"Pinstripe Sniper" wrote in message
...
Geez! So I see that my town requires a building permit to replace a
water heater in a non-rental residential property (owner occupied)

Does your government entity require this as well?

Sounds kind of commie to me. Geez, what if I replace my stove or get
a new gas clothes dryer? I guess this must be so because of
earthquake straps becoming a requirement in more locations?

Oh yeah, there's also a law here that vision prescriptions older than
2 years cannot be filled by local opticians.

PsS

First, if they will let you do the work but want it permitted and inspected,
quit whining. Around here I need a licensed contractor to scratch my
testicles.

Second, the water heater is the single most dangerous 4&#king thing you have
in your house. Not only do you have the danger of either, fuel gas and
carbon monoxide, or electricity and water, but the water heater is a self
firing pressure vessel. The only thing that keeps it from being a bomb is a
$25 thermostat and a relief valve set at 150psi. Poor plumbing practices can
negate either of those. If you don't believe me, look up the mythbusters
"water heater rocket" episode.

Third, it is a fallacy to believe that it is only a danger to you. Unless
you intend to have your funeral pyre set in the living room, your work will
risk the next owner.

My building turned 100 in 2009. It must have had half a dozen people who
thought their work was only a risk to them.
Half the outlets were fed by lampcord pushed under the baseboard. Floor
joists were sawn 3/4 of the way through to put pipe through. Gas light
fittings weren't capped off. And the replacement service entrance wire was
wirenutted to the old wire in a pulling elbow two feet from the fuse box.

Paul K. Dickman

In article ,
"Paul K. Dickman" wrote:

First, if they will let you do the work but want it permitted and inspected,
quit whining. Around here I need a licensed contractor to scratch my
testicles.

And who do you suppose got that into your local laws? Those darlings of
the tea party/republicans/right, the licensed contractors. "Independent
businessmen" who love to stomp out (via government regulation, which
they absolutely love when it's doing this) anything that gets in the way
of their personal gravy train, to "save you from yourself."

Anyway, the correct response to overbearing idiocy is to get the laws
changed, or leave for somewhere with better laws (and keep the other
idiots that move there from changing the laws for the worse.)

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

Paul K. Dickman wrote:

First, if they will let you do the work but want it permitted and inspected,
quit whining. Around here I need a licensed contractor to scratch my
testicles.

Second, the water heater is the single most dangerous 4&#king thing you have
in your house. Not only do you have the danger of either, fuel gas and
carbon monoxide, or electricity and water, but the water heater is a self
firing pressure vessel. The only thing that keeps it from being a bomb is a
$25 thermostat and a relief valve set at 150psi. Poor plumbing practices can
negate either of those. If you don't believe me, look up the mythbusters
"water heater rocket" episode.

Third, it is a fallacy to believe that it is only a danger to you. Unless
you intend to have your funeral pyre set in the living room, your work will
risk the next owner.

My building turned 100 in 2009. It must have had half a dozen people who
thought their work was only a risk to them.
Half the outlets were fed by lampcord pushed under the baseboard. Floor
joists were sawn 3/4 of the way through to put pipe through. Gas light
fittings weren't capped off. And the replacement service entrance wire was
wirenutted to the old wire in a pulling elbow two feet from the fuse box.

Damn good points Paul.

Jim Stewart wrote:

Paul K. Dickman wrote:

First, if they will let you do the work but want it permitted and inspected,
quit whining. Around here I need a licensed contractor to scratch my
testicles.

Second, the water heater is the single most dangerous 4&#king thing you have
in your house. Not only do you have the danger of either, fuel gas and
carbon monoxide, or electricity and water, but the water heater is a self
firing pressure vessel. The only thing that keeps it from being a bomb is a
$25 thermostat and a relief valve set at 150psi. Poor plumbing practices can
negate either of those. If you don't believe me, look up the mythbusters
"water heater rocket" episode.

Third, it is a fallacy to believe that it is only a danger to you. Unless
you intend to have your funeral pyre set in the living room, your work will
risk the next owner.

My building turned 100 in 2009. It must have had half a dozen people who
thought their work was only a risk to them.
Half the outlets were fed by lampcord pushed under the baseboard. Floor
joists were sawn 3/4 of the way through to put pipe through. Gas light
fittings weren't capped off. And the replacement service entrance wire was
wirenutted to the old wire in a pulling elbow two feet from the fuse box.

Damn good points Paul.

I go with a scorched earth policy, when I'm gone, so is everything I
built (no heirs).

Not familiar with the expression: There oughta be a law against that!
So we have.. but blame those ****ing unions, associations, political party,
on'n on blah-blah.

Regardless of who you want to hold responsible, public safety (not
handholding) is an essential part of most populated areas.
An unqualified public servant isn't the best judge of what's safe.. he/she
doesn't have to sleep and live in the places they might inspect.

A doofus living in a multi-unit or single-family residence structure decides
he's qualified to install something (electrical or gas) because he watched a
TV show about it while he was stuffing his face, yelling at the kids/wife
and having a few beers.
A professional installer or inspector may save the lives of the family, or
families in nearby residences.

AFAIC, there are way too many TV shows that claim: You can do this.. just
watch.

Generally, electrical circuit fires aren't accidents. Faulty wiring is
probably the most common so-called official determination. Bull****. The
wire alone wasn't faulty in the vast majority of instances.

Faulty installation practices, usually executed by someone that was
completely incapable or just unwilling to do the job correctly is most
likely the factual reason for most electrical residential fires (excluding
actual cooking accidents or just negligence issues like using
improper/antique extension cords/faulty electrical devices).

I'm aware that some professional contractors perform faulty installations,
too.

--
WB
..........


"Ecnerwal" wrote in message
...

And who do you suppose got that into your local laws? Those darlings of
the tea party/republicans/right, the licensed contractors. "Independent
businessmen" who love to stomp out (via government regulation, which
they absolutely love when it's doing this) anything that gets in the way
of their personal gravy train, to "save you from yourself."

Anyway, the correct response to overbearing idiocy is to get the laws
changed, or leave for somewhere with better laws (and keep the other
idiots that move there from changing the laws for the worse.)

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by