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Alan, inspectors are not appointees in NC either.

Roger

Alan said:

"Appeal his ruling.
Don't plan on working there again but, you may save another electrician from having this same problem."

How many guys here DISAGREE with "....don't plan on working there again" ???

I, as an inspector, and an EC strongly object to this stance. If the EC is correct (to the 'Code'), then he should stand his ground! Filing a complaint (or whatever) against an AHJ, and basically running away, whether you win or loose?? Why??

Yes, 'retribution' (by the AHJ) could be expected....but..do you have/do anything to deserve it?? Get a red sticker for a chip in a trim plate??? Stand your ground, do it again & again, as long as YOU are right.

Here in NJ, we have a County Board of Construction Appeals, within most counties to handle situations between contractors/homeowners/and inspectors. It's not "perfect", but the situations are resolved!

BTW:IMHO not bonding the copper water piping?? They still make LSD?????

John

The only thing I can say that in older homes there have been people that raised the issue that electrons would break down lead from the water pipe in the water because it was bonded.

John,

Maybe the electrons in the water made that AHJ "sick". So See he was "right"

I lived in small town that had the worlds greatest electrical inspctor. Ask him he would tell you. He wanted the neutrals fused in the distribution pedestals in the apartnent complex. Not only was he the electrical inspector he was the city electrician , general building inspector and traffic signal electrician. A true renasaunse man.

In response to HotLine 1...

It sounds good to fight the good fight, but inspectors come & go. If inspectors don't agree with my interpretation of the NEC, or even know how to open the book is not as relevant to me as keeping some profit in the job.

Think how you might feel differently if with every appeal your "paycheck" was $200 short. That's the reality of most ECs.

Dave

Dave,

How would your paycheck be short, with every appeal ?

Over the years i have appealed many jobs, and if anything, i may of saved money, my total cost was a phone call.

In the last 8 years, i have not had a need, to make any appeals, our inspectors are very professional, and their calls are usually right on.


[This message has been edited by LK (edited 02-12-2006).]

I envy you in NJ Les. Here clueless inspectors are rotated around like bad priests. There is no enforcement of fines for fraudulent permits, or failure to pull a permit. Carpenters freely do electrical work, and some of the inspectors know little more than the carpenters.

I recently walked with an inspector on rough & he's lecturing me on smoke alarms...only one per level, like having them in every sleeping area was a violation...and that I'd used firestop caulk when all that was required was draftstopping.

I asked another inspector a question regarding bonding/grounding & his answer was "Call me for final".

When you know where outlets are required in a house, you can look in new homes around here & see that the house is missing three required outlets & somehow got past rough & final inspections.

With this going on I don't have the faith that a phone call would accomplish anything other than get someone upset that I brought attention to their ignorance. The $200 was either my wasted time, or correcting a non-violation.

Having vented my small frustrations I'd like to add that in ten years I've only had one power-hungry wrong inspector that cost me $1,000. I've had sharp inspections that would rate with the top inspectors in this forum, which is always a pleasure.

Usually I have inspections by guys who have too little time and too much to absorb with multiple trade inspections and are very friendly and easy to get along with. In general I rarely attempt to educate the ones that need it & have never appealled.

In one of the sharpest departments around they say that IL has a law on the books that if an inspector makes you correct a non-violation you can sue for quadruple damages. If I have another power-hungry inspector red-tag me, I'll go for it.

Dave

Maybe you California guys can help me remember this??

Wasn't there a law passed years back that prohibited inspectors from writing corrections that were in conflict with the plans approved by the jurisdiction??? Unless there was a Code section cited???

You would think I would remember that one, but like a lot of laws passed here, they just get ignored or forgotten.

Like the law that requires inspectors to have 40 or 45 hours of continuing education every three years. As far as I know, no one has ever been checked or audited.

DBPR checks the CEU hours of inspectors and contractors in Florida. It is now all on computer so there is not much chance of cheating. Before 1995 inspectors might have been the mayor's idiot son in law but now he needs to be licensed by the state.