Inspections

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MattS87 said:
Has anyone else found that their inspector maybe isn't doing their job correctly? What I mean by this is an inspector not noticing a seemingly obvious violation. I understand they have busy schedules and there can be a lot to look at on any given job but isn't the point of the inspection to find our mistakes?
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Why call in an inspection when you have obvious violations? :huh: Dunno about where you are but here a re-inspection costs $$$. and I want my inspections to pass; reworking a job is aggravating.

When I first started, I was doing commercial v/d/v. istm at that time that chapter 7 and 8 installs got very little attention from the inspectors; they'd check the wire type to make sure it was correct, correct firestop was used, joists/studs drilled properly, nailplates used where needed, # of bends in conduit, and make sure the cables weren't laying on the grid, strapped to sprinkler pipe or electrical conduit. If one gets all of those correct, he's probably got a better install than most anyway.

Tho "neat and workmanlike" is largely unenforceable, it's been my experience that neat work draws less scrutiny on inspections than messy work.
 
jumper said:
Nothing good is going to happen to a sparky if an inspector says those words.
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My confidence in inspector knowing what he is doing goes to hell as well when he cites things that are not violations. Had one ask me recently why I didn't have AFCI's on "those circuits". My first thought was why do you even have to ask - they are serving areas not mentioned in 210.12, he later looked it up and let it go, but I couldn't believe he even thought that hard about it - all the circuits in question were supplying unfinished basement areas.

For those that think it is good to leave something to find no matter how minor - same the other way, inspector will question just what do you know about what you are doing and little things here and there that are wrong will lead to looking harder to find something more significant, I know I probably would inspect that way. I criticize other's work in similar manner when I come later for a different project or service call.

Reinspections do cost $$$ here as well, and fees go up even more if they have to do a second or third reinspection. They typically will let you correct someting on the spot if it takes little effort to correct it, but save that for the staple you actually did miss here or there and those types of things.
 
kwired said:
My confidence in inspector knowing what he is doing goes to hell as well when he cites things that are not violations. Had one ask me recently why I didn't have AFCI's on "those circuits". My first thought was why do you even have to ask - they are serving areas not mentioned in 210.12, he later looked it up and let it go, but I couldn't believe he even thought that hard about it - all the circuits in question were supplying unfinished basement areas.

For those that think it is good to leave something to find no matter how minor - same the other way, inspector will question just what do you know about what you are doing and little things here and there that are wrong will lead to looking harder to find something more significant, I know I probably would inspect that way. I criticize other's work in similar manner when I come later for a different project or service call.
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FWIW: The journeyman who taught me to leave a couple things had one of those inspectors who would look at everything until he found something simply because he thought it impossible to be perfect. I've had bosses do the same on reviews stating the same reasons.

The only fix he gave we was to bond the sub panel to the building steel which I pointed out I did and he agreed but since he couldn't see it and had no way to test it he wanted another ground which is easy enough that I wouldn't argue it. On a separate note, is labeling ckt #'s on blank covers for j-boxes required?
 
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MattS87 said:
Thanks. I plan on doing it when it's not freezing out anymore just wanted to make sure I didn't have to before final inspection
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If it's not obvious by location, I'll almost always write the description on it at the time, especially if I don't know what the ckt# will be yet.

It also depends on if it's exposed. Some people don't want any writing visible, or they may prefer a particular labeling style on anything that is exposed.
 
MattS87 said:
FWIW: The journeyman who taught me to leave a couple things had one of those inspectors who would look at everything until he found something simply because he thought it impossible to be perfect. I've had bosses do the same on reviews stating the same reasons.

The only fix he gave we was to bond the sub panel to the building steel which I pointed out I did and he agreed but since he couldn't see it and had no way to test it he wanted another ground which is easy enough that I wouldn't argue it. On a separate note, is labeling ckt #'s on blank covers for j-boxes required?
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You encountered inspectors and bosses that need to be flogged.
 
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