Inspectors/Inspections.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Fulthrotl said:
bullseye! you got it.

my experience was it was easier to make a cheat sheet
and write it down, than to have it carved on my chest.

...
Click to expand...

I was able to keep it all in my head when I was directly doing installs and inspections myself. Now that I have several crews working for me, I really need to have a standard operating procedure that covers at least 90% of the jurisdictions. Getting my guys to remember to look at AHJ notes, and then if they did that to remember what they read, is just hard. I don't want to be a micro-manager. And it actually leads to more failures, that cost more money than a few extra crimps and stickers on each job.
 
J.P. said:
I had to pull the meter, unhook my feeds into my main service disconnect and put a bonding bushing on PVC once. It took me about an hour. The city inspector was very happy once the bonding bushing was installed. Wrong, but happy.

Now he considers our whole company to be great to work with and doesn't do more than glance around on inspections.

Hour well spent.
Click to expand...

They make split bushings for that :) - http://www.bptfittings.com/Public/Documents/LiteratureLibrary/Brochure/Bushings%20Brochure.pdf
 
augie47 said:
I am a bit surprised you find that difficulty in So Cal as I thought PV would be prevalent enough that most questions had been ironed out. Locally I do very few PV inspections and it's often a learning experience for ME.
Even with a whole lot of study, seminars, etc I think a lot of us old time inspectors rely on years of field experience and there aren't that many with Solar experience.
I don't find the Article to be that "simple" and I'm afraid it will take a while for you to "teach the inspectors".... Your success will prove you have patience and finesse. :D
Click to expand...
You would think so, I've written more correction notices in the last couple of months than I probably have written in the last year. Everyone seems to think that the plans are just a suggestion.
 
Very few inspectors will document their deviation from the code requirements, therefore will not be in court if there's a failure. Stick to best practices and cover your assets.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
J.P. said:
I had to pull the meter, unhook my feeds into my main service disconnect and put a bonding bushing on PVC once. It took me about an hour. The city inspector was very happy once the bonding bushing was installed. Wrong, but happy.

Now he considers our whole company to be great to work with and doesn't do more than glance around on inspections.

Hour well spent.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry but I would stand my ground pretty hard if an inspector wanted a bonding bushing on PVC no matter how easy it may be to do what he wants. The guy is just plain incompetent in this field if he can't figure that one out.

IF for some reason I did put a bond bushing on, I would probably land a nylon string in it to complete the bonding that was requested though:cool:
 
kwired said:
I'm sorry but I would stand my ground pretty hard if an inspector wanted a bonding bushing on PVC no matter how easy it may be to do what he wants. The guy is just plain incompetent in this field if he can't figure that one out.

IF for some reason I did put a bond bushing on, I would probably land a nylon string in it to complete the bonding that was requested though:cool:
Click to expand...

I agree, some things you just can't do to make an inspector happy.
 
cowboyjwc said:
Everyone seems to think that the plans are just a suggestion.
Click to expand...

Another difference between East and West, here I (we) treat plans like a suggestion in many cases. It is the customers job, not the inspection department to ensure we meet the job specifications. The inspectors stick with the NEC minimums.
 
iwire said:
Another difference between East and West, here I (we) treat plans like a suggestion in many cases. It is the customers job, not the inspection department to ensure we meet the job specifications. The inspectors stick with the NEC minimums.
Click to expand...
I have made more than one anal retentive type mad when I call them Suggestions.
 
Majority of the work I do doesn't have any official documented plans - especially one with electrical portions of the project on it.
I can't ever recall wiring a dwelling and having an electrical plan that we followed to every detail on the plan. Very few even had any electrical plan period though. Talk about making it hard to win jobs when the owner is shopping for an electrician and doesn't have a plan, nobody is estimating the same thing, but owner doesn't understand that.
 
kwired said:
Majority of the work I do doesn't have any official documented plans - especially one with electrical portions of the project on it.
I can't ever recall wiring a dwelling and having an electrical plan that we followed to every detail on the plan. Very few even had any electrical plan period though. Talk about making it hard to win jobs when the owner is shopping for an electrician and doesn't have a plan, nobody is estimating the same thing, but owner doesn't understand that.
Click to expand...

Well it's not always so grandiose when there are plans Mr Kwired.

But this is dependent of how the bureaucracy operated demographically

Consider my state , who's infinite wisdom requires a stamped set of approved prints for any major construction

This usually requires an architect , i'm sure you're no stranger to these sorts who are way too close to archangel in the dictionary :lol:

But that's where it ends. So said project may well involve prints made a year or two before it's groundbreak, and there is no requirement for said Archy to mitigate all the changes

At which point the trade foremen are placed in the position of design / build , which many times may include having to go toe/toe with multiple factions

This isn't easy, especially in job meetings where everyone may have a lot of alphabet after their names EXCEPT the Spark in charge

Trust me in that, you want to have done your homework and have the advocation (ok, clout) of your AHJ in your back pocket when in such situations....

~RJ~
 
romex jockey said:
Well it's not always so grandiose when there are plans Mr Kwired.

But this is dependent of how the bureaucracy operated demographically

Consider my state , who's infinite wisdom requires a stamped set of approved prints for any major construction

This usually requires an architect , i'm sure you're no stranger to these sorts who are way too close to archangel in the dictionary :lol:

But that's where it ends. So said project may well involve prints made a year or two before it's groundbreak, and there is no requirement for said Archy to mitigate all the changes

At which point the trade foremen are placed in the position of design / build , which many times may include having to go toe/toe with multiple factions

This isn't easy, especially in job meetings where everyone may have a lot of alphabet after their names EXCEPT the Spark in charge

Trust me in that, you want to have done your homework and have the advocation (ok, clout) of your AHJ in your back pocket when in such situations....

~RJ~
Click to expand...
Since most of what I do is design/build (for my portion of the project anyway) I know all about having to have the clout of the AHJ in my back pocket. I have to watch all other subcontractors like a hawk or they will create a code violation for me. It is fun trying to ensure we have a proper concrete encased electrode before anyone is even thinking about an electrician being on the job:roll:
 
Good point in 'others creating violations'

110.26 space violations & CCE's top the list for me

Local 'crete guys think i'm a big fat pita.....:lol:

~RJ~
 
romex jockey said:
Well it's not always so grandiose when there are plans Mr Kwired.

But this is dependent of how the bureaucracy operated demographically

Consider my state , who's infinite wisdom requires a stamped set of approved prints for any major construction

This usually requires an architect , i'm sure you're no stranger to these sorts who are way too close to archangel in the dictionary :lol:

But that's where it ends. So said project may well involve prints made a year or two before it's groundbreak, and there is no requirement for said Archy to mitigate all the changes

At which point the trade foremen are placed in the position of design / build , which many times may include having to go toe/toe with multiple factions

This isn't easy, especially in job meetings where everyone may have a lot of alphabet after their names EXCEPT the Spark in charge

Trust me in that, you want to have done your homework and have the advocation (ok, clout) of your AHJ in your back pocket when in such situations....

~RJ~
Click to expand...

You can always move to a different state with more stringent requirements, then we won't have to hear you constantly complain about it. :roll:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top