Disappointing Day

[DanStokes]

As those who have met me can testify, I'm a pretty UP kind of guy but today was a bummer.

After months of prep I had the inspector out for my hanging furnace. Everything was (I thought) groovy. The electrical guy was great and it took about 30 seconds.

But the Mechanical guy was a PITA. He nit-picked EVERYTHING. The call-in inspector told me I could use single wall pipe so that's what I bought - in STAINLESS. Mr. Picky says it has to go to B-vent (double wall) once it leaves the heated space. I specifically asked the phone-in guy about this and was told that single wall was fine in my application. $148 plus some labor from my roofer buddy (won't take too long as the flashing, etc. can stay).

And he didn't like my gas plumbing. According to him it was either 5 feet too long or 1/4 too small in ID for my big old heater. I had to pry out of him that this could be fixed with higher supply pressure - the gas supply company provided the new regulators for another $80 IIRC.

Then there's some shuffleing on the shut-off valve (their interpretation of "end of the piping run" is NOT the same as mine and he wants a bigger flex line.

I really thought I was all set and I'd have Big Heat in a day or so, but no. So I experienced something rare for me - a "down" day! Hate that. Starting to perk up a bit as I have solutions for the issues and I made a little progress on the truck.

Carry On
Dan

[BBR]

I hate jacking with inspectors because it usually seems like no two have the same interpretations. Very very irritating.

[TheSilverBuick]

And that's exactly why I keep a badly beaten corpse in the corner of my shop. As a reminder to those that disagree with me.

[SuperBuickGuy]

..... Dan, I just had someone today assert to me that the government is here to help you. Perhaps I might use your story to illustrate that perhaps they are not?

[TC]

Inspectors want's that??.....


Dan did you really need an inspector to install a heater, I know here they want you to pull a permit just to change a water heater, which I give the proverbial middle finger to.....

Thing I hate is when one inspector comes out and tells you everything looks great, and then in the next inspection, it's a different inspector and he starts picking apart the stuff the previous inspector deemed ok...... I've gone round and round because of that crap, hell my dad even threatened to hit one inspector over the head with a 2x4.......

[antmnte]

I would not have told anyone and just did it,they drive everyone crazy around here and talk in circles.

[Monk]

Been there, done that on the gas deal.
I had a supervisor over ride original inspector.
They are a PITA.

[Barry Donovan]

I would not have told anyone and just did it,they drive everyone crazy around here and talk in circles.

I can't even count how many times I have attacked households and not told a soul.

I rewired a mobile home once
built my own furnace..
found draft errors that wanted to kill people. NONE of that stuff is in their codes. I got angry after witnessing the curve of my bothers health...that damn mobile home.

I get angry too, and I did have an anal retentive inspection type job as a crew chief...patience for beurocratic stuff.

this place I am in now, a simple rental. I have removed the 1970s pcb spewing flourescent celing light fixture, realized the circuit wa sinfected..shut it off entirely. made my own bathroom fan..
replaced outlets, blocked off outlets, deciphered the old heater thermostat with a diode (50 cents or less) The two wire with a nasty feedback - not supposed to happen.

anyway, the more an adult goes along, the more the standards are jackassed with facts. Can only bite your tongue and go about it.

a formal written list for basic chores..there should be no clash of morons inspecting. Even auto inspectors dig fro no freaking reason but their own.

[Deaf Bob]

Bought a pole building kit... Showed the county what I planned to get... Once I had it... Not enough posts, too far apart, tin too thin,
Went on and on..world have cost me double to re-engineer.. Screw that.. Got my kit $$ back and paid a restocking fee..

Hate inspectors...

[antmnte]

What I hear from more people than I can count " Im moving to the woods" "pain in the ass town" . I can understand. Who wants to do something to hurt themselves or family insider their own house? I can see stupid stuff sometimes but the inspectors let stupid dangerous stuff go too. Power trip is what it is.

[oldsman496]

I used to travel for a living and installed low voltage computer cabling in the cities i went to..........

I have personally been asked for cash to get an ok for an inspection.... My company actually had an expense form 'code' for the money we would be forced to pay out... Philly was the WORST, I had one show up on the job site at 2am wanting me to pay $750 - in cash to him - or get a surprise inspection and a shut down of the job site. bunch-o-thieves.

i feel for ya Dan. Hang in there. at least they aren't asking for your credit card number....at least directly.....

[DanStokes]

I went back and reread my first post - man do I sound WHINEY! I'm really not that kind of guy - sorry!

This inspector was being over-the-top "by the book" but he wasn't "wrong". Nothing to do but do it. No bribery implied or delivered. I think the most annoying thing was that as he's writing up what I need to do he says that it would probably be fine as is but he "couldn't" sign off on it.

I really do want to do it right and have no desire to get gassed in my shop but I don't think what he found would have resulted in any danger. But, nothing to do but get on with it.

Dan

[Scott Liggett]

As long as the inspectors idea of what's legal and what's not isn't subjective; I wouldn't be too pissed. What would drive me nuts is one guy saying it's legal and another saying it's not.

Building a house or a big shop can be the most trying things in our lives between the permits, inspectors, workers, time taken; but it's always worth it in the end.

[DanStokes]

I do try to pretty much play be the rules if I think there's any reason to. I didn't pull a permit to erect the mezzanine but it IS possible to hurt one's self with a poorly installed heater so I did this by the book.

Truly, the inspector wasn't WRONG. My frustration is that I checked with them before I ordered parts and did what they told me and they told me the wrong thing. Turns out that the guy you get phone answers from is actually the plan review guy and he may be killer at that but not at helping homeowners with the details of their furnace installations. So now I know who NOT to listen to. Live and learn.

I'm now on my way out to the shop to fix the gas plumbing. Chimney bits are on the way from the Interwebs.

Dan

[Beagle]

I do try to pretty much play be the rules if I think there's any reason to. I didn't pull a permit to erect the mezzanine but it IS possible to hurt one's self with a poorly installed heater so I did this by the book.

Truly, the inspector wasn't WRONG. My frustration is that I checked with them before I ordered parts and did what they told me and they told me the wrong thing. Turns out that the guy you get phone answers from is actually the plan review guy and he may be killer at that but not at helping homeowners with the details of their furnace installations. So now I know who NOT to listen to. Live and learn.

I'm now on my way out to the shop to fix the gas plumbing. Chimney bits are on the way from the Interwebs.

Dan

Just Fix it. You're not whining, it sucks... we also know you will make it "right" even if it was already "right" ... carry on.

Nothing sucks worse than the first guy coming out for the follow up inspection and saying "I don't know why he made you do that"

and they wonder how their job turns stressful.. cuz they stress the shit out of the citizenry. It'll be okay Dan, I just paid 975.00 to move an electric pole that has been okay for 27 years - I moved it 3 feet.

I feel so much safer now. You should too. Don't sweat it, there's a book with answers at the end of the trail.