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An average day

This job is a service upgrade. The contractor called me this morning to ask when I would arrive at his inspection. I told him that I planned on being there between 9 and 11. That set him off.....he wanted as late as possible. I agreed to delay until pm. He wasn't there so what difference did it make. I like it when jerks are not there.

He got ahead of himself with the stucco. Gave it a little too much too and the door will not close.

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Bulging is not good.

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I was there for a service upgrade.

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I'm pretty sure that the condenser is just sitting on the roof.

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The furnace and A/C were replaced. I asked the owner what the cord and plug is for. He told me that there is an attic vent with a fan. Sorry about the picture but there is an ancient attachment plug hanging from a lamp cord which is most likely 16 AWG.

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He got lucky with the knot holes. There are two spots with open air splices. But he did use wire nuts.

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The furnace is in a closet directly below the vent. The upper combustion air opening is under the towel.....wrapped around the vent. The correction says "Provide code compliant combustion air opening". I want the contractor to call me and ask what I want.

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Paranite sounds like some dangerous stuff that could burn down the house.
 
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Plumber did a water main. I asked to see the electrical service so I can determine if the plumber eliminated an electrode. The people are on vacation and we can't enter the back yard...... the plumber wants a final approval so he installed a ground rod and asked for re-inspection.

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This job started in 2006 and expired in 2009. When it actually stopped is unknown. The scope is adding a bedroom and bath, extending a bedroom and living room, add a laundry. The second floor is an addition. There is also an expired permit for a second unit which is over a detached garage.

It was like this for five years before I arrived. I have placed notices for the owner to contact me several times. I have turned it over to code enforcement several times. As I was passing by today it occurred to me that if another winter passes I will have to condemn the wiring because the lath is too porous. That's when I noticed the water heater and PV.

I hate these messes.

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The electrical supply for the tank-less water heater is a power cord through a window.....the window that is right there ....next to the water heater. Vents are not their thing.
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And wouldn't you know it, there's PV on the roof.

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The job is a complete re-pipe with PEX. I found this but no ground rods or uffer.

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It's the ground clamp....I never would've thought about the PVC on the potable without a back flow device. The sprinkler control valves have anti-back flow.

The code says...or used to say, I never know for sure....that the valve shall be 6" above the highest sprinkler head. Some of mine are below....from 4' to 24' so they dribble for a good five minutes after they close and whistle for 30 seconds when they open. So I need to install a dirt cheap back flow device times five.

People used to get a plumbing permit for irrigation sprinkler systems but I haven't seen one in years.
 
The corrections came to me faster than I could write them down.

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# 16 should have said secure the NM at 4.5 ft. intervals max....but alas and alack I forgot to write it.

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The CSST mates up with the refrigerant lines and goes...where I don't know.

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As I handed the lady homeowner the corrections, she asked me if any of them were the responsibility of the owner and not the contractor. She has experienced a number of my inspections related to an addition so she is used to hearing, "It's the inspector's whim and you will have to pay for it". So I showed her this picture and said "only one". When she heard the words molten copper I could see a google icon in her eye.

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You would think that if they are intelligent enough to complete an electrical service upgrade that they would recognize this for what it is.

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They didn't try hard enough...Shirley they could have made it look worse than this.

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The corrections came to me faster than I could write them down.


# 16 should have said secure the NM at 4.5 ft. intervals max....but alas and alak I forgot to write it.


The CSST mates up with the refrigerant lines and goes...where I don't know.


As I handed the lady homeowner the corretions, she asked me if any of them were the responsibility of the owner and not the contractor. She has experienced a number of my inspections related to an addition so she is used to hearing, "It's the inspector's whim and you will have to pay for it". So I showed her this picture and said "only one". When she heard the words molten copper I could see a google icon in her eye.
1) Rafter ties at 48" missing
2) Ceiling Insulation missing
3) Flue clearance to combustibles
4) Flue support missing
5) Furnace power supply by plug in cord
6) Electrical connections in last photo?
What else?
 
1) Rafter ties at 48" missing
2) Ceiling Insulation missing
3) Flue clearance to combustibles
4) Flue support missing
5) Furnace power supply by plug in cord
6) Electrical connections in last photo?
What else?
Tiger doesn't say but I assume the permit is to change out an attic furnace, can permittees really be forced to add insulation when getting a permit to change out a furnace?
 
conarb,

Probably not, the homeowner probably exclaimed "That was existing!" Same with the rafter ties, existing.

Believe it or not there were a lot of contractors not installing insulation in garage attics here. Who looked in the attic anyway? They were more goggle eyed :rolleyes: and sidetracked about that $2,500.00 front door that the Architect put on the house plans and the contractor installed!

I use Tiger's photos to improve my Inspectors eye, hope others are doing the same!
 
The insulation is on the ceiling not the the roof, and just guessing but if the unit is in the garage then that is not conditioned space did not need insulation when the home was built.
 
Post #2201, photo #2 shows no attic insulation on the Ceiling drywall. Is the photo over a garage or conditioned space?
 
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