More supply house woes

[hurk27]

The modular homes I have set the service for have had an inspection sticker on the panel from the Mfg. I would say it is the Mfg. place to install the breakers since they are supposed to pass inspection before they leave the plant.

The problem with a modular home is, they are shipped all over the country since it only has to meet local code, a code that varies greatly from location to location, they will just meet the more common requirements and leave the code tweaking up to the final installers. and like AFCI's in which some states (like Indiana) don't require them, so it will be the final installers responsibility to provide them and install them. The problem I run into with this is I have had where the manufacture had used MWBC to feed the bedrooms and your stuck using two pole AFCI that were not available back when Indiana still required AFCI's.
Sometimes if you pit the homeowner against the manufacture, the manufacture will send you what you need to save face with their costumer, worked a few times for me.:grin:

 

[ceb58]

The problem with a modular home is, they are shipped all over the country since it only has to meet local code, a code that varies greatly from location to location, they will just meet the more common requirements and leave the code tweaking up to the final installers. and like AFCI's in which some states (like Indiana) don't require them, so it will be the final installers responsibility to provide them and install them. The problem I run into with this is I have had where the manufacture had used MWBC to feed the bedrooms and your stuck using two pole AFCI that were not available back when Indiana still required AFCI's.
Sometimes if you pit the homeowner against the manufacture, the manufacture will send you what you need to save face with their costumer, worked a few times for me.:grin:

Yes, you could be right. I am use to the fact that there are several modular mfg. with in 50 miles and they have there own sales lots that you order the home from. So it could be they build them to NC code if they know it will stay here.

 

[dduffee260]

Bring a cable length meter

Since late January we have purchased something like 2.5 million feet of #12 building wire, 750,000 feet of #10, 150,000 feet of # 8 and something similar to that scaled down to the other branch wire sizes. The feeder wire I don't have the footage remembered but it does fill up 3 storage containers. The type MC cable I think was close to 400,000 feet from 12/2 to 4/3. In all we have 7 conexes full of wire. I didn't really have time to measure each reel. We do own a BEHA Cable Length Meter and I have used it to verify broken feeder reels before a wire pull just to make sure we had enough for that pull.

When we go to make feeder pulls if a full purchased reel is short I will be on the phone with the vendor immediately. If they do not make good on the footage plus the lost time then next time we buy wire it will not be from that vendor. We have no problem getting service from our supply houses.

Just a note, a large portion of this was purchased for projects bid last year when copper was $3.55 a lb. When we bought the wire this year copper prices were $1.25 a lb. I think somehow I got lucky and caught the bottom, unless copper takes another dive back down and if it does we will buy more to make up for what we have used.

 

[mivey]

When we go to make feeder pulls if a full purchased reel is short I will be on the phone with the vendor immediately.

How often does that happen? I may be too trusting.

 

[kbsparky]

....I would say it is the Mfg. place to install the breakers since they are supposed to pass inspection before they leave the plant...

Yeah, the cost to replace all those breakers will be back charged to the manufacturer. Since this home was built in one state, and ultimately ended up in another, they dropped the ball on this one. Like I said, they are used to building HUD certified houses, and forgot this one was not.

 

[dduffee260]

How often does that happen? I may be too trusting.

Actually maybe 3 or 4 times a year. We try to make sure we have a tad extra ordered so we don't order the exact amount for the pull.

 

[ohm]

Yeah, the cost to replace all those breakers will be back charged to the manufacturer. Since this home was built in one state, and ultimately ended up in another, they dropped the ball on this one. Like I said, they are used to building HUD certified houses, and forgot this one was not.

Sounds like the cost of the AFCI's will be small compared to replacing the wire on an MWBC.

Also, with the 2008 Code just about every 120v branch circuit (except the CT & baths) will have to be a combination AFCI.