|
|
Post by stumpy on Apr 30, 2008 9:26:36 GMT -5
The inspector wants the following: 1. Pressurized the water system with air to 50 PSI. 2. The drain and vents also need to fill with air to 5 PSI. How do I accomplish that?  I think I can do the fresh water system if I can find the right pipe fittings to attach a pressure gauge and a valve to pump air into the pipes with a compressor. How do I do it with the drain and vents? I can cap all the openings except for the toilet.... Any help is greatly appreciated. |
|
|
|
Post by Ronmar on Apr 30, 2008 9:56:20 GMT -5
They make screw in rubber expansion plugs, available at most hardware stores. You will need one of these for each roof vent, and for, I am assuming the drain/sewer outlet from the house. The toilets are an interesting question. Will a wax toilet seal hold 5 PSI? Not sure how you would seal it. Water balloons and duct tape? Do they have to be included in the test? It might be easier and have a more likley successfull leakdown test if they were not in the system. You might have to remove the toilets and plug those pipes with expandable plugs. Into one of the rubber plugs, you drill a hole for an air pipe and to that you attach your gauge and valve.
Ron
|
|
3RRL
Administrator 
Huge Kama
Posts: 2,027 
|
Post by 3RRL on Apr 30, 2008 10:08:57 GMT -5
Leakdown tests are reasonable and usually done before hand.
I can't believe this guys wants you to do that stuff now. It would sure have been easier to do during the plumbing install. Did they not tell you about that requirement or is this something this inspector wants?
What a bummer Tom.
|
|
|
|
Post by stumpy on Apr 30, 2008 10:59:47 GMT -5
Probably my lack of experience and mis-undestanding of the requirements. The "rough" plumbing was tested and passed inspection before we pour the concrete slab. Foundation contractor took care of that. I did the rest of the plumbing work myself... So, I thought it was ok to hook up the drain to the septic. Not knowing since I installed the rest of the drain/vent later, I need to re-test the entire system. Now, I have to dig everything up, cut the sewer pipe to cap it, presurized and show him it can hold at least 5 PSI..
...talk about being picky. He also failed my electrical inspection. Everything was OK except for the breaker panel being too close to the water heater. It requires min. 32" clearance. My panel was 30.5" from the tankless water heater.
|
|
|
|
Post by linus69 on Apr 30, 2008 15:51:43 GMT -5
Grease him Tom, this guy has got to be looking for some paper and I don`t mean permits. It sounds like he is going above and beyond, it`s either that he is a merciless prick or he wants a gift. Crooked building inspectors are the second oldest professionals after prostitutes.
|
|
red
CTW Advanced Member
Posts: 306
|
Post by red on Apr 30, 2008 18:10:55 GMT -5
Tom do not "grease" him directly find out who his best friend is and go thru his friend! Actually I'm too stubborn to give the *rick a dime!! I would keep dragging him back for each and every violation so it is a pain in the ass for him as well and play "STUPID" thru the whole deal. Good Luck -Ed
Sorry back to original question I pressured my system with the plugs that Ron was talking about (can actually buy toilet flanges with sealed openings for the pressure test. Do not rip out your sewer/septic line ya put a cleanout in didn't you? Open that up and plug it from there. Vent cap can be sealed with a cap and just cut it off after test or use one of those rubber caps. My brother (plumber at the time) had a air valve with fittings adapted to screw on to the plumbing we were testing. Take apart one of your sink drains and adapted it down to the air valve. It may be easier if yo had a plumber friend you could borrow from
|
|
GuglioLS
Administrator
Jinma354 LE
Posts: 1,276
|
Post by GuglioLS on Apr 30, 2008 18:47:50 GMT -5
He needs to be shot on site as a trespasser, as he is bleeding and crawling to his car to get medical attention he finds that his tires are slashed. While pleading for his life, ask who his boss is as you want to file a racial discrimination lawsuit. Sound about right? Sorry Tom.
Around here the plumbing leak test is to cap the main drain line to the septic or sewer, then fill the entire drain system with water, if no leaks, it passes.
Tom, do you homework, learn more about the "code" than him. Sounds like he has it in for you so everything is going to have to be 100% perfect. You have no choice in the matter as he has the final say and is protecting the contractors that pay him to look the other way.
Maybe ask him what's it gonna take to get him off your back? At least you will know what he is really looking for, Make sure you have a pocket voice recorder going.
Larry
|
|
|
|
Post by quicksandfarmer on Apr 30, 2008 20:37:44 GMT -5
The leakdown test should have been done at the time of the rough inspection. The whole idea is to check for hidden leaks before you close everything in. Once you've closed in the walls, there's not a whole lot of point searching for leaks, it's too late to do anything about them.
I had a similar experience with my local building inspector, where he was asking for stuff at the final inspection that he should have asked for before I broke ground. I asked a neighbor who's in the construction business if the guy was on the take, and his response was, no, he's just an idiot. So never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence.
I got through my final inspection by just acting like an amiable dunce.* I never volunteered any information, and just agreed with everything he said.
It's unlikely that he's soliciting a bribe from an individual homeowner, there's just too much downside risk in that. At worst he's disappointed that you didn't use one of the local plumbers that he has an "ongoing relationship" with. I got that drift from my inspector when I brought in an electrician from one town over.
*And before anyone says anything, yes, that required acting.
|
|
GuglioLS
Administrator
Jinma354 LE
Posts: 1,276
|
Post by GuglioLS on Apr 30, 2008 21:04:20 GMT -5
just acting like an amiable dunce.*
*And before anyone says anything, yes, that required acting. Quicksand, Obviously explaining that in a hurry truly means it was just "acting" on your part  Tom, Do you have any records of prior inspections? Perhaps this was already done by your contractor? You might be faced with having to get a contractor in there to get this passed. Sorry one more rant: WTF is wrong with this picture? This is your barn and temporary living quarters on your land, IMHO no one has the right to say what can and cannot be done. Laws, Rules and Regulations are out of control - end of rant. Larry
|
|
|
|
Post by Ronmar on Apr 30, 2008 23:16:07 GMT -5
just acting like an amiable dunce.*
*And before anyone says anything, yes, that required acting. Quicksand, Obviously explaining that in a hurry truly means it was just "acting" on your part Tom, Do you have any records of prior inspections? Perhaps this was already done by your contractor? You might be faced with having to get a contractor in there to get this passed. Sorry one more rant: WTF is wrong with this picture? This is your barn and temporary living quarters on your land, IMHO no one has the right to say what can and cannot be done. Laws, Rules and Regulations are out of control - end of rant. Larry Larry, I was just thinking the exact same thing. I am going to be starting a new home in the next 2 years(actually started digging into the hillside where the new foundation will go last weekend:)) and am dreading the permit and inspection part of the process. I have absolutely no difficulty being responsible for my own actions, and I am extremely interested in producing a quality safe product as I will be living in it for the rest of my life. So at what point did we allow someone else to make these rules to protect us from ourselves? Ron |
|
|
|
Post by affordable on May 1, 2008 4:36:30 GMT -5
I will try to offer a little help here,I'm a master plumber in Houston and this comes up alot,where the homeowner does there own plumbing. The test on the drainage & vent system is to ensure no sewer gas gets into the house and for your own saftey.Not only does it smell bad but it's flammable.The inspector is not asking any more from you that he asks from anybody else.If everything is completed you will need to cap off everything and pressure with air,we use rubber test balls that you put in the pipes and blow up with a tire pump they come in sizes from 1-1/2"-24" you will need some 1-1/2"-4". If you want to call me at 713-464-5521 8-5 central time I will try to help you.With a little help you can do this test in 4-5 hours and be done with it Tommy Affordable Tractor Sales Co. www.affordabletractorsalesco.com |
|
|
|
Post by stumpy on May 1, 2008 9:45:53 GMT -5
Thanks for all your help. I think I've learn enough to gather the right tools and get this done the next trip I'm going to the farm. I don't blame the inspector. He's obsolutely correct and he was just doing his job I guess. There's no arguement here.... I just want to learn enough to get it done to pass the inspection. My complaint was different standards between the various inspectors of the same building department. This barn building project has been going on for a little over 2 years now. There was many building law changes in the county in the pass 2 years. Some of those changes were for the state of California all across the board. The latest changes took effect 1/1/2008 may prevent me from building my home on my land. Now, it will be extremely difficult and costly from me to comply with the new law to get approval to build my home. This totally screw up my plan.  I paid thousand$ for the permit for a fucking barn and I had to hundred$ to file extensions on the permit every year. The previous guy had passed all the inspections so far. He even said I don't care what you build out here.... I'm building in the middle of nowhere on my 120acres and surrounded by thousands of acres of private and federal land with no other building structure within miles. This was a county known to be very relax on everything and was a place for folks retired to enjoy rural living. He even said if they were to enforce all the building codes here, half the buildings in this county would need to be torn down. I'm taking a risk of offending some people reading this post... Based on my experience so far, you have to build or at least get the permits quickly while you still can. The freak'in liberals are taking over and slowly turning this country into a communist or socialist country which I thought I escaped from.... Some of my neighbors have been long time resident there. They all told me that things have changed alot over the years. They used to be able to target practice in their backyard that borders a national forest when we were kids. Now, when people hear a gunshot, they will call the sheriff. When people see you cut a tree (dead or alive), they will call the resource conversation dept to see if you got a permit. When people see you drive your tractor around and starts digging, they will call the authority to see if you got a grading permit. Pretty soon we will need permission to breathe.... Sorry for the rant... |
|
|
|
Post by stumpy on May 1, 2008 10:00:57 GMT -5
[quote author=ronmar board=conpro thread=318 post=3745
Larry, I was just thinking the exact same thing. I am going to be starting a new home in the next 2 years(actually started digging into the hillside where the new foundation will go last weekend:)) and am dreading the permit and inspection part of the process. I have absolutely no difficulty being responsible for my own actions, and I am extremely interested in producing a quality safe product as I will be living in it for the rest of my life. So at what point did we allow someone else to make these rules to protect us from ourselves?
Ron [/quote]
Ron, I don't know about your area. But out here, you better "NOT" start digging if you want to get a permit and build on it. One of the new building law just took effect 1/1/2008 here was that we need to get approval from the "resource conservation" department before you can get a grading permit and build on it. They want topographic survey by a licensed surveyor, drainage plan by a licensed civil engineer, tree survey by a licensed arborist and a soil report by a licensed geotechnical engineer. If they don't see things in it's "natural state", they don't want to risk their license to certify your project. You may be required to restore everything back to it's natural state or pay them a ransome to get them to put their stamp of your plan or permit application. Something to think about....
Tom
|
|
|
|
Post by Ronmar on May 1, 2008 11:20:42 GMT -5
Well I needed the dirt to fill in some stump holes, and it had to come from somewhere... We don't appear to be that bad up here yet.
Good Luck.
Ron
|
|
red
CTW Advanced Member
Posts: 306
|
Post by red on May 2, 2008 5:15:32 GMT -5
Well I needed the dirt to fill in some stump holes, and it had to come from somewhere... We don't appear to be that bad up here yet. Good Luck. Ron BETTER build QUICK ! ! Recently attended a town meeting cause we're on one acre zoning and neighbor want to build two houses on their 2 acre lot (wanted to make such it was a total of 2 houses not and additional 2 houses) and it appeared to me that everyone has MORE say in your land than you the owner . Gotta love how much we have progressed as a society where everyone in gov't knows not only more than you but most importantly what is GOOD for you. Seriously pull a permit. . . Not sure of West coast regulations but out east if you have your permit you are grandfathered in, before the new rules apply. I had problems with the setback requirements for the backyard and the building inspectator tried to turn my house- ya call the side of the house the front and now you only need 25' from you property line instead of 50'. They had changed the law to keep builders from doing that and I missed by 3 months! Oh well! |
|
