# But the inspector passed it...



## five.five-six

Lel!


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## HackWork

If it passed, it passed. Why would you need to change it?


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## five.five-six

HackWork said:


> If it passed, it passed. Why would you need to change it?


I bet with a big enough crow bar you could get the deadfront of without the help of a plumber.


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## Black Dog

CT Tom said:


> Found this when quoting a generator job. Homeowner didn't understand why I told him I needed to get my plumber involved in the job.
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> When I told him that it would never pass inspection when I did the generator job, he said it passed when they built the home.
> 
> I just sighed...




There is no way any inspector ever saw that, that is a no permit butcher job..
:no:


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## Black Dog

So Tom: Did they cut the door so it can open?


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## guest

Wow. Just wow.


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## MTW

mxslick said:


> Wow. Just wow.


That's my line.


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## guest

MTW said:


> That's my line.


Oops, my bad.


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## McClary’s Electrical

Un effing believable


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## 480sparky

Typical plumber (or c-vac installer).


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## Voltron

The reason he said it passed, is because it wasn't there then. He probably hacked that plumbing in himself, or his handyman drinking buddy did and now he's getting all defensive. Tell him it's gotta go, and to put his feelings in his purse.


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## aftershockews

An inspector passed this on a safety inspection here, so I am not surprised.


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## flyboy

Only inspectors who don't get out of their car, ie. "drive by inspectors", would pass the kind of work posted in this thread.


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## chicken steve

One can challenge an inspector, or an inspection.

They are every bit as human as we are

~CS~


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## HackWork

five.five-six said:


> I bet with a big enough crow bar you could get the deadfront of without the help of a plumber.


You don't need a crowbar, there is plenty of room to get the cover off.


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## CT Tom

Black Dog said:


> So Tom: Did they cut the door so it can open?


Sadly yes, if you zoom in on the picture you can see where it was cut about 8-10" down so the door would open above the breakers. Yo can also see where the upper portion of the door was tek screwed into the cover to keep it from flopping in the breeze.



flyboy said:


> Only inspectors who don't get out of their car, ie. "drive by inspectors", would pass the kind of work posted in this thread.


Homeowner is on the City Council for this particular town, so I'm sure the inspector never even left the office, let alone do a drive by. I bid it at labor x2, figuring if I got it it'd be worth my time. As far as I know he never had it done by anyone.


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## chicken steve

CT Tom said:


> Homeowner is on the City Council for this particular town, so I'm sure the inspector never even left the office, let alone do a drive by.


Public servants who violate the public trust bestowed them are the lowest of the low .....

They obviously deserve each other 

~CS~


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## HackWork

CT Tom said:


> Found this when *quoting a generator job*. Homeowner didn't understand why I told him *I needed to get my plumber involved* in the job.





CT Tom said:


> I bid it at *labor x2*, figuring if I got it it'd *be worth my time*.


I'm not really following. Why would you need to get your plumber involved? Also, why would you double the labor cost? It might take you an extra 10 seconds to get that panel cover off and 15 seconds to get it back on when you're done. And that's with the pipe where it is. Since it's clearly not fastened into place, you can lift it a few inches making it even easier to get the cover off.

Here in NJ we have the rehab subcode so working on panels with pipes in front of them or inside of the working space is very common and just part of the game.


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## chicken steve

HackWork said:


> I'm not really following.


Bye Bye #'s for no win situations Hax....

~CS~


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## HackWork

chicken steve said:


> Bye Bye #'s for no win situations Hax....
> 
> ~CS~


I'm not sure of what you are saying. If you mean that he gave it a high price so that he either didn't get the hard job or got paid well to do it, then that's is what I don't follow. I just don't see how that pipe is going to make much of a difference in a generator installation. Add in a couple hundred for good measure, but to double the labor on a generator installation (usually high labor cost already) for a little pipe is kinda odd, IMO.


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## hardworkingstiff

I would have a contract signed for the work I was doing and make sure there was verbiage in the contract that stated extra work required by the inspector to correct violations in existing wiring would be an extra to the quoted price.

We all know it is a code violation, and like hack said, that cover can be removed and installed w/out a lot of trouble. If the inspector wants to turn a blind eye to it, that's not your problem, just make sure you have documentation that your stuff passed.


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## CT Tom

HackWork said:


> I'm not really following. Why would you need to get your plumber involved? Also, why would you double the labor cost? It might take you an extra 10 seconds to get that panel cover off and 15 seconds to get it back on when you're done. And that's with the pipe where it is. Since it's clearly not fastened into place, you can lift it a few inches making it even easier to get the cover off.
> 
> Here in NJ we have the rehab subcode so working on panels with pipes in front of them or inside of the working space is very common and just part of the game.


I got a bad vibe the whole time I was meeting with him. I'm in CT, don't have any rehab code, and my work was going to put me into the panel. Didn't want to not bid, and figured if I was going to get it, it'd be worth my headache.

As to plumber, that was an active drain line from the kitchen above.


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## chicken steve

Trust that little voice Tom....

Mr Councilman has Mr Inspector in his back pocket

~CS~


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## HackWork

The bad vibe thing changes everything. Go with your gut.


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## flyboy

CT Tom said:


> I got a bad vibe the whole time I was meeting with him. I'm in CT, don't have any rehab code, and my work was going to put me into the panel. Didn't want to not bid, and figured if I was going to get it, *it'd be worth my headache*.
> 
> As to plumber, that was an active drain line from the kitchen above.


Tom, Why do you keep insisting it's your headache? You didn't install the plumbing pipe that's creating the violation, someone else did. If your quoting the job, just quote it as if it's not there. Casually mention to the homeowner that the inspector might have a problem with it, but we can wait and see. 

As hardworkingstiff suggested always have a clause in your contracts stipulating that electrical code violations not part of your installation shall be quoted as an extra and if authorized by the owner shall be corrected as an additional fee to the quote. 

Your over reacting and making way more out of this than there is. Get the job, don't sweat the small stuff.


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## fargowires

this also was city approved. Boiler steam pipe. Panel doors couldn't swing closed.
We lowered the panels.


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## millelec

fargowires said:


> this also was city approved. Boiler steam pipe. Panel doors couldn't swing closed.
> We lowered the panels.


and I'm betting the pipe was there before those panels...although that makes little sense to do that...


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## fargowires

Well, the original 4 space fuse box was apparently mounted where the right panel is, judging from the existing k&t above. So, the original electrician mounted it behind the pipe. The house predates electricity. Original coal boiler was installed as house was built. Gas line came in some 15 years later, updated boiler and some gas lights. Then, electricity.
So, we are to blame.


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## HackWork

A few months ago I did a service change at an old house. The water came in directly underneath the panel and the pipe ran up vertically in front of the panel. It was about 11 inches in front of the panel so the door was able to swing open. 

I essentially had to hug that waterpipe when installing the new panel. My face and chest were touching the pipe as I wired the panel up.

I suggested that they have the pipe moved, but they didn't want to. Moving the panel would've cost more money because I would have needed an outside disconnect. Since the rehab code allowed me to put the panel in the same position, I passed inspection. 

Although I think it's a crappy situation, it's not my place to make demands that have nothing to do with me. I did add an extra hundred dollars onto the job to make up for the nuisance of the pipe being there.


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## fargowires

Did you at least insulate the pipe with foam?


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## HackWork

fargowires said:


> Did you at least insulate the pipe with foam?


I should have, it would have been a bit more comfortable :laughing:


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## chicken steve

There are circumstances where all the contractual jargon will be useless, and inspectors will all turn their backs on us. 

I'm involved, with about 2 dozen other participants , in litigation almost every lawyer in the area has either turned down or gone light on

I've even had formal complaints shelved for years by state officials 

IF you sense you're involved in some sort of nepotism or collusion emanating from official levels , it isn't going to matter how_ 'righteous' _you are 

Bow out as gracefully as you can 

I wish i did....


~CS~


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## Switched

Does your rehab code allow you to put a panel back in a closet?

We have no rehab code here. If we want to add a circuit to a panel that is located in a closet, the whole panel needs to be relocated before the circuit can be added.

That's all fine and good until you are working on a high rise and your feeders and branch circuits are all embedded in the concrete structure. That's when we remove the closet, pass inspection, and then re-install the closet.


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## Sparky_Moto

That's a good one switched lol. As an inspector we all know this happens 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## HackWork

Switched said:


> Does your rehab code allow you to put a panel back in a closet?
> 
> We have no rehab code here. If we want to add a circuit to a panel that is located in a closet, the whole panel needs to be relocated before the circuit can be added.
> 
> That's all fine and good until you are working on a high rise and your feeders and branch circuits are all embedded in the concrete structure. That's when we remove the closet, pass inspection, and then re-install the closet.


Yup. Closet, bathroom, shower, anywhere :thumbsup:


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## CT Tom

flyboy said:


> Tom, Why do you keep insisting it's your headache? You didn't install the plumbing pipe that's creating the violation, someone else did. If your quoting the job, just quote it as if it's not there. Casually mention to the homeowner that the inspector might have a problem with it, but we can wait and see.
> 
> As hardworkingstiff suggested always have a clause in your contracts stipulating that electrical code violations not part of your installation shall be quoted as an extra and if authorized by the owner shall be corrected as an additional fee to the quote.
> 
> Your over reacting and making way more out of this than there is. Get the job, don't sweat the small stuff.


The "headache" comment was job based overall, not just about the pipe, hell I could have fixed that on my own in under an hour. It's about trusting my instinct. Every time I ignored that little feeling, the job turned to garbage. I realize not every job is going to be a winner, but when it reads as a loser from the get go to me, I'm not going to leave myself open. The extras in the contract got that covered as well.


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## Dennis Alwon

Switched said:


> Does your rehab code allow you to put a panel back in a closet?



A common misconception. A panel may be allowed in a closet if it is in an area away from combustibles- For instance if the door opens up to wall then there is no reason a panel cannot be on the wall behind that door.


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## pjholguin

chicken steve said:


> There are circumstances where all the contractual jargon will be useless, and inspectors will all turn their backs on us.
> 
> I'm involved, with about 2 dozen other participants , in litigation almost every lawyer in the area has either turned down or gone light on
> 
> I've even had formal complaints shelved for years by state officials
> 
> IF you sense you're involved in some sort of nepotism or collusion emanating from official levels , it isn't going to matter how_ 'righteous' _you are
> 
> Bow out as gracefully as you can
> 
> I wish i did....
> 
> 
> ~CS~


Sounds like a new thread!


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## pjholguin

fargowires said:


> this also was city approved. Boiler steam pipe. Panel doors couldn't swing closed.
> We lowered the panels.


Fargowires is that a red tag on the panel? Or did the electrician that did it had the balls to put his name/company name to it? ROFLMAO!


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## Tyreese

Cable guy ran low voltage wire right through the panel. He told the homeowner he couldn't cut and re splice the wire. It was only cat5.


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## chicken steve

pjholguin said:


> Sounds like a new thread!


If there's ever any resolve ,i'll post one PJ

~CS~


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## seelite

U guys want a laugh ? After 42 yrs in the trade I became a municipal Inspector. found an almost identical panel/pipe. Issued violation notice & after 30 days non-compliance had utility cut the service. Home owner sued municipality, lost. HO then threatened the judge as well as others. HO didn't realize judge was married to a Police. Seems (I think) the police force started looking at the HO real closely, found a bunch of stuff. Last I heard, the HO was 4 yrs into a 10-15 in prison. So yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and he occasionally rewards inspectors who have brass instead of crystal spheres. This one made up for all the crap jobs that I saw as a journeyman and master.
Advice, don't be afraid to report the (serious) violations. You sleep better.


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## don_resqcapt19

480sparky said:


> Typical plumber (*or c-vac installer*).


Around here that would be the electrician.


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