Building Official/Water and Sewer line inspector?

[Coder]

So about a year ago I agreed with Public Works to look at water & sewer line installs because they were spread thin on Staff. Now that they have new and existing Staff that are actually making the physical connections to the mains and right there looking at the rest of the line that the contractor installs, it feels pretty strange that I still have to show up to check their work. The Public Works crew in the trench looks up at me with the look of "WTF are you doing here"? Any other CBO's out there have to inspect water and sewer line installs and repairs in the streets?

 

[mtlogcabin]

We look at the fire lines from the street to the building only because the PW can't seem to understand that thrust blocking in NFPA 13 is more stringent then what they allow

 

[Beniah Naylor]

So about a year ago I agreed with Public Works to look at water & sewer line installs because they were spread thin on Staff.

You'll never get rid of it now, lol...

We don't look at water and sewer in the street here, the sewer department does that.

Maybe you can complain about being shorthanded and get it sent back to where it belongs... while you are at it, see if you can get them to do some of your inspections for you... just for a little bit... you know, until you get back to proper staffing...

 

[tmurray]

We always did it because "well, you're there to look at the foundation anyway". we've recently been able to demonstrate that that is only true 7% of the time, so we are hoping to get it back to the correct department.

 

[tmurray]

Oh, make sure your department is getting the inspection fees from it though. That would be one thing to have the originating department take it back over.

 

[ICE]

We did not go past the property line for anything. Many contractors would get it wrong and call the building department for inspection. The request would say "sewer inspection" ....Which we did as in building sewer which required a sewer permit. Then we show up to a hole in the street and disappoint the contractor. The miffed contractor would invariably complain that we should have known better than to schedule the inspection. I would tell them to request a tap and saddle inspection and then we would know better than to schedule the inspection...maybe.

 

[SCBO1]

We always did it because "well, you're there to look at the foundation anyway".

That's what he said, the new City Aministrator.

Then we show up to a hole in the street and disappoint the contractor.

And that's what happens!


I like to keep "me" on the property side making sure the house line has fall, a cleanout at grade, the right fernco's are being used, pipe bedded in gravel and the right depth.

Beyond the property line is a Public Works issue and is in the street Right-of-Way, most of the time having different requirements and made up rules.

 

[jar546]

Some of the towns that I took care of asked us to do it for them so we did, for a fee.

 

[Joe.B]

There was a staff shortage here a while back and they asked me to cover some PW type inspections. Not a big deal, small town and everybody knows me. The problem for me wasn't the city continuing to ask me to inspect, it was that contractors got used to calling me (I actually answer my phone) and I had to keep apologizing and directing them to call PW.

 

[Coder]

Thanks for all the replies. This really helps me with some reassurance and validity of my same thoughts. But like Beniah said "you'll never get rid of it now" is the truth! The water/sewer boss took over for a couple days after I told him I wasn't going to look at anything in the ROW anymore and he said he almost had a meltdown with a contractor and the unrealized inspection overload on top of everything else he is dealing with. He then pleaded for me to keep doing it. Being the nice guy that I am, I agreed to do so. I figure I am doing it for the contractors and homeowners sake. Not his mental stability. Cheers

 

[Keystone]

Some of the towns that I took care of asked us to do it for them so we did, for a fee.

That’s must’ve been in your Pennsyltucky days, to this day we do the same. We will look if you want but we charge & they still pay.