I am very humbly embarrassed today for my very first red tag today.

I was very correctly tagged for driving a staple just a wee bit too deep. Yhe ear of a staple was driven in a spuce 2X$ stud by one excessive hammer blow so it went in so the outer edge of the ear was even with the spuce stud. I was the only person that could have put that staple in.

My apprentice refuses to use them.

She (the AHJ) "red tagged" it and left.

My apprentice pretty much roasted me for the rest of the day because I was the only one that still uses metal staples sometimes. (I had to buy his Tim Horton's at coffee time because of my obvious incompetence at cable securing to code.)

The AHJ lady came back later, took off the "red tag" and passed the inspection but mentioned that her PMS was having a negative effect earlier today and that she had always been satisfied with the installations we had done before.

I'm still embarrassed about a rookie mistake and now promise to throw away all the old metal cable staples.

Don't throw them away, send them to me. I will use them. No problem.

It just goes to show that even the experienced guys still make mistakes from time to time. Nobody's perfect. And just for the record, I always use metal staples on NM-B and stackers where necessary.

I have never really liked the metal staples for some reason but some people really like them.. Personally I only use them to fasten bare copper ground wire and thats about it. As for securing Romex, I really like those plastic staples, they seem to nail up really good regardless if its a regular piece of spruce, an old dry joist or even a knot in the wood. Also, I find that if you have to pull one out they can be removed easily with sidecutters and with minimal risk of damaging the cable..

A.D

If this was your very first red tag today, and it was over a staple, then either your inspectors are very lax, or you are very good. I wouldn't let it dampen your spirits at all.

I use metal staples as well. Shipping to Hawaii is expensive, send them to Colorado.

Here in MA metal staples are a violation for smaller NM....unless they are installed with an NM stapler.

Another reason not to use Romex... anytime you attempt to nail up wire that's not much different than zip cord, it can happen. Almost impossible for it to happen with BX or MC -- unless you're pounding on it like it's a ground rod, or trying to demo the studs down.

I'm surprised the inspector even picked it up -- obviously she had WAY too much time on her hands. Most inspectors around here would've never caught it, since I doubt it was as bad as you say -- otherwise you would've caught it. It didn't nick the insulation, did it?

Don't feel bad about some government bureaucrat red tagging your work. Many have never held a linemans pair of pliers in their hands, or stripped a cable. For some inspectors, it's their life's work to be a big pr_ck, and their day wouldn't be complete if they didn't tag at least one job -- no matter how neat, workmanlike, and code compliant it might be.

And NO this is not to take a swipe at ALL inspectors, many are from the trade, know their craft, and are a pleasure to deal with.

Joe

I must have missed the first reason.

Bob

"Don't feel bad about some government bureaucrat red tagging your work. Many have never held a linemans pair of pliers in their hands, or stripped a cable."

What country, are you in? you don't have your profile filled so i cant see what country your in, here in the us, most inspectors were EC's, and then trainned, and tested for an inspectors position, their task is overseen by law, not by political whim.

[This message has been edited by LK (edited 05-20-2006).]

quote"Another reason not to use Romex"

I've been an electrician for almost 30 years. Lots of romex, lots of pipe work. In all that time, never have I driven a staple so hard it cuts into the conductors. I have accidently drilled a few. By the way, I have on more than one occasion bit into the insulation on tw, or thhn solid wire I was pulling into conduit. So should I now say its safer to wire with romex?

George, it was my idea first, get in line.

Don't feel bad about the red tag, we all might them now and then. After all we are all human and we make mistakes. The thing is to learn by our mistakes. I don't like giving out red tags but every now and then I have to.

One reason I likem my state inspector job was they put no time constraints on me and travel time was usually the biggest number on the card. If I found a problem I could usually wait for the guy to fix it and sign it off. It saved the state money over me driving 100 miles back and forth to clear a red tag.
Truth be known I have fixed violations myself ... but don't tell the other inspectors. They will say I am soft. When I was working in the park system and rangers who saw a few Bob Villa shows were "electricians" it was easier to fix something than to explain it.