An average day

[ICE]

I may have missed it somewhere in 263 pages, but what does "ICE" stand for? I heard the term tiger but I wasn't sure that was endearing.

Sorry, still trying to build posts.

I neglected to welcome you to the forum.....so welcome Zeke.

In 2009 I was a member of the forum with the pseudonym Tigerloose. I left after about a year. I came back in 2011 as ICE. Neither Tigerloose or ICE have a meaning.
Tigerloose came about when I growled at a computer as I was trying to create profile for a Wells Fargo bank account. My Vietnamese girlfriend heard me and she said, "Uh Oh a tiger is loose." I was born in the year of the Tiger and Asian folks have a misplaced belief in that stuff.

Some of the old timers here remember Tigerloose and even say that there is such a thing as Tiger Code. I was at the public counter with the manager when a contractor asked what codes we enforce. The manager went through the list and then pointed at me and said, "And A****'s code" The contractor asked where he can get a copy of A****'s code. The manager said that it is not written down. The contractor asked how he will know if he violated A**** 's code. The manager said, "A**** will tell you."

I created the Average Day thread for pictures. Most of it isn't worthy of a stand alone thread and that takes too long what with a title and all. There has been a few people that have gone through the entire thread. I have heard from managers that make it required reading for new hires. Sometimes I will drop in the middle and look around and I can be amazed at the mistakes that were made.

I figured that this being a media platform people would get behind posting pictures but it never caught on. The forum is more about design and plan check issues and there are just a few inspectors. I always take pictures with well over 60,000 and have lost another 100,000 when computers die. Pictures make it easy to explain the corrections to managers and contractors.

 

[steveray]

That joist hanger is ugly but I bet it works fine. If you asked Simpson to make them, they probably would like to oblige. Unfortunately getting all the certs for them would be prohibitive.

All metal hangers get "approved" by the AHJ, so approve what you want....

R502.6 Bearing. The ends of each joist, beam or girder shall
have not less than 11/2 inches (38 mm) of bearing on wood or
metal, have not less than 3 inches of bearing (76 mm) on
masonry or concrete or be supported by approved joist hangers.
Alternatively, the ends of joists shall be supported on a
1-inch by 4-inch (25 mm by 102 mm) ribbon strip and shall
be nailed to the adjacent stud. The bearing on masonry or
concrete shall be direct, or a sill plate of 2-inch-minimum
(51 mm) nominal thickness shall be provided under the joist,
beam or girder. The sill plate shall provide a minimum nominal
bearing area of 48 square inches (30 865 mm2).

 

[e hilton]

All metal hangers get "approved" by the AHJ, so approve what you want....

Except that the hanger in the picture has been modified.

 

[steveray]

Except that the hanger in the picture has been modified.

So....lets go all the way with this....40/10# loading Max span 2x10 DF 15'7".....So lets call it 7.5' tributary X1.3 (16"OC) ...So something like 390# live and 97 dead


Is this hanger equivalent to 4 or 5 16d's as installed?...You make the call.....Or call an engineer.....

 

[Inspector Gift]

ICE, I greatly appreciated looking at your pics and reading your comments starting from when you first posted them. Having had over 25 years building, and now over 20 years as an inspector/plans examiner/code official, I enjoy and still benefit from your posts.

Providing a code section and a picture often saves me a hundred words trying to explain the problem to the foreman or job superintendent. And it's a bonus when they send me picture back of the item corrected.

 

[e hilton]

Is this hanger equivalent to 4 or 5 16d's as installed?...You make the call.....Or call an engineer.....

My point was … the hanger has been modified … no longer meets the manufacturers specs.

 

[Beniah Naylor]

Hard to tell from the angle of the photo, but the nails don't really have much meat to grab onto either.

 

[ICE]

That joist hanger is ugly but I bet it works fine.

I'm with the new guy. The nails were driven at an angle. Hardware gets mangled to fit the situation.

 

[e hilton]

I'm with the new guy. The nails were driven at an angle. Hardware gets mangled to fit the situation.

I have done it myself. But it isn’t right.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

The joist hanger going up toward 11:00 looks ok. But i’m having a little problem seeing if the double 2x is cut to butt to the post, or is the post cut to provide a shelf?

We call this "incised." It's actually not a bad way of doing things, all in all.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

Not under my oversight, or this would never have got off the ground. This is at a local school.

 

[e hilton]

Too steep?

 

[bill1952]

No curbs at least, and potentially too much elevation without a landing. Landing at intersection at top of oes not look near level. Dimensions including pitch hard to tell from photo.

Curbs and intersection landing for sure.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

Well, our regs might be different from yours but

- no landing at change of direction;
- no mid-spot resting area
- improper guards
- missing/improper handrail
- missing curbs

 

[steveray]

What is the elevation and the slope? 1:20 and less than 30" drop, nothing required.....

 

[e hilton]

Well, our regs might be different from yours but

- no landing at change of direction;
- no mid-spot resting area
- improper guards
- missing/improper handrail
- missing curbs

If you look carefully there is a “mid-spot” resting area … sort of. You can see the railing go level. Now that’s not to say it’s at the middle of the incline, or if it is at the maximum distance from one end, or even if it is correct. But give them a C- for good intentions.

 

[bill1952]

Well, our regs might be different from yours but

- no landing at change of direction;
- no mid-spot resting area
- improper guards
- missing/improper handrail
- missing curbs

Definitely over 30" at least at section in upper left of photo so guard infill missing.

Isn't top rail on guard acceptable for handrail? Maybe it's only in assembly seating where that's the case. Certainly appears to meet graspability requirement.

 

[Plumb-bob]

View attachment 10463

Is this one worthy?

Is that 2ply beam notched into the post, or butt jointed? I cant tell

 

[Inspector Gadget]

If you look carefully there is a “mid-spot” resting area … sort of. You can see the railing go level. Now that’s not to say it’s at the middle of the incline, or if it is at the maximum distance from one end, or even if it is correct. But give them a C- for good intentions.

It's there - and it isn't actually level.

(I'm actually going to send this to the next person that teaches such things to our new inspectors.)

Definitely over 30" at least at section in upper left of photo so guard infill missing.

Isn't top rail on guard acceptable for handrail? Maybe it's only in assembly seating where that's the case. Certainly appears to meet graspability requirement.

Our codes would require balusters with 4" spacing.

To be a handrail, would have to be on both sides, continuously graspable, and one would extend 30 cm beyond the end (not shown, but doesn't exist.)

 

[tmurray]

(I'm actually going to send this to the next person that teaches such things to our new inspectors.)

It's me. Consider it sent.

 

[bill1952]

Our codes would require balusters with 4" spacing.

To be a handrail, would have to be on both sides, continuously graspable, and one would extend 30 cm beyond the end (not shown, but doesn't exist.)

You wouldn't permit anything except balusters? Not solid panels or mesh nor anything else but balusters?

I thought there were graspable rails on both sides and can't see end of ramp.

 

[ICE]

I don't want to use a company name so I will tell you that it rhymes with sun run. The worker was not there. He left me a note explaining why he was not there. The dead fronts are sitting on the ground. I left a correction slip asking him to not do this...along with a few other items. The major correction is that there is no label on the service panel. It has a 100 amp main breaker and there is a 30 perhaps 40 amp PV breaker. The 120% rule will not allow that.








An hour later I met him at another job. He asked me about the corrections at the first job. When I mentioned the dead fronts he said that he has done exactly that for years and was not going to change now. So I started to write corrections and asked him to open all of the equipment. He said that I can open the equipment myself. Before I could finish the second correction he said, "You're a contractor and you are wasting my time with corrections because I will just get someone else." I asked him if he wants me to stop. He said yes and I did.

The two corrections were: Bond every end of the armor that protects the GEC. Secure the armor protected GEC to the building, above the dirt.

Doing this job a day at a time ... now and then ... is enough for me.

 

[ICE]

Solar contractors always have pictures of the roof top junction boxes. I don't go on tile roofs. So I end up with a cell phone screen showing me the work. I wrote a correction for this ... then the worker said,
"Oh my bad, that picture is from another job."

 

[ICE]

This water heater is ten inches away from the wall with no brace behind it. The plumber's tape at the front is flimsy, like something from an Erector Set.