An average day

[ICE]

Sometimes I wonder how I can keep a straight face when I am presented with things like this. And the contractor was there to meet me. This is all the proof I need that a license is easy to get.

 

[codeworks]

ok iceman, they are feeders, not service entrance conductors. they run from the disconnect outside adjacent the meter to a MLO panel in the building. I dont recall the conductior size off the top of my head, but they would have been yugly in the panel, taken up too much space, contractor wanted to use polaris type, i suggested butt splice with cold shrink, he liked polaris, so the splices are in j box out side the tenant space, which is all part of the original pipe run install for power to this little establishment.

 

[ICE]

ok iceman, they are feeders, not service entrance conductors. they run from the disconnect outside adjacent the meter to a MLO panel in the building. I dont recall the conductior size off the top of my head, but they would have been yugly in the panel, taken up too much space, contractor wanted to use polaris type, i suggested butt splice with cold shrink, he liked polaris, so the splices are in j box out side the tenant space, which is all part of the original pipe run install for power to this little establishment.

I thought that that might be the case because you mentioned the ground. I didn't know what polaris type meant so now I've learned something today. I mentioned service entrance conductors because of the size you gave for the conductors.

 

[KZQuixote]

Yep, any real roofer knows you gotta roll it out and let it relax before you nail it down, proally means someone underbid the job.

Bill

The Home Depot crew and you aren't really roofers.

 

[ICE]

Sometimes it's the simplest of concepts that escape them.

The correction said: Secure the vent to the draft hood with three sheet metal screws.

 

[ICE]

 

[ICE]

"The plywood was in great condition so we got a head start. You aren't going to make us tear it off are you? How about if we open up a small area so that you can see some plywood?"

 

[imhotep]

"The plywood was in great condition so we got a head start. You aren't going to make us tear it off are you? How about if we open up a small area so that you can see some plywood?"

Tell 'em they can leave it on, but they have to increase the roof pitch to 2/12 and install a second layer of underlayment.

 

[ICE]

Not only does it look like Hell, it would have been easier to replace the shingles. So what if the color is off a little bit.

 

[gbhammer]

Do contractors ever get paid in your area?

 

[ICE]

Do contractors ever get paid in your area?

Not by me. Most have gotten all of the money long before I show up. They leave obvious things out and then make it an extra to fix their violations. I have had owners cringe when I come back to inspect corrections because they don't want to pay the contractor to show up yet again.

 

[ICE]

Why would a contractor wait for me to tell him that a temp power pole needs to be installed? The job stops until a temp power pole goes in so what is the advantage to not doing it first? Is the few grand it's going to cost worth risking your life? How about the men working for you, are they not worth protecting? This was last Wednesday and I had another today.

 

[ICE]

The contractor replaced the furnace but not the coil. When I suggested that the condensate drain pipes should be supported, he objected because that wasn't part of his scope of work. Such a simple thing to ask for with such a drastic outcome if the drain pipe snaps and he said no.

He couldn't say no to replacing the vent.

 

[GCtony]

The construction gig isn't as fun as it used to be so I'm looking for a new career. I want to go work with ICE. Lots of jokes and laughs working in your area. Oh, so the jokes and laughs only last a few days?

 

[ICE]

There is a major overhaul going on here without any permits. The usual stuff like a furnace and A/C, el service upgrade, water heater, window change out, two new bathrooms and a kitchen. The second floor addition in the picture is old. The posts and 4"x4" beam are new.

 

[ICE]

The post bases have edge distance issues but the porch isn't big enough for that to be an exciting problem. The post to beam and beam to beam connections rely on a few toenails. I will be finding out if that's good enough for uplift.

Not long ago, I sent them to their engineer because they stuck extra windows in braced wall lines. The engineer's response was "Add nails". He didn't say where or how many, just add nails. The plans called for 6" on center edges and they were already at 4" on center at the edges so now it was 2". Then I added.....well I better not tell you what I added because some of you get upset when I do stuff like that.

 

[ICE]

Earth's rotation is more than these vents can handle.

 

[danhiman]

That trench is nuckin futs. When I was 17 I unfortunately participated in a dig similar to that pictured. After we trenched it out, it rained and completely filled in. Luckily nobody was injured. Later on with my employment with the same "contractor" I was sent to spray coppergreen in the crawl space of several large apartment complexes, with nothing but a pump sprayer, a home made space incandescent light and a paper mask. After the first building I was seeing colors and vomiting. I was told by the contractor that he has been spraying this stuff for years and has never had any problems. I was young, I should have gone to the hospital. That was my last day of employment with that "contractor".

 

[danhiman]

Thanks for the pictures ICE, this site is becoming a great source of entertainment.

 

[fireguy]

Not by me. Most have gotten all of the money long before I show up. They leave obvious things out and then make it an extra to fix their violations. I have had owners cringe when I come back to inspect corrections because they don't want to pay the contractor to show up yet again.

When we have to return to fix something, whether found by me or the inspector, it is done at no charge to the customer. I thought that was the way it was supposed to be.

 

[ICE]

When we have to return to fix something, whether found by me or the inspector, it is done at no charge to the customer. I thought that was the way it was supposed to be.

It goes both ways. There are plumbers out there that will not install anything that's not on the original water heater. If there is no T&P drain pipe on the existing W/H, then they leave it off the new one. When I write it up, it becomes an extra. Smitty pans are a favorite because that's a lot of work. Many times I have a H/O that asks me if it was proper for the contractor to charge them to do the corrections. I want to say, "Well somebody has to pay for his education."

Another statement I hear from owners is that the contractor claims that I am asking for things not required by the code so he will not pay for it. That's not true.....Well not often anyway. (That's for you fatboy.)

 

[ICE]

This is a re-pipe of an apartment complex. All of the pipe is on the outside of the building. That's a good thing too. The best part is that it's not in my jurisdiction. The city next door called and asked me to do a damage assessment inspection because their inspector was out sick and the plumber lit a building on fire. If you think it looks bad now, imagine what it will look like in a few years when the insulation rots away from UV damage.

As I was getting ready to leave I looked at the plumber and said: "Just out of curiosity, did you ream any of the pipe?" He had no clue as to what I was talking about.

I guess I shouldn't refer to him as a plumber. Change plumber to "the guy doing the plumbing."

 

[GBrackins]

Well depending how close the abutting building is, this could easily function as a "water curtain" in the event of a fire ... in Massachusetts it certainly would produce some nice "icicles" in winter!

 

[danhiman]

Are you in Mexico ICE?