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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 251
T
Member
Originally Posted by Fred
I mount meterbase/service equipment before brick all of the time. I fabricate a mounting bracket from 1/4" x 2" angle iron and bolt it to the plywood/OSB. It stands the equipment off of the sheeting 4-1/2". This allows the brick to be layed up behind the equipment leaving a gap to be caulked when they are finished.


We are allowed,and do use brick brackets for small service equipment. This particular equipment is around 150 lbs. I'll see if the supply house can get some heavy duty brick brackets for nexttime.

I see I'm not alone on this... its more common than I thought.



Shake n Bake
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 348
I
ITO Offline
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On the commercial side:

I run a temporary loop to a meter and panel on a pole, then build the service on the outside of the building after the brick go on. The temporary service is part of an allowance on all my bids, the GCs are free to exclude it from the contract should they choose but if they do then they take care of temp power, not me.

Our local criteria and AJH will not allow the permanent service to be energized as a temporary until certain things have been done; one of which includes an inspection that a service jerry rigged to be hung pre-brick would not be able to pass. Some of the other things they insist on before turning on the permanent power are working toilets in the building (I still have not figured this one out yet), and the job must be 100% dried in.

There have been a few occasions when the sheet rocker or mason has held up my work, and out of defense my scope had to proceed. When this happens I build up a strut rack that suits my needs and meets code and start mounting equipment. This generally makes the sheet rocker or mason curse my name as they work around a struck rack that they cant rip out.


101° Rx = + /_\
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,429
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LK Offline
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Originally Posted by Fred
LK, What do you see as a safety issue? The equipment is permanently mounted. The mounting base is complete, it is a steel bracket permanently fastened to the structure. This not a "stunt", it is an engineer approved mounting system. Would you suggest a service be de-energized when masonry is repointed? Same situation. I would like to see PoCo installation specs that prohibit this installation.


What I see is, ongoing construction near an energized unprotected riser, and meter socket, I see the potential for a serious accident. I agree, with putting the supports in before the brick, but not the service riser, and metering equipment, until the building is complete.

Last edited by LK; 05/07/07 09:01 PM.
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 251
T
Member
I don't see a safety issue. Possibly on a large commercial job, but on a residential or condo setting, I don't think so. Its just brickies and siding guys. I'll give them credit for having half a brain. This is a construction site, we know there are hazards.



Shake n Bake
Joined: Jan 2003
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LK Offline
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Originally Posted by Trick440
I don't see a safety issue. Possibly on a large commercial job, but on a residential or condo setting, I don't think so. Its just brickies and siding guys. I'll give them credit for having half a brain. This is a construction site, we know there are hazards.



Yes it is a construction site, and on a large commercial job, you may have less of a chance of an accident, where as on a residential or condo setting, your almost sure to have problems, the workers on these jobs usually have little or, no safety training at all.

I have seen so many accidents occur, from just this type operating, on everything from siding contractors, to building remodel work, on a recent one a siding contractor, decided to pull the meter socket and riser away from the building, so he could side behind it, other then his burns, they saved half of the building.
Remember these things will only happen to other people, and they are as rare as the sun rising.

Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 348
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ITO Offline
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Look at this from a business perspective. Why would you want to build the service twice? If you take extra time and material to temp it in, then have to go back and finish it or at the very least make sure your temp job was not reworked by the mason, then who pays for that? Did you put in twice the labor for the service on your bid?


101° Rx = + /_\
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 449
F
Member
ITO, That's exactly my point. What I described is not temporary, it is permanent. Also, what I described in my post(though I left out this detail)is an underground service. An over-head service would be a safety issue for the brick, roofing and siding contractors. I do not see how an underground service installed as I described would present any additional safety issues. Buildings are remodeled, resided, repainted, reroofed and the brick repointed all the time without the service being required to be de-energized when it is an underground fed service. I don't see any need for it to be.

Joined: Nov 2006
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ITO Offline
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The GC has a responsibility to organize the work, in a sequence that allows each trade to perform their specific scope as per the project schedule. When a GC losses control of his own schedule (if he even has one) or allows the work to be performed out of sequence and this impacts you, then you can make a claim for this impact…not that I would recommend doing so.

Sometime GCs can get very pushy and demand that you do out of sequence work, at which point I politely refuse unless they give me a written change order to do so. If I am being held up, I also like to write letters and take pictures noting the status of the job and other trades so later on in the job when they are claiming that you are holding the job up, you can pull out your letters and pictures reminding everyone of how we all got to where we are. Keep it polite, calm and professional and be helpful, but don’t shoot yourself in the foot.


101° Rx = + /_\
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 886
H
Member
Look at this from a business perspective. Why would you want to build the service twice?

Why don't you do like the morons do here. Early on set a pole out in front of the house and put your meter pan, disconnect and a temp service panel on it. Let them use it for temp power during construction. When you are ready install a panel in the house. When the house is almost completed remove the temp panel out on the pole and run a feeder under ground from the pole disconnect to the panel in the house.

GC gets his temp power and the new homeowner gets a wonderful lawn ornament.

-Hal

Last edited by hbiss; 05/08/07 07:01 PM.
Joined: Jan 2003
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LK Offline
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Originally Posted by hbiss
Look at this from a business perspective. Why would you want to build the service twice?

Why don't you do like the morons do here. Early on set a pole out in front of the house and put your meter pan, disconnect and a temp service panel on it. Let them use it for temp power during construction. When you are ready install a panel in the house. When the house is almost completed remove the temp panel out on the pole and run a feeder under ground from the pole disconnect to the panel in the house.

GC gets his temp power and the new homeowner gets a wonderful lawn ornament.

-Hal


Setting a temp pole, and service, is not a choice, it's a utility requirement, here in jersey. It's also not a business decision.

Last edited by LK; 05/08/07 09:17 PM.
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