# Red tagged!



## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Maybe a sticky that said "will return" would have been better. The word, "What!!" isn't real descriptive.


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## JohnJ0906 (Jan 22, 2007)

I actually got a laugh out of it, once I realized what had happened. But I do agree, a little more info would have been better.


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## sparkysteve (Jan 23, 2007)

I had an inspector show up on a job once, find me while I was on the phone with our office, take the phone from my hand, shut it, and said "I'm the electrical inspector. When I'm here, I'm the most important person here!" 

Some of those guys are on the world's biggest power trip. The earth revolves around them. 

All he found on the RI inspection was 2 wires that didn't get stapled at a recept. He red tagged it and came back the next day. He "didn't have time to watch me fix it" as it was lunchtime. He then asked if I even had a license and said I should thank him for doing my punch list for me. He has recently retired. Thank goodness. That same building took 3 final inspections because he didn't have time to look at everything in a day (1 hour visits Mon. Wed. Fri.). He also couldn't inspect the roof because he was too fat to fit through the 24x24 roof hatch. :laughing:


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## JohnJ0906 (Jan 22, 2007)

He couldn't wait 5 seconds for a couple of staples?!?

3 trips for 1 inspection? I would have filed a complaint on that one.

I'm glad for your sake he's retired.


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## sparkysteve (Jan 23, 2007)

I don't think a complaint would have done any good. For some odd reason he was greatly respected by the city officials. He did the world a favor and retired. Rumor is he is very union-loyal and tries to make things easier for them and harder for us non-union types.


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## sguinn (Nov 19, 2007)

JohnJ0906 said:


> He couldn't wait 5 seconds for a couple of staples?!?
> 
> 3 trips for 1 inspection? I would have filed a complaint on that one.
> 
> I'm glad for your sake he's retired.


Working on a commercial job in Atlanta we got turned down on a rough because (1) outside light box didn't have a bond jumper in it. Told the inspector to wait just a second and there would be but he said,"Call me back when it's ready".


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Better than finding one of these on the door of the job site:


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## Nosparxsse (Aug 12, 2007)

480sparky said:


> Better than finding one of these on the door of the job site:
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## obi-wan (Jan 24, 2008)

I walk roughs with a hammer and staples.


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## sguinn (Nov 19, 2007)

obi-wan said:


> I walk roughs with a hammer and staples.


Is that prior to inspection?


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## Idaho Abe (Nov 28, 2007)

*Inspectors*

I am an electrical inspector for a jurisdiction of 50k citizens. Whne I do an inspection I am required to give exact code reference for each violation. If your inspector cannot do this appeal to his supervisor. My objective is to make each installation as near perfect as possible. To that end I have to work with electricians and public, God save us from Time Life Books. Every inspector I have known in my 20 year career has certain things they look for and some times the code changes so the inspector has to back up his statements with code. If I cannot find it in the book it does not exist or it has changed. Also please try to call us before you s/rock. Hmmmmm.


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

One of my first experiences with inspectors was as a newbie. I was running pvc conduit on a concrete wall in a deep basement with gravel on the floor and a ladder being the only access down there. There was a bunch of guys working on switch gear in a vault just off where I was. As some old guy is coming down the ladder the foreman ran over an kicked it out at the bottom. The guy fell and broke his leg on the way down. Yup that was the inspector. I was told he had been busting balls since the trench work when he complained about the mud.


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## nakulak (Dec 10, 2007)

randomkiller said:


> the foreman ran over an kicked it out at the bottom.


nice guy. getting him fired would be ok, but noone deserves to be treated like that.

I did hear a funny story about an inspector who used to show up on the job in a motorcycle at a certain job. He'd always park in the same place, and he was a ballbuster. They dug a hole at the entrance, filled it with water, and covered it with a piece of cardboard. The poor guy came as planned and had a nice mud bath (I don't think they got their inspection though)


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

nakulak said:


> nice guy. getting him fired would be ok, but noone deserves to be treated like that.
> 
> I did hear a funny story about an inspector who used to show up on the job in a motorcycle at a certain job. He'd always park in the same place, and he was a ballbuster. They dug a hole at the entrance, filled it with water, and covered it with a piece of cardboard. The poor guy came as planned and had a nice mud bath (I don't think they got their inspection though)


I was surprised that nothing ever really happened about it afterwards. It was all business as normal, other than a different inspector came out.


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## nap (Dec 26, 2007)

Sorry to hear you guys have such hard times with inspectors. In all reality, the several different jurisdictions I work in are generally pretty decent, at least with me.

Now, one of the inspectors seems to be looked at with disdain by the resi guys in our company but after looking at what they got red tagged for, it is their own fault. Simple things, very very simple things.

The only thing the guy ever questioned me about was for a rough in inspect where MC was the system of the day, I had not installed pigtails in the (metal) boxes as of yet and he questioned me as to if I planned on installing them. A simple yes and away he went/


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

nap said:


> Sorry to hear you guys have such hard times with inspectors. In all reality, the several different jurisdictions I work in are generally pretty decent, at least with me.
> 
> Now, one of the inspectors seems to be looked at with disdain by the resi guys in our company but after looking at what they got red tagged for, it is their own fault. Simple things, very very simple things.
> 
> The only thing the guy ever questioned me about was for a rough in inspect where MC was the system of the day, I had not installed pigtails in the (metal) boxes as of yet and he questioned me as to if I planned on installing them. A simple yes and away he went/


 
In NYC back in those days most of the inspectors had their hands out or were already taken care of.


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## leland (Dec 28, 2007)

Ya, late 80's early 90's the inspectors around here were old school.
Tag it and charge for a reinspection (they got to keep that check).
Had a plumbing inspector fail MY house(and I worked with him!!)

Most are now retired and younger more Pro. ones are in place (most areas)

Short version, gas pipe in laundry, he wanted a make up air vent, I have elec, I asked the plumber to remove the stubb. Insp. came back and said I needed the dryer outlet,I had the box blanked and a LAUNDRY rec already for the washer. So I left work and put in the dryer rec.

3 trips @ $25 /reinsp., nice lil' bonus for A## H ***.


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## leland (Dec 28, 2007)

Last year, got a call from a HO, Got a stop work order. Inspector saw the old vanity,sink and toilet outside.

Permit now and get the kitchen and bath up to code.

Lesson, break that stuff up and put out on trash day only!


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## tpr (Jan 10, 2008)

when i was an inspector i never said anything to the inspectors in other towns if they didn't know me exept once when i was failed on a rough for not venting a bath exhaust fan. the h.o and g.c. called in a panic when the rough was shot down. the insp. didn't tell any of them why .when i called he told me why and i explained 1. its not in the n.e.c and i don't get paid to install it with this g.c i just supply the vent kit 2. isn't that for the building inspector to look at at his final rough.he went on to say "in my town" i stopped him and told him i was a inspector to and i want it in writing with the art. and or town by-law.he looked at me and said i'll let it go this time. I went on to say i'll save you the phone call ,if i'm not getting paid to install it it won't be installed on the next rough elect .inspection.he signed the approval the next morning. but let me say even before i was a insp. i would stand up to them regardless.


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## kapakahi (Feb 12, 2007)

The stop work order pictured above is listed for a mechanical violation of a fireplace. Those don't bother me unless they are for an electrical shut-off for a gas fireplace. It is the GCs job to worry about all his permits. The electrician has to worry about electical permits. It is a good idea for the Electrician to ask about a general building permit on a job because often it is required to coordinate the trades and inspections to allow a C of O to be finalized.


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## leland (Dec 28, 2007)

Permit= Insurance.

I let the others worry about themselfs. Ya I get some crap sometimes, but...


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## thekctermite (May 6, 2008)

Idaho Abe said:


> I am an electrical inspector for a jurisdiction of 50k citizens. Whne I do an inspection I am required to give exact code reference for each violation. If your inspector cannot do this appeal to his supervisor. My objective is to make each installation as near perfect as possible.


As an inspector, I couldn't agree more. I've worked with a number of inspectors with the "ten pound badge" mentality, and I feel for the contractors that have to deal with them. My experience has been that an inspector that is heavy-handed or puts on a show when he gets to the job has a code-knowledge confidence problem! Many of those guys act that way because they can't really substantiate what they're telling people to do with actual code-based reasoning. Acting like a tough guy makes them less likely to be challenged by someone that might know the code better than they do. My best advice is to keep it professional with them, but get out your book and nicely ask that they help you find the code language to back up their call.


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## Ecopat (Apr 17, 2008)

sparkysteve said:


> I had an inspector show up on a job once, find me while I was on the phone with our office, *take the phone from my hand,* *shut it,* and said "I'm the electrical inspector. When I'm here, I'm the most important person here!"
> 
> Some of those guys are on the world's biggest power trip. The earth revolves around them.
> 
> All he found on the RI inspection was 2 wires that didn't get stapled at a recept. He red tagged it and came back the next day. He "didn't have time to watch me fix it" as it was lunchtime. He then asked if I even had a license and said I should thank him for doing my punch list for me. He has recently retired. Thank goodness. That same building took 3 final inspections because he didn't have time to look at everything in a day (1 hour visits Mon. Wed. Fri.). He also couldn't inspect the roof because he was too fat to fit through the 24x24 roof hatch. :laughing:



Im sorry, but I would have dropped him there and then.


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## thekctermite (May 6, 2008)

Ecopat said:


> Im sorry, but I would have dropped him there and then.


And he would have deserved it. That took a lot of nerve on the inspector's part! But you'd have gone to jail, and would have deserved it. 

When I'm inspecting someone's work, I could care less if they want to talk on the phone during the inspection. Phones ring, and busy builders need to answer them. However, I will not take the time to catch them up on what I may have found when they were on the phone if they choose to chat for very long. Very often, guys have liesurely phone conversations on the phone, wandering the jobsite while I am inspecting. Not a problem, but it takes a lot of nerve to ask me to show them all of the things I wrote while they were chatting and not paying attention. I write detailed inspection sheets that will direct anyone to what needs to be fixed. I'll bend over backwards and take whatever time needed to make sure someone understands what needs to be done if they're taking interest during the inspection.


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## Ecopat (Apr 17, 2008)

thekctermite said:


> And he would have deserved it. That took a lot of nerve on the inspector's part! But you'd have gone to jail, and would have deserved it.
> 
> When I'm inspecting someone's work, I could care less if they want to talk on the phone during the inspection. Phones ring, and busy builders need to answer them. However, I will not take the time to catch them up on what I may have found when they were on the phone if they choose to chat for very long. Very often, guys have liesurely phone conversations on the phone, wandering the jobsite while I am inspecting. Not a problem, but it takes a lot of nerve to ask me to show them all of the things I wrote while they were chatting and not paying attention. I write detailed inspection sheets that will direct anyone to what needs to be fixed. I'll bend over backwards and take whatever time needed to make sure someone understands what needs to be done if they're taking interest during the inspection.


Thats fair enough I guess, I still would have dropped him though, I mean who the F**K does he think he is to grab someones phone and close it down? The last person that ever did anything like that to me was my mother and I was eleven years old. Doing that to a grown man is just rude and obnoxious, the guy could have been on the phone to anyone, client, sick family member, etc, etc. A quick tap on the shoulder and then the universal "wind it up" signal always will suffice imo, but if it does not then the way you do it is the fairest and most decent thing.


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## thekctermite (May 6, 2008)

I couldn't agree more!


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

Ecopat said:


> Thats fair enough I guess, I still would have dropped him though, I mean who the F**K does he think he is to grab someones phone and close it down? The last person that ever did anything like that to me was my mother and I was eleven years old. Doing that to a grown man is just rude and obnoxious, the guy could have been on the phone to anyone, client, sick family member, etc, etc. A quick tap on the shoulder and then the universal "wind it up" signal always will suffice imo, but if it does not then the way you do it is the fairest and most decent thing.


 
That guy would have been prying his lips out of his teeth about a nano second after touching my phone. That took balls. I have never had an issue like that with an inspector, most are professionals that I have met. How big was the guy if he couldn't get through a 2' square hole???


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## Ecopat (Apr 17, 2008)

randomkiller said:


> That guy would have been prying his lips out of his teeth about a nano second after touching my phone. That took balls. I have never had an issue like that with an inspector, most are professionals that I have met. How big was the guy if he couldn't get through a 2' square hole???


Thanks for that RK, I spat my coffee out when I read that. Cheers. :thumbsup:


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

Ecopat said:


> Thanks for that RK, I spat my coffee out when I read that. Cheers. :thumbsup:


Your welcome, I call em like I see em. If he was bad enough to grab my phone  I can return the favor in my own special way.:boxing: I have never said I was a nice guy, just a crabby disgruntled old Marine.


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