You make the call

[elkimmeg]

Here is the situation a fireplace has a mantel, that by code it too close to the top of the opening.
Code reads moldings protruding up to 1.5” must have 8” clearance. Moldings that exceed 1.5” protrusion require 12” clearance the molding measures 3.25 “ and has only 8.75” clearance. You make the call would you sign off that situation? And why?

Same house has 3 separate HVAC systems code requires blazing of joints in the high pressure coolant lines. Brazing starts g flowing at 850 degrees but really 1200 degrees are needed to blaze a joint. These joints are lead soldered which melts at 430 degrees. These lines contain 150 +lbs of pressure of coolant Not plain H20. Real care has to be used, as it is really easy to contaminate the coolant . The solder flux could easily contaminate it.
Contaminated coolant will shorten the life of the compressor In the event of a fire the 430 temp wile arrive at melting point twice as early as blazed joint. Most fire fighters are defenseless in their hazmat suits against ammonia oxide in many coolants Spewing out at 150 psi or more

Again you make the call and why

It seems to there are a lot of persons questioning code enforcement on this forum. They have all the answers. I would hope they share their wisdom

Same house in the basement a 3” hot water heater vents into a 8/12 masonry chimney
Two floors above in the attic is a attic location gas furnace venting in the same flue liner

Would you pass this setup, and why? As a future homeowner, what would you expect I should do as an inspector?

I won’t get into the 14 other code violations found in the final inspection last week, but only discuss Hearth related issues

 

[Mike Wilson]

Troll.

-- Mike

 

[BrotherBart]

Troll.

-- Mike

Ibid.

 

[karl]

Ok I'll bite.


Molding. Fix it. Why? It is a potential fire hazzard.


HVAC Don't worry about it. Why? It's a secondary problem to fire, not a cause of fire. Besides a few pounds of coolant isn't going to spew out that long and the likely hood of a fireman being next to it is slim.

Two devices in the same chimney. Fix it. Why? Carbon monoxide and it's unlined. I would let them run two liners up it though, for convienence sake. My water heather and furnace share the same vent. But it it's lined. The furnace drafts well and the water heater doesn't put out that much stuff. Even if it doesn't draft and I checked it with a match and it does draft well. It hasn't caused any problems in 45 years. I will check how it drafts this winter with the insert going.

If somebody is building something new. It should be up to code. If it's a old house and hasn't burnt down yet. Cut them some slack. Help them get it safe(r) in cost efficent manner.

 

[berlin]

"blazing of joints" ...eh?? lol, something else on your mind elk?

 

[elkimmeg]

The home is brand new 6800 sq ft. Not your typical cheap home. Selling price is 1.8 Mil.

Been a long time since I had these many problems with a new home.

On the Gas hot water heater and the attic furnace It one thing that they share the same flue right next to each other buy to have the openings 20' feet apart I have been told that the attic furnace will be re routed to vent threw the roof. Don't know about the Hot water heater the cross- sectional code kicks in . No Idea why they installed an 8/12 flue liner when 8/8 would have done the Job. My guess someone thought bigger is better Gas code cross-sectional language allows for 7 times the area Still does not comply. .


Get this they used that cheap white flexible plastic vent to vent the gas dryer Not only that instead of cutting it to length they used the entire 8" piece,
then pushed in the dryer and crushed it. The list goes on No returns in bedrooms I don't know what happened? They because they were there when doing the rough inspection.

Possibly covered up by the blueboarders?

 

[karl]

Well, if I were going to drop 1.8 million on a house then I would want it perfect, and I'm sure the new home owners do to.

 

[Gibbonboy]

Well, if I were going to drop 1.8 million on a house then I would want it perfect, and I'm sure the new home owners do to.

Chances are good that if you're dropping a mil plus on a house, you wouldn't know what was perfect, or even right with the house. "Perfect" for mega-home buyers usually describes the proximity to the golf course or the style of the bidet. If it wasn't for people like Don, there would probably be quite a few dead rich people whose houses' faults killed. Some of the code may not be clear, but it's all there for a reason.

 

[burntime]

Some code makes perfect sense. Others are overkill. Just hope the guy enforcing it has the sense to make an educated decision on it and you should be fine.

 

[Metal]

I don't remember reading any codes that were cost-of-home specific. I don't care if you are building a $2 million home or one with wheels under it, I think new home owners take it for granted (maybe wrongly) that their home will be built to code.

As far as the comment:
"Chances are good that if you’re dropping a mil plus on a house, you wouldn’t know what was perfect, or even right with the house."

There are a few people who got their money from the lottery or their parents, but you paint with a pretty broad stroke if you assume all rich people got that way by making poor decisions. Oftentimes the rich are the pickiest customers of all and the first ones to watch over your shoulders when you are on the clock. Just because someone doesn't make their living with a hammer doesn't mean they don't know how to use one.

 

[Gibbonboy]

I don't remember reading any codes that were cost-of-home specific. I don't care if you are building a $2 million home or one with wheels under it, I think new home owners take it for granted (maybe wrongly) that their home will be built to code.

As far as the comment:
"Chances are good that if you’re dropping a mil plus on a house, you wouldn’t know what was perfect, or even right with the house."

There are a few people who got their money from the lottery or their parents, but you paint with a pretty broad stroke if you assume all rich people got that way by making poor decisions. Oftentimes the rich are the pickiest customers of all and the first ones to watch over your shoulders when you are on the clock. Just because someone doesn't make their living with a hammer doesn't mean they don't know how to use one.

Man, you need to relax. I do "paint with a broad stroke", because I know that 99% or more of people who buy million-dollar plus homes have NEVER swung a hammer for a living, and don't know how a house should be built. This includes most architects I've dealt with. Yes, the "rich" customers watch over your shoulder, doesn't mean they have an idea of what's RIGHT, just what they WANT. I never made any inference of how these people got their money. Get a grip and get off my back, last I checked, the forums weren't a court of law that require exacting precision in every sentence. And yes, everyone deserves to have their home built to be safe and sound. And we're not talking about generalizations of wealthy people buying mansions, we're talking about ONE house that Don found to have an exceptional number of problems. And yes, I believe that most wealthy people have no clue about codes, because they have no reason to.

 

[karl]

Let me clarify this. I wasn't refering to rich and poor or cheap and expensive. I was refering to new and old. A new house should be built to code regardless off whether it's mansion or a shack. I was saying that if a house if old and doesn't meet code, but is other wise safe, why make the home owner spend thousands of dollars for little extra benefit.

By the way, most rich people I know got their money by working hard and living below their means. I'm sure you have heard of Bob Evans and all his restaurants. He lived not to far from here and I have some friends that lived near him and knew him well. He was worth millions and and always drove an old pickup truck to one of his restaurants and walked in wearing bib's. Not bad for a guy whose restaraunts had a billion and a half in revenue last year.

 

[Mike Wilson]

See, you feed the troll, and arguments break out.

Rule One: Don't Feed The Troll.

-- Mike

 

[Gibbonboy]

He was worth millions and and always drove an old pickup truck to one of his restaurants and walked in wearing bib's. Not bad for a guy whose restaraunts had a billion and a half in revenue last year.

I see your original point, sorry for the misunderstanding. But this statement kind of illustrates what I'm talking about. Bob doesn't drive a Mercedes or BMW, and doesn't buy the latest fashions, because he knows the practicality of some things. I'm talking about the sort of person that takes the SUV for a lap around the new development and picks out a house to buy with no idea how it was or should be built. I was just in a development in Little Rock Arkansas, houses there started at 500K (for the "small" ones), the ones that were 4-5 years old already had trim falling off, leaning decks, and peeling paint. There were a few that showed obvious signs of care and maintenance, but most illustrated the fact that the residents don't know much about houses, and obviously don't know there's anything wrong, because the problems weren't getting fixed. If these people knew so much about homebuilding and repair, I'm sure they can afford to hire someone to fix these problems, or do it themselves- but they don't. That was my "gist". I don't really care about how other people got their money, or how they spend it. Just talking about the awareness of the quality of the construction of one's home.

Troll? Me? What?