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An average day

mtlogcabin said:
The refrigerator is an appliance and an ignition source (by definition) within the garage and should be elevated 18 inches above the garage floor.
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I was not aware of this, can't say I see this issue on new inspections but could see it on a remodel inspection . Some refrigerator power cords exit the unit above the 18" mark but they have the compressor typically sitting at the floor level, so is there a chance that's where a spark could happen or is that all sealed?

Not sure I've ever seen a refrigerator of chest freezer up 18" off the floor but the gas appliance would have to be there also.

Hummm
 
Edison has been changing service drops from worn out three wire drops to triplex drops. They have seen both of these.

This looks like it could fall sideways with little force.

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It was about 100° at the time so that wire is probably as long as it will get.

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Which appliances caused the most fires?
  • 14% washing machines (1,723)
  • 12% tumble dryers (1,456)
  • 11% dishwashers (1,324)
  • 9% cookers (1,080)
  • 7% fridges / freezers (861)
  • 5% central heating (606)
  • 4% toasters / grills (495)
  • 4% microwaves (427)
  • 1% vibrators (101)
Found this on net, not sure where that stats come from, but still interesting
 
Vibrators causing fires? Some like it hot I guess.

We need a code change for a dedicated circuit behind every bed, and of course we'll need to inspect them to make sure they are working properly, Tiger is going to have a field day inspecting bedrooms. I understand the real reason for emergency egress windows is an escape path in case a husband comes home.
 
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It would depend on the location of the starting relay and overload relay and their location to the garage floor.
see diagram below

QCVMZ.jpg
 
Doesn't anyone have a Grandmother? Mine was 5 foot nothing. How was she supposed to get to the stuff in the bottom of the deep freeze if it's another foot and a half above the floor? When she was still here, I'd have dared any man alive to tell her she had to raise it so she couldn't reach it - it wouldn't have gone well for him..

I 100% disagree that an electric appliance that does not have a heating coil in a garage must be elevated.

This is bad code, and "capable of producing a spark" is ridiculous terminology - everything electrical is capable of producing a spark. So all outlets in a garage have to be higher than 18" off the floor - after all, the plug on a cord-and-plug appliance is your "ignition source", right? Then if there is a plugged in charger for a cordless tool battery on the floor when you go do your inspection then they fail? What about a water softener? A wine cabinet? Even a box fan?

Requiring someone to raise non-heating-element electric appliances is poor interpretation, and application, of the code. IMO.
 
Growing up in Ft Lauderdale all the homes in my neighborhood originally had carports with a enclosed storage room at the rear over time the carports where enclosed making them single car garages. A couple of blocks over the son filled the lawnmower with gas and set the can back inside the closed garage without putting the cap back on the can and closed the door. About 20 minutes later there was an explosion that blew the garage door out. The only ignition source in the garage was a freezer which ignited the fumes from the gas can

My life experience have seen the results of it happening
 
I don't disagree that it could happen, or even has happened. I'm just saying that I don't think that's what the code means, and that if it does, it's bad code. Lots of things could happen. Adding the "1 in a millions" to the code is bad for everyone.

And I'm still not going to make Grandma move her freezer. :)
 
This is the drain for a clothes washer that is located in a detached garage.

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Coming out of the garage:

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Entering the house:

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I was there to inspect an electric service upgrade. I was tempted to tell the owner that ABS can't be exposed to the Sun.
 
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The job is a TI changing from medical offices to business offices. The inspection request stated "T-Bar". That means the grid and everything that is above the grid such as electrical, duct and plumbing.

The tiles are installed so I can't do an inspection. When I asked why the tiles were installed I was told they had to do that in order to keep the grid from distorting. Apparently, the tiles stiffen things up.

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The next two pictures are from an area where new T-Bar was not installed.

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Pcinspector1 said:
I have to confess, I doctored that list a bit, don't want anyone to get hot and bothered by it!
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PC, somebody better call our Tiger, I hear he's booking vibrator inspections as we speak, of course Mark Handler is salvating at the prospect of condemning all grab bars he's currently passing to comply with the 18" turnup.
 
Awh...conarbs having a good day!

I'd rather to be an Hawaiian Tropic bikini inspector myself. Low pay but good benefits, I think.
 
The permit is an electrical service upgrade. There was plenty wrong at the first inspection. The first picture is the water valve at the main line. The contractor did not bond at the main.. There was only one ground rod and the enclosure was mounted over a hole in the stucco with cable leaving the back. Other mistakes resulted in about eight corrections.

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An improvement:

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Here is the GEC secured to the front wall:

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Here's the drywall screws that he used to secure the GEC:

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The owner mentioned that the contractor was quite angry with the first list of corrections and he lives far away. Poor guy needs to tune up his act if he's gonna take it on the road.
 
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These are parking-lot light pole foundations. The hole is 8' deep and there's another 3' of 24" diameter tube. The plan is to fill the hole and tube with concrete.....then cut the wires that suspend the re-bar cage. Now the anchor bolts will be pushed into the wet concrete. The reason for this is that the template that holds the anchor bolts pretty much covers the hole. The anchor bolts are 48" long and 1.25" diameter. The only plans available were on an ipad screen. No stamp. The anchor bolts in the ipad plan are 12" long with unknown diameter.

The anchor bolts might be left over from a CalTrans job. I think that I'll say yes and then show up for the pour.

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I got through to them:

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ICE said:
These are parking-lot light pole foundations. The hole is 8' deep and there's another 3' of 24" diameter tube. The plan is to fill the hole and tube with concrete.....then cut the wires that suspend the re-bar cage. Now the anchor bolts will be pushed into the wet concrete. The reason fof this is that the template that holds the anchor bolts pretty much covers the hole. The anchor bolts are 48" long and 1" diameter. The only plans available were on an ipad screen. No stamp. The anchor bolts in the ipad plan are 12" long with unknown diameter.

The anchor bolts might be left over from a CalTrans job. I think that I'll say yes and then show up for the pour.
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Take a video and post it if you can that should be amusing
 
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Another crap strap job. The last time that I said no to this material, I was overruled. The manager that overruled me is gone so I took another shot at it.

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Flex duct is soooo abused around here too....We usually make them provide the manufacturers instructions as that is all we can go by. I have seen some that are pretty good (steer towards the SMACNA stuff in IMC commentary)...and some that don't say much at all.
 
I've never seen flex duct split like that before, not sure that's allowed and would have a concern that the duct is over spanned? And then there's the reduced air flow due to the strapppin!

Does the energy code require the PEX to be insulated or is there a frost warning tonight?
 
E3608.1.1.2 Installation. Continuity of the grounding
path or the bonding connection to interior piping shall
not rely on water meters, filtering devices and similar
equipment. A metal underground water pipe shall be
supplemented by an additional electrode of a type specified
in Sections E3608.1.2 through E3608.1.6.
 
This was the first inspection. The job is a bathroom under a patio cover associated with a swimming pool. The panel is not made to be embedded in plaster so I said no. I explained, several times, that a cabinet that fits between the studs or a cabinet that is installed after the stucco is the way to go.

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That's not what they heard. I gave the next inspection to another inspector. That inspector has been there before and did in fact, approve the rough electrical. I got a picture on my phone from that inspector because the contractor insists that I told him to do it this way.

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This was never mentioned. I explained the situation to two workers and then the hefe when he showed up. How they got this from what I told them escapes me.....I think that I am done explaining stuff to this bunch.
 
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