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An average day

Also a good argument to label them.....I almost walked into my HD and then I saw the secondary drains gushing water.....Went to lowes instead....
Can't count how many times I've told one place or another that the flow from the secondary drain was a warning of a significant issue.

Unfortunately, a blank stare and a "we'll get right on that" answer follow.
 
turns out the frozen one is actually the secondary drainage - the roof has enough icing under the snow that often the secondary becomes used and of course they did no add heat trace.

One another project the engineer intends to combine all of the roof drainage both primary and secondary into one pipe and discharge to an area well in a rear yard area. Prior to it leaving the building they intend to have a overflow "cows tongue". I think the design is bad what say you - sorry it is in pdf could not figure how to insert this like a picture.

BTW - I have seen lots of things stuck up into the tongue's and made inoperable because of such.
 

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turns out the frozen one is actually the secondary drainage - the roof has enough icing under the snow that often the secondary becomes used and of course they did no add heat trace.

One another project the engineer intends to combine all of the roof drainage both primary and secondary into one pipe and discharge to an area well in a rear yard area. Prior to it leaving the building they intend to have a overflow "cows tongue". I think the design is bad what say you - sorry it is in pdf could not figure how to insert this like a picture.

BTW - I have seen lots of things stuck up into the tongue's and made inoperable because of such.
Ok, no clue here.... never seen a design like this.

If the drain line is below the footing, it should be below frost depth. If it is backed up due to some other clog, what happened to the screen on the inlet to the drain?

And why would one ever install an overflow inside the building that comes off the buried drain. A manhole or storm grate should be the evident point to indicate that the storm system is overfilled.
 
And that is why the secondary drain shall discharge via a lambs tongue in an apparent location.

If I could I would like that the be "an apparent location and at a location that would not cause hazards - discharge onto any means of egress shall be prohibited".

The picture I posted is about three feet from a required exit. the building has a similar problem at a rear loading dock (and I have heard that there was a fall injury). Luckily the maintenance staff is equipped with salt but then they get to clean up all the salt that is tracked into the building.

We are under the Uniform Plumbing code and it does allow the combining of the primary and secondary piping but requires the piping to handle double the rainfall. I rejected the design because they did not calculate or note the rainfall. Then I sent them the picture.

Steveray was right in #3866 to chose another building - I have seen enough collapse/structural failure due to poor roof design and water or snow loading.
 
The picture I posted is about three feet from a required exit. the building has a similar problem at a rear loading dock (and I have heard that there was a fall injury).

I saw the door and that potential fall hazard in the reflection of the glass! Pretty icy.
 
EDIT: I am too slow at typing. The following does not apply for UPC.

linnrg: That engineer's design misses the intent of the code. Occupants would only know if the storm sewer backed up, not if the main roof drain system has a problem.

2015 IPC 1108.2 Separate systems required. Secondary roof drain systems shall have the end point of discharge separate from the primary system. Discharge shall be above grade, in a location that would normally be observed by the building occupants or maintenance personnel.
 
I was there for a final inspection of a re-roof. The owner didn't answer the door at 9:40 am. At 1:00pm I got a call from the office telling me that I didn't go there yet. I went back. The owner thanked me for coming back. He said that he ran out to the middle of the street this morning in an effort to flag me down but I was turning the corner at the end of the block.

He then led me to the ladder. He said that against the chimney is the only place that a ladder can be leaned because he had new gutters installed.

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ICE, Can't use that ladder to look in the other guys yard for violations! Don't do it!
 
I found this at a final inspection on a job that I have not been involved with. It is a sub-panel in a residential garage.

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The panel is about 60' of conductor away from the service panel. It has the appearance of being a cable and there is no equipment ground brought with it.

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Unfortunately there are other mistakes that should have been caught way before the final inspection.
 
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Interesting way of connecting the ground wires.
The yellow scotchlock on the right ... is it tying together a black and a white? Or optical illusion. I’m having a problem counting 7 whites turning the upper right corner.
 
I was there to perform an inspection because Edison Co. has ceased service and will not resume service until I say OK. The owner would not tell me why Edison cut the power. He said that a tenant had upset Edison and all he wants me to do is email a release to Edison. I was met by a new renter who also had no information to share.

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A crude modification of the panel has thrown them a curve ball.

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I was able to talk to an Edison representative. The house had been converted to a marijuana growing operation.
 
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This is a service upgrade from 100 amp to 200 amp.

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This is the water main being utilized as an electrode. The wire has white paint on it so obviously it is the original G.E.C.

49415891843_bc2dd96e38_b.jpg

This is the uffer. It too is obviously the original. Neither of the wires show up at the panel and wouldn’t pass inspection if they did.

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https://flic.kr/p/2ihKN8v
 
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This is a service upgrade from 100 amp to 200 amp.


Im not an electrician ... but the second break pair from the bottom on the left ... they landed a black and a white wire. Shouldn’t the white have a strip of colored tape to show its a hot, or be a different color? Looks like the bottom breaker has red and black.

And you mention an existing ufer. I thought ufers were only intended to be used where it was not possible to drive a ground rod.
 
Im not an electrician ... but the second break pair from the bottom on the left ... they landed a black and a white wire. Shouldn’t the white have a strip of colored tape to show its a hot, or be a different color? Looks like the bottom breaker has red and black.

There is no pair there, only single breakers, and there is more larger problem than that wrong.

And you mention an existing ufer. I thought ufers were only intended to be used where it was not possible to drive a ground rod.

wrong
 
Im not an electrician ... but the second break pair from the bottom on the left ... they landed a black and a white wire. Shouldn’t the white have a strip of colored tape to show its a hot, or be a different color? Looks like the bottom breaker has red and black.

And you mention an existing ufer. I thought ufers were only intended to be used where it was not possible to drive a ground rod.
The black and white wires are a 240 volt circuit. The breakers are handle tied. Wire smaller than #4 can't be re-identified unless it is part of a cable, which this is. The white wire shall be re-identified for it's entire exposed length at the panel and anywhere else that it is accessible.

If a uffer is available it shall be utilized as a grounding electrode. If a buried metal water pipe exists, it too shall be utilized as a grounding electrode. When there is a buried metal water pipe serving as an electrode a supplemental electrode is required. The supplemental electrode can be rods but a uffer can also satisfy the requirement.

In the example for this post there is a uffer so it shall be utilized. There is a rod which can be ignored. However, if the rod is to be utilized it will be done in a code compliant fashion with the exception of the usual second rod.

With new construction that includes a footing there is a code that requires a uffer to be provided. That gets missed a lot.
 
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