Building Inspections Newsletter, Issue 15, January 2010 - August 2010

10 Newsletter JOHNSTON COUNTY BUILDING INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT Issue 15 January 2010 - August 2010 Mission Statement hnston County Inspections Department aspires to lead by example It is our mission to provide friendly and knowledgeable service , while demonstrating integrity , professionalism , and to hold the public's welfare and safety to the highest of standards Jo If you experience any problems with the Listserv or Newsletter , feel free to email me Beth Stewart at bethstewart @ johnstonnccom Congratulations Director Dean Barbour has been appointed to the North Carolina Codes Qualifications Board The NC Code Officials Q Board has the primary duty of certifying Code Enforcement Officials in North Carolina Among the Boards duties are establishing minimum standards for certification as a code official , establishing minimum standards for instructors , developing training courses for inspectors and instructors and encouraging research into the improvement of training and education of inspectors The Board also has the responsibility of holding disciplinary hearings to determine whether a certificate should be denied , suspended or revoked The 20 member Board is composed of engineers , contractors , inspectors , architects , educators , and city , county , and state officials Also , congratulations to Amy Clifton , Residential Supervisor , for receiving her 5 th Level III She is now a Level III inspector across the board which makes her one of only four women in the State of North Carolina with Levels III in all five trades PageNCRC Section 31141 No t les s then one ex it doo r confo r min g to th is s e ction sha l l b e p r ov id ed for each dwellin g un it The req u ired ex it door shal l provid e fo r d i rect ac cess fr om the habita ble portions o f the dwe l ling t o the exterior without re qu irin g t r avel through a gara ge Access to habit a b l e levels not h a ving an e x it in acco rdance wit h this s e ction sha l l be by a ram p in accordance with Section R3116 or a st airway in accordance with Section R3115 This can be accomplished by a stair chase with d r yw all se para ting s t airs e gre ss doo r from gara ge or an exterio r flight of stairs off o f the u ppe r leve l Question NEC Section 21 012 B Are lights and smoke det e ctors , in addit i on t o receptac le s , ins t al led in bedro o ms of dw ellin gs re quire d to b e p r otected by an arc - fault circuit - interrupter Answer A l l b r anch c i rcuit s su p p lyin g 15 and 20 amper e , 1 25 volt , ou tlet s in d w ell i n g un it bed r ooms shall b e p r otecte d by an a r c - fa ult c i rcu i t - inte rru pte r AFCI lis te d to p r ovid e p r otect i o n of the en tire circu i t Question When is Sc hedule 80 non - metallic condu i t requ ired and Schedule 40 not permitted for ce rta i n insta lla tio n s Answer R i gid polyvinyl chloride PVC under Article 352 of the Nati onal Electrical Code lists conditions by which PVC conduit may be used Section 35212 C prohibits PVC for installations where " su b ject to ph ysical dam a ge " unless identifie d for such use Schedule 40 conduit is listed for use wh ere n o t su bject to ph ysical dam a ge Sche dule 80 sp ecif ical ly is id ent i f i ed for use where exposed to ph ysical dam a ge Note Whe t her e q uip m ent an d materia l s a r e s u bject to phy s ica l dama ge is a s i tua t io n that mus t be d e te rmined by the Authority Having Ju risdict i on re sponsible for inspection of tha t particu l ar insta l lat i o n Va ria b l e s o f con d it ions may be e x t r em ely d i ffe re nt at each site r e st ric t ing a spec if ic definition of w h at m a y const i tu te an elect r ica l sy ste m compon ent b e in g " subject t o physica l damage " NCMC Section 3062 Appliances in rooms Except i o n fo r Res i d e ntia l W i t h in a dwe lling unit , appl iance s ins t al le d i n a comp a r tmen t , a l c o ve , b a se ment o r si mila r spac e sha l l be accessed b y an open in g or door and an un obstructed passageway measu r ing not less than 24 inches wi de an d la rge en ough to a llo w remo val o f th e la rge s t a ppl iance i n the spa c e , prov ide d t h at a leve l s e rv ice s p ace o f n o t less th an 30 inc h es d eep and th e h e igh t o f t h e appliance , but not less than 3 0 inches , is pre s ent at the fron t or se rvic e side o f t h e app lian c e with the door open 2 Bu ild in g Code Electrical Code Me chanical Code Page3 NCMC Section 3063 Appliances in attics Attics containing appliances requiring access shall be provided with an opening and unobstructed passageway large enough to allow removal of the largest appliance The passageway shall not be less than 30 inches high and 22 inches wide and not more than 20 feet in length measured along the center line of the passageway from the opening to the appliance The passageway shall have continuous solid flooring not less than 24 inches wide A level service space not less than 30 inches deep and 30 inches wide shall be present at the front or service side of the appliance The clear access opening dimensions shall be a minimum of 20 inches by 30 inches , where such dimensions are large enough to allow removal of the largest appliance Exception s 1 The passa g eway and leve l serv ice space a r e n o t require d where the appliance is ca pable of bein g s e rvice d an d removed through the re quire d op enin g 2 Whe r e t h e p a ss ag eway i s no t le s s t h an 6 f e et hi g h f o r it s e n tir e l e ng t h , t h e pas s a g e w a y shall no t b e limited in len g th NCPC Section 3 054 Sleeves Annular spaces between sleeves and pipes shall be filled or tigh tly cau l ked in an approv ed manner Annul ar spaces between sleeves and pipes in fire - res i sta n ce - rate d a s semb lie s shal l b e fi ll ed or tigh tly ca ulked in accord an ce wi th t h e Internat ion a l Bu ild in g Cod e NCPC Section 3055 Pipes through or under footin gs or foundation walls Any pip e that pas s es with in 12 inches under a foo t in g or th rou g h a foun dation wa ll shall be provided with a relieving arch , o r a pip e s l eev e pipe sha ll be bu ilt into the fo undation wall The sleeve shall be two pipe sizes grea ter than the pipe passin g through the wall Piping shall not be run under pier footin gs Dishwa she r s are not a required fixtu r e by the Plumb i ng Code The insta l lat i on o f a dish wash er during th e final phase of construc ti on is not required , provi d ed the appliance has not been delivered , th e water supply , drain c o nnection and wirin g are completely installed and terminate at the bottom of the dish washe r cab i ne t Shou ld the a p p lia nce be p r esent but not in sta lle d during the ins p ect i on , we w i ll c o nsider th e job " No t Ready " Note The plumbing contractor and the electrica l contracto r will be held resp ons i b l e to obta in perm its and the associated inspections for the fu ture insta l latio n of the dishwashe r Continue Mechanical Code Plumbing Code CONT INUE FUE L GAS CODE SE CT ION PageQuestion Is aboveground gas piping outdoors required to be protected Answer Yes NCFGC Section 4047 states " Piping installed above ground , outdoors and installed across the surface of roofs shall be securely supported and located where it will be protected from physical damage " Copper tubing , corrugated stainless steel tubing CSST , and brass pipe shall be protected with a schedule 40 polyvinyl chloride PVC sleeve or equivalent from a point 3 inches below grade to a point 3 feet above grade The protection shall be provided at the building , when the piping is not protected by the gas meter , gas appliance or other means , and also at the storage tank when L P gas is used The protection will not be required for black steel and galvanized steel pipe When the manufacturers installation instructions require additional protection , the protections shall be provided Exposed ferrous metal shall be protected from corrosion 4 NCECC Section 40241 Building thermal envelope The building thermal envelope shall be durably sealed to limit infiltration The sealing methods between dissimilar materials shall allow for differential expansion and contraction The following shall be caulked , gasketed , weather - stripped or otherwise sealed with an air barrier material , suitable film or solid material 1 Site - built w i ndows , doors , and sk ylights 2 Open i n gs betwe e n wi n d ow an d door asse mbl i e s an d th ei r re spe c tive jambs and framing 3 Utility pe netratio ns 4 Dropped c e i l i n g s or ch ases adjace n t to th e th er mal en v e l o pe 5 Fl oor frami n g u n d er kn ee wal l s 6 Walls and ce ili ngs s e parating a gar a ge fro m co nditio ne d spaces 7 Beh i n d tu bs an d sh owe r s on ex ter i or wal l s 8 Co mmo n walls be twe e n dwe lling units 9 Othe r so urce s o f infiltratio n The NC Residential Code , Sect ion 110241 and the NC Energy Co de , Section 40241 do require that certain parts o f the thermal envelope be se aled a g ain s t air in filtration T h e term " other s o u r c e s o f i n f i l t r a t i o n " c o u l d c o v e r j u s t a b o u t a n y p a r t o f t h e e n v e l o p e B u i l d i n g w r a p o r f o i l faced foa m board a r e two methods of m eetin g this requirem e n t Any of the follow ing meth o d s ma y b e u s e d ; ca ul ki ng , g a s k et in g , w e a t her st ri pp i n g , or sealin g with an air ba rrier materia l , film or so li d m a ter i a l If a wal l is in sulat e d w i t h faced in s u lat i on the n this requ irem ent ha s been me t f o r t h at are a David Con n er , NC DO I Fuel Gas Code En ergy Cod e PagePage pageNumber5Section 2045 Contractor Responsibilities It shall be the duty of every person who contracts for the installation or repair of a building or services system to comply with state or local rules and regulations concerning licensing It shall be the contractors responsibility to conform to this code and the technical codes for all installations or repairs of a building or service system Violations and penalties of these provisions are listed in Sections 20412 through 20414 of this code Additional requirements can be found in GS 87 - 1 through 87 - 14 Section 20452 Permit Intent A permit issued shall be construed as permission to proceed with the work and not as authority to violate , cancel , alter or set aside any of the provisions of the technical codes Issuance of a permit shall not prevent the inspection department from requiring correction of errors in plans , construction or violations of this code GS 153A - 137 and 160A - 417 What's Jumping Aut h or , Dea n Barbour The wo rd jump might be re le vant to the building indust ry at this time The building ind u stry o n ly ne e d ed a jump start , which We bste r de fine s as co nne ctio n to a n e x te rnal po we r so ur ce The powe r so urce is a 45 percent 30 year fixed mortgage fo r the ho me o w ne r and a co nstructio n lo a n that do e s n't inc l ude th e bu i l d er's farm an d th e fi rst bor n Th e mortga ge l o an s are i n pl ace bu t bu i l d er s that sto p i n at ou r offi ce are still co mplaini n g abo u t co nstructio n lo a n s The ne w ho use pe rmits in the inspe c tio n o ffice h a ve sho w n an i n cre a se e a c h mo nth si nce Octo be r o f l a s t y e a r T h i s m i g h t b e m o r e o f a slow gri n d than a ju mp , but it's a lot bett er than wh er e we h a v e been Joh n s t o n Cou n t y an d th e tri a n g le area se e m t o weath e r th e stor m be tt er th an oth e r par t s of th e C o u n t ry I th i n k bu i l d in g i s l ooki n g u p , cu stom ers ar e maki n g more po sitive comme nts abo u t re mo deling a n d ad di n g a room or gar a ge addi ti on , an d som e are bu yi n g n e w h o u s es T h er e was an ar ticl e on TV 5 abou t Tu scan y Subdivisio n and Fo re ve r Ho me B u ilde r s , discussing ho w yo u co uld ge t a house with a 1,00 0 square fee t mo re in Jo hnsto n Co unty tha n Wake County fo r the s a m e a m o u n t o f m o n e y T h i s i s g r e a t adve rtising fo r Johnsto n Co u n ty builde r s wh en you can see sol d si gn s on TV I gu ess t h e bi ggest ju mp ar ou nd th e Cou n t y was th e temper atu r e in June ; it was the hotte s t June since the fiftie s Bru c e Ni chols told me he saw two ja y birds tr ying to pull a worm ou t o f th e grou n d wi th ov en mi tts on I mu st repor t to you wi t h sadn ess t h e l o ss o f t h ree bu i l d er s th at h a v e gon e t o th at h o u s e n o t b u i l t wi th h a nds , Mr Gl en n Car r oll age 76 from th e Cl ev e l an d - Pl easan t Grov e co m m u n i ty , Mr Pet e Edwards age 72 f r om the Pi n e L e v e l - Bi zzel l Grov e commu n i ty , an d Mr Gr eg Joh n s on age 44 from th e Sel m a - Cl ayton commu n i ty I can tel l you th at th e spok en word an d a handsh ake fro m the s e thre e ge ntle me n we re mo re valu able than to day's writte n contract Mr Carroll , Mr Edwards and Mr Johnson will be mi ssed , we sure enjoyed their comp any Ju mp up and submit some plans to the permit of fi ce , let's bui l d a house PS S t op re adi n g th e f o recl osu r es ' an d l a n d sal e s secti o n 5 NC Adm i nistrative Code & Policies PagePage pageNumber6We no longer have Nextel Direct Connect ; however , we still have the same mobile numbers Below is an updated list of phones numbers Phone List Name Desk Phone Verizon Mobile Barbour Dean 919 - 989 - 5061 919 - 868 - 4615 Barry Trip 919 - 209 - 8326 919 - 427 - 3536 Blackman Walter 919 - 989 - 5064 919 - 427 - 4285 Bledsoe Mike N A 919 - 868 - 4618 Byrd Brady 919 - 209 - 8324 919 - 427 - 7894 Clifton Amy 919 - 989 - 5065 919 - 868 - 3584 Clifton Tommy 919 - 209 - 8330 919 - 868 - 4638 Cook Mike N A 919 - 422 - 6811 Gerrell Heather 919 - 989 - 5060 919 - 427 - 3538 Horne Rose 919 - 989 - 5060 919 - 422 - 6597 Hudson Shane 919 - 209 - 8322 919 - 422 - 6812 Johnson Davy N A 919 - 369 - 0308 Johnson Patrick N A 919 - 625 - 8742 Jones RB 919 - 209 - 8320 919 - 422 - 6759 Lancaster Ann 919 - 989 - 5622 919 - 422 - 4337 Lewis Ed 919 - 209 - 8328 919 - 291 - 1571 Reeves Russell 919 - 209 - 8323 919 - 291 - 0613 Robinson Bryan 919 - 209 - 8331 919 - 201 - 0430 Sasser Brian N A 919 - 868 - 4620 Sauls Jimmie 919 - 209 - 8327 919 - 427 - 4283 Stewart Beth 919 - 989 - 5060 919 - 795 - 3593 Sutton Tony N A 919 - 427 - 4282 Thomasson Sue 919 - 989 - 5060 919 - 795 - 0406 INSPECTIONS NEWS & REMINDERS 6 DA R T TE AM Johnston County Inspe c t i ons Depart ment is now equipped with a fully certified Disas t er Assessment Resp ons e Team consi s ting of a chief and two team lead ers There are ONLY 7 0 in the US alone that are c e rtifi e d Joh n ston C o unty has 7 o f those and 1 m o re in N o rth Carolin a Dean Barbour , Chief Patrick J o hnson , Team 1 Leader R u ssell Reeve s , Team 2 L e ader Mike Cook and Amy Clifton Sha n e Huds on a n d Walter Bl ackman NEW FORM Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation For contractors who decide to install spray foam insulation We have forms available online at wwwjohnstonnccom inspections or in our office To have your inspection on for the NEXT day you will need to call in by 4 30pm INSPECTIONS CALAN D ER 2010 Se pt 6 th Labo r Day Ho liday Oct 1 st - 3 1 st Lazy O Farm Maze Da yz Smithfie ld Oct 2 nd - 3 1 st Clayton Fea r Farm Oct 9 th Pumpkin Fe stival Wilso n Mi lls No v 11 th Ve te ran's Day Ho liday No v 25 th & 26 th Tha n ksgivi ng Ho liday De c 24 th & 27 th Christmas Holiday 2011 De c 31 st New Years HolidayPage