Forgive me if this seems like a rant .... I've just had a series of experiences that, IMO, are inexcusable.
The topic this time may involve commercial kitchen exhaust hoods - but the potential for this sort of problem arises every time more than one trade is involved in the installation of something.
I'll try to be specific in my 'rants' as I describe the chain of events.
For nearly 6 months, I've been involved in building a place that includes a commercial kitchen. During all this time, I never received and specifications from the (invisible) "Hood guy." The only function of the "hood guy" was to hook up the fire suppression system. I never saw his print until literally seconds before the first inspection, and still lack a copy.
Nor have I ever, on any of these jobs, received a 'sequence of operation.' You can forget about ladder diagrams. There is ZERO communication between the 'hood guys,' the HVAC crew, and the architect. I guess they draw it, and I'm the guy who's supposed to figure it out. The experience is like buying a car - then having to assemble the dashboard from parts found at the hardware store.
RANT #1: If the equipment is supposed to operate a certain way ... and is supposedly a complete unit ... it ought to have complete instructions, and I ought to need to do no more than bring power to it!
RANT #2: I need copies of ALL prints and specifications - before the work is done.
Anyway, the big day comes. I've cobbled the hood system to the HVAC, so that tripping the hood kills the HVAC that brings fresh air in. Tying the HVAC into the hood so that it operates whenever the exhaust fan operates is a bit of a problem; I have a control conflict. That the thermostat is in another room doesn't help.
Minutes before the inspection, the hood guy comes in, and hangs a bell on the unit - a bell that I need to wire. Naturally, there are NO instructions specifying WHEN the bell is supposed to ring. The hood guy also gives me a spiel as to how much better, more code conscious, more competent, etc., his firm is than the competition. He also implies that I have never done any of these systems. His sermon is full of 'code say this' and 'code says that', with a sprinkling of 'local amendments' thrown in.
I ask: What code are you referring to? He not only lacks a copy, he does not even know the name. He does assert something erroneous about the NEC - I offer to get my copy from the truck. He declines my offer .... and the AHJ arrives.
Naturally, we fail. We're not ready. Hood guy tells the GC there will be a charge for his return visit. I ask the inspector what code they're using - I'm getting tired of vague generalities about how the system should perform. Especially since the hood guy has made an assertion that the system needs to do "X".
The AHJ does not know the name of the code. He knows not where / how to get a copy. He is unaware of any local amendments.
RANT #3: I expect any inspector to at least know the name of the law he's enforcing!
Thanks to the wonder of the internet, I have a copy of the appropriate code the next day. It was referred to in the fine print on the hood guy's drawing.
Remember I told you the hood guy insisted that the system was required to do "X?" Guess what? The code (NFPA 96) specifically states "the system will NOT be required to do "X"!"
BTW, "X" is discussed in 8.2.3.2 of NFPA 96. I've left out a detailed description so as to keep on track.
I discuss this with the AHJ, and he agrees. Re-inspection is scheduled.
The bell the hood guy gave me is bad. He replaces it, and says I wired it wrong. I make the necessary changes.
I still have that control problem with the HVAC unit. Thanks to a lot of help from the HVAC guy, we get it worked out.
The inspector arrives, and the hood guy goes through his 'dog and pony' show. Purely by chance, I'm sure, the first thing he does is show the bell operation. Amazingly, it works the way he wants.
He continues his demonstration, repeatedly drawing attention to the fact that the system failed to do "X."
I really, really enjoyed trumping him with his own code!
Now ... remember the control problem? Well, without getting into the details of the specific application, it appears, from 8.3 of NFPA 96, there was no requirement to tie this HVAC unit into the hood system! I doubt that the hood was capable of drawing the required vacuum ... nor was the fresh air supplied internally to the hood.
Lesson: You not only need to know the other guy's code, and have a copy of it, ... you need to plan ahead, and teach them their own code!
Talking to the hood guy's boss was of little help. Himself also but a tiny cog in a monster firm, I don't think he has ever seen NFPA 96 either.
If you've read this far, thank you for your patience. I am open to comments - as well as feedback as to whether my experience was unusual.
