/quick progress through inspection and testing by various parties/agencies, which could be a hassel otherwise.
 
Cow said:
Fortunately I haven't broke the 1 page mark yet, but I've been close. The inspector was very ambitious.;)
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The rule here is "once you start writting you write everything". :) So I might have said give me a couple of safety plates here and throw some straps up there and walked away, but then I notice that the conduit or something isn't deep enough so out comes the pen, and then kind of like Jim said you even write the chicken stuff.

Here they are not allowed to start work without a permit. The reasons are pretty simple, if you didn't get a permit over the counter, then you are in plan check and your plans have not been approved yet. Normally not really a big issue depending on the job, but we did have one guy build 100' of 30' high steel stud wall and one side it and when we finally got out there found out that he had used the wrong sized studs and not the ones the engineer speced.:) I know, "you take your chances when you play the game."
 
Agreed, if you are going to fail the job, fail it good. There is no reason why the electrician can't add a couple safety plates or straps while he is fixing the major violation.


Speaking of "bad" calls. We had an inspector ask us to wrap the groud wire around the green bonding screws on the metal boxes "at least twice" yesterday.
 
Ohmy said:
Speaking of "bad" calls. We had an inspector ask us to wrap the groud wire around the green bonding screws on the metal boxes "at least twice" yesterday.
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Are you bringing that up because you don't actually need them to be green or because it seemed like a hot topic that they felt like trying to enforce?
 
jaylectricity said:
Are you bringing that up because you don't actually need them to be green or because it seemed like a hot topic that they felt like trying to enforce?
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I understood what he said:) and when I start getting that picky that will probably be the same time that my wife has to start cutting up my food for me.:grin:
 
cowboyjwc said:
If the guy has only one or two corrections, it's not really a big deal, but get a guy with a two page notice and it could take another 30 minutes to look up all the sections. Usually if I have to write that many I just save my time and tell the EC that he's not ready for inspection.
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2 pages is not a correction notice, that is more like a punch out list. :roll:
You should charge extra for that. :D
 
2 pages tells me the EC does not even see the jobs his men are doing or he himself has a grandfathered in license that needs looked into. Perhaps his worst men were doing the job.
Something is very wrong or the pages are very small.
 
Speaking of "bad" calls. We had an inspector ask us to wrap the groud wire around the green bonding screws on the metal boxes "at least twice" yesterday.
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What the????? :roll:



I installed a 400 amp resi meter/main combo with a 200 amp sub right next to it, connected with a 2.5" rigid nipple into punched holes.

The inspector had seen bond bushings on nipples between meter cans and panels and he thought I needed one on my installation. I told him that the bond bushings were for unfused service conductors between the meter and the panel of if voltage was over 250V to gnd in a concentric KO.

He spent 30 minutes in his truck, searching his code book until he gave up. He came back to the panel, looked and said "Oh....you have two locknuts on each end of the nipple so you are good".;)
 
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