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Beaches EE said:
They are not, but some inspectors look at workmanship and determine their approach to the inspection from there. It's the little details that can make a big difference, sometimes.
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I agree, I’ve had inspectors that know my work, and will not even get out of the truck to look at it. I wired a house for the boss’s best friend, while I was at the supply house, I asked some of the local electricians how the inspector was, they said he turns everybody down, so I knew what to expect. Passed the rough in, he looked at everything closely, When it came to the final, he sat down in the living room filling out the paperwork, and asked if he could take pictures of it to show the other contractors what it was supposed to look like! The builder said his usual guy could do it in half the time, but would not look nowhere near as good. Residential is a cut throat market. LOL!
 
That scrap was only there because we took the photo while we were doing the install. I do this deliberately now in that particular town. We photograph everything we put in so I have pictures to back me up. It isn't there now once we cleaned up. I get where your coming from on it. if someone sees sloppy work then they are more likely to pick on everything. I can understand that perspective to be honest. This is why its important that the inspector actually walk in and take a look at the job when they come for an inspection.

We clean up after and that picture just happens to have been taken right after it was terminated. I know what your saying about the scrap and agree it looks sloppy. It wasn't there afterward. I'm pretty OCD about cleaning everything up and probably annoy my employees with it to be honest. I can only be in one place at a time and I'm sure some stuff slips through the cracks.

I appreciate everyone's input on the matter. If he failed because one wire is solid and the other stranded I would have found that reasonable. After looking at it again you can actually see the lug has slots on both sides that have a wire indentation. Similar to what you see on some breakers that are rated for 2 wires. I also was messing around with one at my house and it seems like it actually grabs better with 2 wires than one but I may be biased on that given the circumstances.

I'm not looking for anyones head on a stake, I just want fair treatment and the person to do there job properly.

Ill keep you posted how this works out
 
Quick question about the screw that someone mentioned. If this is being mounted on plywood is there an issue using that particular screw? Someone mentioned it and I would like to know if its not allowed for some reason. This timer was mounted on plywood in a basement. I believe that is one of the coated screws, the gray kind.
 
Ram1013 said:
Quick question about the screw that someone mentioned. If this is being mounted on plywood is there an issue using that particular screw? Someone mentioned it and I would like to know if its not allowed for some reason. This timer was mounted on plywood in a basement. I believe that is one of the coated screws, the gray kind.
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Opinions vary but mine is that there is nothing wrong with mounting things with Sheetrock screws like this timer but of course the type of fastener has to be suitable for the equipment that being mounted.
 
Ram1013 said:
Quick question about the screw that someone mentioned. If this is being mounted on plywood is there an issue using that particular screw? Someone mentioned it and I would like to know if its not allowed for some reason. This timer was mounted on plywood in a basement. I believe that is one of the coated screws, the gray kind.
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As I understand it, and maybe I'm wrong, drywall screws are more brittle than your standard wood screw. The threads also have a greater pitch. I don't know if it would really make a difference.
 
Yes, drywall screws are more brittle and can snap more easily than wood screws. Drywall screws are often used in place of wood screws in our profession and trade because they are readily available, inexpensive and don't require a pilot hole.
 
Beaches EE said:
They are not, but some inspectors look at workmanship and determine their approach to the inspection from there. It's the little details that can make a big difference, sometimes.
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Sounds like you are being picky. We don't usually use sheetrock screws but those screws will be there till someone removes them-- especially if they are coarse threads
 
Point taken Dennis. I was just using the screws as an example of "details". I am not trying to be critical of the OP's workmanship or even of inspectors, just pointing out how some might use fine details to further their cause, so to speak.
 
Anyone think this guy is looking for a bribe?

A friend of mine just went through not being able to get a final (small GC) in DC. After many attempts and failures, he met the inspector on a Saturday (inspector's request) at the job site and handed him an envelope with 5 one hundred dollar bills and whatda know, he passed ... finally.
 
oldsparky52 said:
Anyone think this guy is looking for a bribe?

A friend of mine just went through not being able to get a final (small GC) in DC. After many attempts and failures, he met the inspector on a Saturday (inspector's request) at the job site and handed him an envelope with 5 one hundred dollar bills and whatda know, he passed ... finally.
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That is not a chance I'd advise anyone to take. First, it's illegal and you shouldn't ever. Pragmatically, you never know what the full dynamics of that situation are. Suppose he's already been nicked, and the LEO's and DA are trying to find all the bad apples. They're not happy with the two or three small fish he's handed over, so he starts trolling for others he can put on someone's wall, never mind it's the first time you've succumbed. It gives me the willies just thinking about it.
 
oldsparky52 said:
Anyone think this guy is looking for a bribe?

A friend of mine just went through not being able to get a final (small GC) in DC. After many attempts and failures, he met the inspector on a Saturday (inspector's request) at the job site and handed him an envelope with 5 one hundred dollar bills and whatda know, he passed ... finally.
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Your friend is a fool. He should have documented it and had the guy arrested. My guess is your friend screwed up pretty bad and it was cheaper to pay off the inspector.

When I was a kid in NYC working for my dad, he had to meet every inspector at the job and give them $5 or $10 -- not sure how much. I asked my dad why he did it and he said if he didn't then they would never show up or they would leave you waiting all day at the job. I had heard many years latter there was a huge bust on this issue. Everyone got fired and I believe some other organization came in temporarily.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
When I was a kid in NYC working for my dad, he had to meet every inspector at the job and give them $5 or $10 -- not sure how much. I asked my dad why he did it and he said if he didn't then they would never show up or they would leave you waiting all day at the job. I had heard many years latter there was a huge bust on this issue. Everyone got fired and I believe some other organization came in temporarily.
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When I started in this business in the 80's NYC construction was very corrupt. The foreman on a big job would walk around with a wad of 100's in his pocket and when the inspector would say "what about that violation?", out came a 100. By the end of the inspection the inspector made two weeks pay.
 
Ram1013 said:
I'm new to the forum and I am looking for some advice on an issue I'm having. I'm a licensed electrical contractor in the state of New Jersey and perform various electrical jobs throughout the state. There is a town in particular where the inspector is always looking for something to fail every job on. It's a bit of a long standing joke in the town that there inspectors fail every job. I have actually been told by the inspector that they always look for a reason to fail a job a few years back.

I will preface this with the fact that Coronavirus is spreading so I'm aware that inspections have been different lately.

We are currently having an issue with a pool installation. He failed us for not using a direct burial bug. The bug was clearly stamped "DB" I think he didn't want to bend over and look. I actually had a photo form when I installed it because I knew it was something he might bring up. After I sent he picture and a cut sheet for the actual connector (which he requested) he then failed it for not having the trench visible. the trench was 20" deep and dug with a ditch witch. The circuit had GFI protection at the panel so it was well below where it needed to be. The customer did place some blocks over an area because he has small children. After resolving this issue we scheduled an inspection for inside.

The inspector failed it again. Didn't even enter the home and said he cant come in due to coronavirus. No mention of this was made ahead of time or when we scheduled the inspection. He just left a red sticker. He then proceeded to ask for pictures. No problem, I get it, nobody wants to risk getting sick. We sent him out pictures of everything. He failed it again and asked for more specific pictures. Fine, we sent him a detailed email including videos, and pictures of everything he asked for.

He then fails it again saying there are 2 grounds under a termination screw in the panel. This is completely unrelated to the wire we installed. So this is where we are at now. Once again he didn't call, email even after we were corresponding via email. He stopped by to stick a red sticker on the door though. He was rude to the customer over the phone when they called for clarification.

I wondered if maybe he has a vendetta out for me some reason. Definitely possible. However, I can say I have never really had any argument with him. This particular town is notorious for doing this and I know of a few contractors that refuse to do work in the town for that reason. I am at the point where I feel I should file a formal complaint. I have never done this before and to be honest I am really not that kind of person. I rarely complain but this is starting to get to me. We literally failed 3 times and have yet to actually correct anything on the job because they were all nonsense.

I would like to know if anyone has any experience filing a complaint like this and if so where do I go. The township, the board of electrical examiners, etc. If you think I should not file and he is doing the right thing please let me know. I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. I definitely feel like something has to be done at this point. Its driving the costs of jobs up in the town because people don't want to work here and contractors know they have to spend a ridiculous amount of time doing stuff like this.

Some input would be appreciated
Thank you
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I am an Inspector in Alabama and if we fail someone we have to give them a written explanation as to why it failed upon their request. That may the case where you are. It may be city codes that were adopted or State statutes , either way he should have to provide written documents that the violations occurred .What he is doing sounds like it has malicious intent which is a violation of ethics in every state. And there again it may not be you but the owner may have failed to get proper permitting before.
 
zbang said:
BTW, I know we've discussed this before- "drywall" screws are designed to be brittle and are different from construction/deck screws.
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But from the picture, I cannot tell if it is a drywall screw or a 'bugle-head' construction screw.
 
Just a heads up about the screw. It is one of the coated gray screws commonly used in decking. It is also rated for outdoor. It has a phillips head on it. I don't use the black sheetrock screws as I have actually had some break if the wood is hard and I could see that being a problem. I've never had a problem with these screws either from an inspector or from having one break on me. I have had issues with black sheetrock screws in the past. Similar in nature to this but a different length. The wood was existing and mounted to a concrete block wall that is exposed to the ground on the other side. These screws hold up well in an area where there is moisture so I usually carry them and use them in unfinished areas.

I'm aware that just because I've never personally had an issue doesn't necessarily mean its correct. That's why I was asking. I've been doing electrical work for about 15 years now both on commercial and residential. If there is something like this I can change to avoid any issues I'm open to it. This is the first time I've ever felt that someone is being malicious with the inspections which is why I asked for opinions.

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