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Codes, Permits and Problems that Service
Technicians hate but run into ALL the time. Read why these problems are
so troublesome!
 Need
Heating or Cooling Parts? Visit our affiliate - My Hvac Parts.com
H.V.A.C. Parts Direct To the Homeowner!
Servicing
Denver, Arvada,
Westminster, Northglenn, Thornton, Wheat Ridge, Sheridan, Lakewood, Englewood,
Centennial, Littleton, Aurora, Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch and
surrounding communities. Counties served are: Douglas, Arapahoe, and
Jefferson Counties.
UNDERSTANDING SERVICE
PROBLEMS.
TYPICAL SERVICE PROBLEMS.
NUMBER 1 PROBLEM: Noises
There are many times that our service technicians get to
a service call only to hear " The furnace or air conditioner makes
a noise, but it isn't always there". We HATE this type of call
because if the "noise" isn't there while we are there we
obviously can't fix the problem! We will always try to make the noise
appear but it may not happen. Most clients have had this sort of thing
happen when they bring their automobile to the garage for repairs. They
get there and the noise is gone! The car mechanic KNOWS the client has
heard a noise so what he has to do is either have the client try to
bring the vehicle back when it makes the noise again, an annoying
inconvenience on both the client and the mechanic, or try replacing All
parts that could cause the problem. This latter cure for the problem
could be looked at as the mechanic trying to sell unneeded parts. Since
not all mechanics or service technicians are honest, this could be a
valid point. The best cure for this is to ask your friends who they use
for service work to help you find a company you can trust.
NUMBER 2 PROBLEM: Having the part to make the
repair.
Most service companies carry a large selection of
service parts. This includes our company. We shift the emphasis on which
parts to have on the trucks depending on which season we are in, either
heating or air conditioning. However, even doing this it is impossible
to carry every part for every furnace, boiler or air conditioner that is
on the market! This is especially a problem with an emergency late night
call for a heating problem. We will do our best to get the client heat
but sometimes it is a manufacturers part such as a printed circuit board
that has to be ordered. On occasion, our supply houses and manufacturers
distributors are themselves, out of a certain part and it has to be
shipped to Denver from sometimes the east or west coast.
NUMBER 3 PROBLEM: Scheduling the service call.
Our office tries very hard to schedule each call to have
the client's service problem corrected in the fastest manner for the
client and our service technicians as well. This all depends on many
things happening in a certain way. For one, our service tech has to
arrive on his call on time. Anyone who drives in the Denver area knows
all too well the traffic in the area will often times dictate if this
happens or not. Next is our service techs don't know how long they will
be on each call or what problems they will run into. Each tech keeps
close contact with our office if they see there will be a delay so that
our office can call the next client and keep them informed. This is of
little comfort to a client who has taken the day off to meet us. This
same thing happens to us when WE have service companies come to our
facility or our homes, so we understand the problem. We often end up
paying our service techs overtime because of this, even though we didn't
get paid overtime! Another problem is when a client " forgets
" the appointment to meet us. This last problem is why we call
before we come out. If we get an answering machine and we leave a
message to call us and we don't get a reply we move on to the next call
so as to not disrupt every client's schedule. So please be there for the
appointment or notify our office if a change in the schedule is required
as soon as possible.
NUMBER 4 PROBLEM: Bringing existing
furnaces, boilers and air conditioners up to code.
The best example of this we can give is the following.
A homeowner has a bad furnace and wants us to replace it. We discuss the
different efficiency options they have along with options to different
brands they may have interest in. The next thing we have to look at is
whether or not an existing piece of equipment will measure up to the
latest national, state and local codes. One of the biggest code issues
that comes up when talking about furnaces is the lack of enough
combustion air in the furnace equipment room. The new codes require a
certain amount of combustion air be brought in via (2) pipes, one high
on the ceiling and one low near the burner section of the furnace. These
pipes are usually 6" in diameter. Once a basement has had a
finished sheet rocked ceiling installed, it is sometimes impossible to
do this! Clients often say " It's been this way for 30 years
". What they are not thinking of is that they may have divided off
their basement into living areas, playrooms and the like. If this has
happened the furnace or boiler is now being starved of combustion air
and the furnace is making carbon monoxide as a result. This may or may
not be deadly but it is irrelevant to us since we have to supply
combustion air per the new codes. At one time not much attention was
given to combustion air since houses used to be very loosely constructed
which allowed for air infiltration through air leaks around windows and
doors. There are other code issues we run into but this will give you an
idea of what we are up against.
NUMBER 5 PROBLEM: " I don't want to pay
permit fees.
All communities we serve demand any equipment that is
being changed or new equipment being installed be done so with a Permit
from the local authority. We are licensed in all areas we serve and wish
to do this the correct way.
However, it does raise the cost of doing the job. Also, there have been
some jobs we have done that have ended up costing our clients more money
than anticipated because when the local Inspector came out, other things
about the building didn't meet code, even though it had nothing to do
with the job we were doing. Our view however is that if it were OUR home
we would want the Inspector to let us know if there were other unsafe
things in the home! On the other hand we have also had City or County
Inspectors get ridiculous in some of the things they want done while we are
doing a job. Recently in Feb. of 2002 we installed an add on air conditioning
system to a 3 month old home in Castle Rock, CO. The Douglas County Inspector
came out and passed the job and told the home owner we had done a fine job. His
only complaint was that we had used a Seimens circuit breaker in the main panel
instead of a G.E. circuit breaker since it was a G.E. circuit breaker box. We
had to go get a G.E. breaker, drive back to Castle Rock, install the breaker to
satisfy the inspector. The whole problem with this is if you yourself go into
ANY electrical supply house in the United States and ask for a G.E. breaker you
may get a Seimens breaker as they are exactly the same and totally
interchangeable! This is absolutely NO different than buying generic drugs versus a
name brand drug at your local pharmacy. Not everyone shares our thoughts however. Our office
can explain these things to you at length.
Another issue that we would like to touch on here is the
issue of State Licensing in the State of Colorado.
In Colorado Plumbers and Electricians have to be State Licensed.
This is the case in most States for the Heating and Air Conditioning trade also.
In Colorado there is no State License for Heating and Air Conditioning. Instead,
each City and or County has it's own license which must be secured before a
H.V.A.C. Company can get a permit to install equipment. This in our opinion, is
only a way for each community to generate revenue since we must pay to take a
test in some cities and THEN buy a license if the test has been passed. A State
License for H.V.A.C. as with Plumbers and Electricians, would require each
person or business wishing to do H.V.A.C. work to take and pass a test. Once the
test is passed we would receive a State License that would cover our work
ANYWHERE in the State of Colorado. This would have the net effect of keeping our
prices lower since we wouldn't have all the additional expenses involved in
paying each community for a license and in some cases a testing fee. All
H.V.A.C. work in Colorado is governed by a set of National Code Standards known
as the Uniform Mechanical Code. All H.V.A.C. companies should be and usually are
following this national standard. Sheridan Mechanical Services adheres to the
Uniform Mechanical Codes in all our work and therefore we are really un
concerned that our job will be Inspected by the local Building Authority.
PERMITS
AS OF
5-29-03
As required by law,
Sheridan
Mechanical Services wishes to do all jobs
with local Permits issued by the local Building Department in your area.
We do wish to make you
aware of certain issues that will arise when getting our jobs passed by the
local Building Inspector.
Each community has it’s
own guidelines that are constantly changing as each area update their own rules
as well as which Code Book they are using. Some Cities are using the 1997
Uniform Mechanical Code, others use the 2000 version while others are going to
the International Code book. The older the home, the harder it is to bring up to
code . Some examples of this is a change in
Douglas County which now says we can no longer run ANY 240 Volt electrical
service to an outdoor air conditioner. We must get a Licensed Electrician. Most
other communities are doing the same thing. In The City and
County
of
Broomfield
, they will soon be following the
International
Building
Code which now says we can’t add air
conditioning to a home without getting an Electrician to install smoke detectors
in each bedroom on each level of the home. These smoke detectors must be hard
wired and can’t be battery operated. As 0f 5-3-04 we haven't seen this smoke
detector clause enforced, but it is in the International Codes and could
be enforced at any time. Most communities now MAY require your furnace
and water heater to use double wall “B” vent flue pipe connectors. Most
communities now want 12 gauge wire and a 20 amp circuit run from your main
electrical panel to the furnace. There are new codes coming regarding the
venting of bathroom fans and clothes dryers. Combustion air vents are required
in your furnace room.
Also many homes have had a larger water heater installed but the water heater
flue connector was never upsized. This will be a problem that will need to be
addressed.
All of the above issues
and many others, may have nothing to do with the work we are doing for you but
in order to get the job passed you will have to pay for these things to be
corrected. We have several Electricians that we use, or you may get your own.
There are WAY too many new codes coming up for us to keep up with which is why
the fine print on all of our proposals spells all this out. If you have called
us out for an estimate, we will leave a copy of a recent newsletter that was
sent to us by
Broomfield
for you to examine at your leisure.
If you have any questions regarding these matters we suggest you call
your local authority for a more detailed discussion with them. Any company that
says these matters are not important are either mis informed or are being less
than truthful with you and will probably surprise you at the end of their job
with an additional bill. We do not operate that way!
Thanks for your
understanding in this matter.
Sheridan
Mechanical Services
Below is the Newsletter
we received from the City and County of Broomfield.
CITY AND COUNTY OF BROOMFIELD
1 Des Combes Drive. Broomfield, CO 80020 . 303,438,6370.
303.438,6297 FAX
BUILDING-CONNECTION
NEWSLETTER
Mission Statement
Working in partnership with the community, the City and County
of Broomfield
provides excellent services in an efficient, respectful, and
courteous manner to
enhance and protect the quality of life of Broomfield citizens,
This newsletter is published by the Building Department to
improve communication between the
Building Department and our customers, The newsletter and all
applications, forms, handouts and
other useful information can also be found on our website -
www.ci.broomfield.co.us. Under the
"Doing Business with the City" link then click
on the" Building Code -
Inspections - Permits" link,
You can also call 303-438-6370 and speak directly to our staff,
All effort is made to insure the information in this newsletter
is accurate and reliable, Our Codes
and Ordinances are periodically revised or changed and should
always be consulted as the final
authority.
THE INTERNATIONAL CODES ARE COMING!
MAJOR CHANGES
WITH THE ADOPTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL
RESIDENTIAL CODE
1. All exhaust fans
within bathrooms will now need to extend out to exterior . Previously one could
install a
re-circulating fan in a bathroom if only a toilet is installed,
2. Whenever
a permit is required, smoke detectors will need to be installed within rest of
house to
meet current Codes (all bedrooms, all levels, etc,), These
new smoke detectors will need to be
hard wired and interconnected when there is access within an
attic, basement, or crawl space
where interior finishes do not need to be removed, This will
apply to ALL permits, no
matter the
valuation, Examples would be water heaters, exterior decks;
air conditioners, etc, The only
exception would be repairs to exterior of house.
3. The allowable
lengths of clothes dryer exhaust ducts are going to be figured differently,
Maximum length
starts at 25' with reductions of 2,5' for each 45 degree bend
and 5' for each
9O degree bend, The
maximum length does not include the transition duct.
The allowable rise and run of stairs will be 7 W' maximum riser
height and 10" minimum tread
run, This will be required on new stairs either in new houses or
additions, It will also apply to
exterior wood deck stairs or exterior concrete stairs,
Any stairs that have open risers where over 30" above
adjacent grade will now need to meet
the same criteria for openings not allowing a 4" sphere at
the open riser, This will now be the
same as openings on either open handrails and guardrails,
The wind design will be based on the "3 second gust"
(110 mph), This equates to "fastest wind"
(90 mph) which is currently adopted by ordinance,
1/2" drywall
will be allowed to be installed on
garage side of wall between house and garage,
5/8" X drywall will still be required on ceiling, 1/2
"drywall will only be
required under enclosed
stairs where 5/8" X was required previously,
Handrails will be able to encroach 4 1/2"into required
stair widths where the old maximum was
3 1/2"
Re-roof permits
will allow a total 2 layers of asphalt shingles, Currently a roof can have up to
3 layers of asphalt shingles,
In the Denver area your Local Inspector may want the flue
pipes of your furnace and water heater changed to double wall flue pipes,
called "B" vent before he will pass the Permitted installation.
This will include any wye or tee that present. See the shots below. This
is especially true if the clearance to combustibles is closer than
6".
The pipe below is a single wall flue connector pipe. This is what most
homes have, even ones being built today!
The pipe below is a double wall "B" vent. These
"B" vents are expensive so be prepared for additional expenses
to bring your furnace up to code. Also we run into things like the
original installer used too small of a pipe on the furnace or water heater
or customers have had a plumber add a bigger water heater or another water
heater to the existing vent system, rendering it too small! There are
specific listing tables that have to be used to safely vent your flue
gases and not let Carbon Monoxide into your home.
Below is a water heater at Mr. Murray's home. We had to change
the water heater to "B" vent to get our furnace installation passed by
the City Inspector. Many client's say "What does that have to do with the
furnace installation?" We understand their feelings but that is what is
going to happen!
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