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Posted: 5/2/2011 9:16:55 AM EDT
[#1]
In before the title change...and page two ownage?
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Posted: 5/2/2011 9:23:57 AM EDT
[#2]
It's all going to depend on where you live. Some counties/munis are really anal, others really don't care.
I have a 100 year old house that had a big wood beam running down the middle of the basement. It had been eaten by termites. It probably had less than 20% of its cross-section remaining in the middle. It's a miracle it still held. I did some drawings (I do CAD on the side) and went to the city to get a permit. They gave it to me, even after asking if I could do the work myself. You have to be a licensed electrician to add a light switch and a licensed plumber to put in a bar sink, but if all you're doing is replacing the single most important structural member of the house all on your own, you're good. 
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Posted: 5/2/2011 9:55:14 AM EDT
[#3]
Actually in most areas you can do your own electrical, plumbing, etc, on your own home as long as it is not for sale, rent or lease.
You still may need a permit, not needed around here- OR/Wa for switch, recept, light fixture replacement, but much more than that, circuit extensions, New receptacles or new switches ( meaning new location) or new light fixtures/circuits need permits. That's on your own home. If it's a rental, apartments or something else that's a different story and different rules apply. I don't agree with all of it but I've seen some pretty knarly work done by owners and handymen that is quite surprising that hadn't caused a fire, and some that had burned but the box fortunately contained it. What's bad is to find a poor splice that is not boxed and covered with old newspaper and such in an attic, with obvious signs of heat. A fire just waiting to happen. |
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Posted: 5/2/2011 10:00:24 AM EDT
[#4]
Quoted: To wit: This is a photo of a GFCI outlet that I replaced in my basement bathroom. The previous owners hired a handyman from their church to build-out the basement.Actually in most areas you can do your own electrical, plumbing, etc, on your own home as long as it is not for sale, rent or lease. You still may need a permit, not needed around here- OR/Wa for switch, recept, light fixture replacement, but much more than that, circuit extensions, New receptacles or new switches ( meaning new location) or new light fixtures/circuits need permits. That's on your own home. If it's a rental, apartments or something else that's a different story and different rules apply. I don't agree with all of it but I've seen some pretty knarly work done by owners and handymen that is quite surprising that hadn't caused a fire, and some that had burned but the box fortunately contained it. What's bad is to find a poor splice that is not boxed and covered with old newspaper and such in an attic, with obvious signs of heat. A fire just waiting to happen.  |
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Posted: 5/2/2011 11:19:44 AM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
It's all going to depend on where you live. Some counties/munis are really anal, others really don't care. I have a 100 year old house that had a big wood beam running down the middle of the basement. It had been eaten by termites. It probably had less than 20% of its cross-section remaining in the middle. It's a miracle it still held. I did some drawings (I do CAD on the side) and went to the city to get a permit. They gave it to me, even after asking if I could do the work myself. You have to be a licensed electrician to add a light switch and a licensed plumber to put in a bar sink, but if all you're doing is replacing the single most important structural member of the house all on your own, you're good. I did not need to be a professional to remodel my entire basement, framing, electrical, insulation, heating, etc they just want to inspect the work as it gets done. |
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Posted: 5/2/2011 12:08:14 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
Quoted:
It's all going to depend on where you live. Some counties/munis are really anal, others really don't care. I have a 100 year old house that had a big wood beam running down the middle of the basement. It had been eaten by termites. It probably had less than 20% of its cross-section remaining in the middle. It's a miracle it still held. I did some drawings (I do CAD on the side) and went to the city to get a permit. They gave it to me, even after asking if I could do the work myself. You have to be a licensed electrician to add a light switch and a licensed plumber to put in a bar sink, but if all you're doing is replacing the single most important structural member of the house all on your own, you're good. I did not need to be a professional to remodel my entire basement, framing, electrical, insulation, heating, etc they just want to inspect the work as it gets done. Yeah, it's different EVERYWHERE. Here, licensed guys have to do it. Unless, of course "it was like that when you bought it". 
I'm sure it's like that due to union pandering in the local gov't. And in a different muni down the street, it could be totally different. |
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Posted: 5/3/2011 7:00:57 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
Quoted:
To wit: This is a photo of a GFCI outlet that I replaced in my basement bathroom. The previous owners hired a handyman from their church to build-out the basement.
Actually in most areas you can do your own electrical, plumbing, etc, on your own home as long as it is not for sale, rent or lease. You still may need a permit, not needed around here- OR/Wa for switch, recept, light fixture replacement, but much more than that, circuit extensions, New receptacles or new switches ( meaning new location) or new light fixtures/circuits need permits. That's on your own home. If it's a rental, apartments or something else that's a different story and different rules apply. I don't agree with all of it but I've seen some pretty knarly work done by owners and handymen that is quite surprising that hadn't caused a fire, and some that had burned but the box fortunately contained it. What's bad is to find a poor splice that is not boxed and covered with old newspaper and such in an attic, with obvious signs of heat. A fire just waiting to happen. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=28734 I had an outlet in the kitchen like that. Every morning when I made coffee, there was a stench in the kitchen. I changed coffee brands, coffeemakers, and still it stank when I made coffee. Then one day when I went to unplug the coffeemaker, I felt the hot outlet. The smell was the burning insulation on the wire and the melting outlet box. Even the stud the box was nailed to was discolored from the heat.  FFFFfffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
I replaced the outlet and the melted box by myself without hiring a licensed electrician. 
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Posted: 5/3/2011 7:10:35 AM EDT
[#8]
Your point? Was it wired incorrectly or did the switch fail? If the switch failed it doesn't neccesarily mean it was installed improperly. Just sayin.
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Posted: 5/3/2011 7:11:54 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted:
Quoted:
To wit: This is a photo of a GFCI outlet that I replaced in my basement bathroom. The previous owners hired a handyman from their church to build-out the basement.
Actually in most areas you can do your own electrical, plumbing, etc, on your own home as long as it is not for sale, rent or lease. You still may need a permit, not needed around here- OR/Wa for switch, recept, light fixture replacement, but much more than that, circuit extensions, New receptacles or new switches ( meaning new location) or new light fixtures/circuits need permits. That's on your own home. If it's a rental, apartments or something else that's a different story and different rules apply. I don't agree with all of it but I've seen some pretty knarly work done by owners and handymen that is quite surprising that hadn't caused a fire, and some that had burned but the box fortunately contained it. What's bad is to find a poor splice that is not boxed and covered with old newspaper and such in an attic, with obvious signs of heat. A fire just waiting to happen. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=28734 Your point? Was it wired incorrectly or did the switch fail? If the switch failed it doesn't neccesarily mean it was installed improperly. Just sayin. |
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Posted: 5/3/2011 7:24:02 AM EDT
[#10]
Quoted: Your point? Was it wired incorrectly or did the switch fail? If the switch failed it doesn't neccesarily mean it was installed improperly. Just sayin. Too much insulation stripped off the neutral wire, plus WAY too much shit crammed in that box. The neutral was arcing against the ground wire, and burned the neutral insulation. It could have burned my house down. |
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Posted: 5/3/2011 8:29:27 AM EDT
[#11]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Your point? Was it wired incorrectly or did the switch fail? If the switch failed it doesn't neccesarily mean it was installed improperly. Just sayin. Too much insulation stripped off the neutral wire, plus WAY too much shit crammed in that box. The neutral was arcing against the ground wire, and burned the neutral insulation. It could have burned my house down. If you have a neutral arcing against a ground, you have far more of a problem than in that box.
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Posted: 5/3/2011 9:11:58 AM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Your point? Was it wired incorrectly or did the switch fail? If the switch failed it doesn't neccesarily mean it was installed improperly. Just sayin. Too much insulation stripped off the neutral wire, plus WAY too much shit crammed in that box. The neutral was arcing against the ground wire, and burned the neutral insulation. It could have burned my house down. If you have a neutral arcing against a ground, you have far more of a problem than in that box. Indeed, LOL! However, you can see that it was hot (black) arcing against ground. |
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Posted: 5/3/2011 11:26:33 AM EDT
[#13]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Your point? Was it wired incorrectly or did the switch fail? If the switch failed it doesn't neccesarily mean it was installed improperly. Just sayin. Too much insulation stripped off the neutral wire, plus WAY too much shit crammed in that box. The neutral was arcing against the ground wire, and burned the neutral insulation. It could have burned my house down. If you have a neutral arcing against a ground, you have far more of a problem than in that box. Indeed, LOL! However, you can see that it was hot (black) arcing against ground. Check again. That black looking wire is burnt insulation on a white wire. I'm assuming he can't tell a neutral from a switch leg. All the more reason a journeyman should do electrical modifications to a home. |
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