Failed inspection for only 1 gec ran to panel

NJTommy said:
I do not see a point is pissing off an inspector you may have to work with again. In my experience it just causes more problems. I have learned to put my ego in check at work. I have nothing to prove to anyone and choose to pick my battles. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all!
Click to expand...
It isn't my ego but the power that some inspectors use to get what they want. If they can't provide an article section then the inspector has no right to turn it down. If he gets upset when you go over his head then he needs to get over his ego.
I have had problems like this in the past. I have gone directly to the state engineer and got his approval. The inspector has to accept it.

There is one inspector that said he would never inspect my work again. I said thank you. The bad thing was he knew the code pretty well but he would fail things that he thought should be different and would even interpret the section incorrectly.

I am sorry if their feelings get hurt. I have been wrong many times in the past and you have to admit it when you are wrong. I had some inspectors who turned me down and I disagreed and they went to the state and found out they were wrong. One actually called me and said thank you for showing me this code.

Imo, that is a good inspector. Those who say do it my way or else I do not need them.
 
I'm sorry I did not mean to upset you. I was just saying that for me, I pick and choose what to fight with inspectors about. Most times I find that the time and energy is not worth it. If the inspector wants me to change something that will cost a lot of money and time I would be more willing to fight. Most times it's not worth the fight. Again that's how I handle it. Yes some inspectors let there title go to there heads but there is more then one way to do thing.
 
NJTommy said:
I do not see a point is pissing off an inspector you may have to work with again. In my experience it just causes more problems. I have learned to put my ego in check at work. I have nothing to prove to anyone and choose to pick my battles. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all!
Click to expand...
You're free to do things that suit you best but allowing an inspector who is wrong to continue unabated is not the way it should work. In this case he wouldn't even cite the proper code section that he misapplied to the installation. If he made a simple mistake he probably won't make it again when correct by the sparky. Why should a contractor have to rip out work that is code compliant when the inspector is wrong?
 
NJTommy said:
I do not see a point is pissing off an inspector you may have to work with again. In my experience it just causes more problems. I have learned to put my ego in check at work. I have nothing to prove to anyone and choose to pick my battles. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all!
Click to expand...
Some things are not worth fighting because they are minor once you know what inspectors expect. Other things are worth fighting for when the cost is significant and the inspector is plainly wrong. This one is relatively minor but the inspector is plainly wrong, so kindof a tossup imo.
 

Joe.B said:
There's always the chance that the inspector is so wrong that what they're telling you to do is actually dangerous. That's not something anybody should go along with...
Click to expand...
I had an inspector want the bond on the load side of a ground fault protected transferswitch (four pole) It would have nullified the ground fault protection on both the generator and the main. I changed it back to what it was supposed to be after he left.
 
My favorite inspector was the one I had the most debates with. I never argued with him. I'd say things like, "Let me see if I understand what you are getting at. You're saying blah blah blah and this code section looks like it is saying blah blah blah. Am I missing something?" Or I might say, "Have I been doing this wrong all this time? Hang on a second, let me grab my codebook so we can go over section blah blah." Sometimes he was right. Sometimes I was right. Oddest thing about it was everyone else in town hated having him come on their jobs and he and I got along great.
 
Maybe I am crazy but I do not see any advantage to only running one bonding wire to the panel. My thinking is that if one fails you still have the second. That just how I think. I also do not see a problem if an inspector askes for more then the code requires. To me the NEC is the minimum and you can do more just not less. I am not here to say that inspectors can't be wrong. I am just saying that for me, I look at what they are asking and most times its nothing to get fight about. Yes some inspectors can be hard. I have also seen inspectors who will test you the first time they inspect you. It happens.
 
It's difficult. The only thing you can do is the best you can to keep up on the code so if he asks for something that isn't right you can immediately step up and tell him you don't think he is right. MOST of the inspectors are fine with that if you're not confrontational and they will respect you more. But there are inspectors who don't like to be questioned.

Inspectors don't like electrician asking them how to do a job. It's one of their chief complaints is electricians not reading the book. @reid24202 I am not saying this is you you did nothing wrong.
 
Twice in my 46 years I had run ins with the inspectors. I mean, more than the usual little tiff. Both times I just said "I don't agree, I guess we will have to take it to Boston" both of them decided the jobs were ok after that.

One told me, "I'll let it go this time but don't do it again in my town" Most of the inspectors I delt with were fine.
 
NJTommy said:
Maybe I am crazy but I do not see any advantage to only running one bonding wire to the panel. My thinking is that if one fails you still have the second. That just how I think. I also do not see a problem if an inspector askes for more then the code requires. To me the NEC is the minimum and you can do more just not less.....
Click to expand...
You can do more. I don't always do code minimum when it comes to strapping and securing my conduit. I do see a problem with an inspector asking for more than code as a condition for passing an inspection. I have to pay for a licence, pay for continuing ed, pay for a code book, pay for a permit, and by default pay for part of Mr. Inspectors salary. He doesn't get to add extra bits to the code. The NEC is adopted by a governing body as law, not a suggestion.

In particular to adding an extra GEC conductor I would have a big problem with it. You could run ten of them and they all could fail and no one in the building would notice.
 
NJTommy said:
I do not see a point is pissing off an inspector you may have to work with again. In my experience it just causes more problems. I have learned to put my ego in check at work. I have nothing to prove to anyone and choose to pick my battles. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all!
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, but I must disagree with you on this. It sets a bad precedent to kowtow on an incorrect ruling.

It's just as wrong for an inspector to fail a compliant installation as it is to pass a non-compliant one.

I have formally challenged a wrong fail four times as a contractor, always civilly, and "won" every time.

I have a good reputation among the inspectors I know. That's the "that guy" I want to be known as.
 
NJTommy said:
I also do not see a problem if an inspector askes for more then the code requires.
Click to expand...
Which in the case of NC is illegal if he demanded it.

Excerpt from the link below.


(c) For purposes of this Article, "willful misconduct, gross negligence, or gross incompetence" in addition to the meaning of those terms under other provisions of the General Statutes or at common law, shall include any of the following: (1) Enforcing a Code requirement in areas or circumstances not specified in the requirement.NC Code Officials Qualification Board - 2025NC General Statutes, NC Administrative Code, By-LawsPage 6 of 55(2) Refusing to accept an alternative design or construction method that has been appealed under G.S. 143-140.1 and found by the Office of State Fire Marshal to comply with the Code under the conditions or circumstances set forth in the Office of State Fire Marshal’s decision for that appeal.
Click to expand...

(3) Refusing to allow the alternative construction method currently included in the Building Code under the conditions or circumstances set forth in the Code for that alternative method. (4) Enforcing a requirement that is more stringent than or otherwise exceeds the Code requirement. (5) Refusing to implement or adhere to an interpretation of the North Carolina State Building Code issued by the Building Code Council, Residential Code Council, or the Office of State Fire Marshal. (6) Habitually failing to provide requested inspections in a timely manner.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top