How About Materials That Fail To Meet Local Code. . .

datajam

How About Materials That Fail To Meet Local Code Purchased At Sale Prices From Major Retailers Such As Home Depot or Similar?

A couple years ago the Neo Angle Shower become popular in this area. Home Depot ran a big sale for Neo Angle Shower Kits which were bought up as fast as they could stock them for a while.

Lo and behold, our customer purchased three for inclusion to his remodel project. We had not even begun installation of these but some of the crew were already cheking these shower kits out to see what they thought, so some had been removed from their boxes. Well, we had an inspection by our local building inspector who observed these shower kits leaning against the wall, stopped immediately, turned, and went directly to the shower kits.

"I hope you do not have plans on installing these," he said.

"Oh Shizz," I replied.

It seems that the shower kits purchased from Home Depot failed to meet local building code. But, this is not the end of my story . . .

We had to return these shower kits to Home Depot in Hayward, CA. where this manager by the name of "Richard" decided he did not have to accept the return of the shower kits because the boxes had been opened.

It took close to an act of congress to get these shower kits returned to Home Depot and in my opinion they shoulld have never been sold in the first place.

Does anybody else believe as I do, that local retailers have an obligation to sell products that are in compliance with local laws and etc. Or, anybody else with a similar horror story . . .

Everything is a learning experience, regardless the outcome!

datajam

bwalley

Retailers are not contractors, they sell products, it is up to the contractor or HO to make sure the products they buy and use meet local building codes.


Didn't you make sure the job you were doing would meet local codes before you signed a contract and started working?

Why didn't the showers meet local codes?

Gus Dering

This is interesting.

I also would like to hear more about the non-compliance aspect of these things.

My first instinct is that you stumbled across an inspector with a vendetta for cheap crap from Home Crapo. I'm willing to be wrong though, I'm used to it by now.

__________________
Every parent who has walked barefoot into their child's room late at night hates Legos

rwa

I've got an eraser on my pencil too ... well it did have

I'd like to know the reason too. However, I must agree to verifying codes prior to contracting the job.

deckman22

We all would like to think that retailers won't sell items that will fail inspections or worse yet just fail. In the decking industry there have been many products come & go, it's always "buyer beware".

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Deckman
www.alscustomdecks.com

Celtic

Where is it written that retailer A,
must sell products "legal" in Municipality B and
not sell that item to Contractor C,
who will install that item in Municipality D [where it is legal]?


I do understand though.
Years ago, when my Dad was a fireman...every year the FD would be at "Rickel's" to tell them they could not sell a particular style of heater [oil filled radiator. plug in ?]

NYC, did not allow the use of NM [romex] in homes....you could not even buy NM in the big boxes in the 5 boroughs.


Some retailers understand that unsellable items waste valuable floor space....some just don't give a crap.

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TimelessQuality

Please do tell.. Just what aspect of the shower failed to meet the local code?

Was it the fact that one of them was not a tub?

Was it for an ADA application?

Just curious...

__________________
-Steve

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." ~ Albert Einstein

bwalley

ADA is for commercial jobs, I got the impression this is a residential job.

Anderson

I have never been refused a return at home depot for anything, in fact they had me on a watch list. I found this out after eveytime I would bring something back, of course I never kept the receipts. I had to wait while they called a manager over to plug some numbers in the til so I could get my store card. When I asked they said I was on a list because I return alot of things with out a receipt. Now I am just more careful with the receipts.

joe cool

I had issues with a building inspector and a HD neo-angle shower. There is some code dictating the minimum width of a shower door opening. HD neo-angle was just inches shy of that. I took the pivoting door off and the opening was now exactly the code minimum. They might even have planned it that way. Hung a telescoping rod and shower curtain and called for re-inspection. Passed. I didn't really throw away the door.

bwalley

Here is Florida Building Code Plumbing 2007, it is based on the international code.

The part's in Red may be what the inspector had an issue with.

417.1 Approval. Prefabricated showers and shower compartments shall conform to ANSI Z124.2, ASME A112.19.9M or CSA B45.5. Shower valves for individual showers shall conform to the requirements of Section 424.3.

417.2 Water supply riser. Every water supply riser from the shower valve to the shower head outlet, whether exposed or not, shall be attached to the structure in an approved manner.

417.3 Shower waste outlet. Waste outlets serving showers shall be at least 11/2 inches (38 mm) in diameter and, for other than waste outlets in bathtubs, shall have removable strainers not less than 3 inches (76 mm) in diameter with strainer openings not less than 0.25 inch (6.4 mm) in minimum dimension. Where each shower space is not provided with an individual waste outlet, the waste outlet shall be located and the floor pitched so that waste from one shower does not flow over the floor area serving another shower. Waste outlets shall be fastened to the waste pipe in an approved manner.
417.4 Shower compartments. All shower compartments shall have a minimum of 900 square inches (0.58 m2) of interior cross-sectional area. Shower compartments shall not be less than 30 inches (762 mm) in minimum dimension measured from the finished interior dimension of the compartment, exclusive of fixture valves, showerheads, soap dishes, and safety grab bars or rails. Except as required in Section 404, the minimum required area and dimension shall be measured from the finished interior dimension at a height equal to the top of the threshold and at a point tangent to its centerline and shall be continued to a height not less than 70 inches (1778 mm) above the shower drain outlet.

Exception: Shower compartments having not less than 25 inches (635 mm) in minimum dimension measured from the finished interior dimension of the compartment, provided that the shower compartment has a minimum of 1,300 square inches (.838 m2) of cross-sectional area.


417.4.1 Wall area. The wall area above built-in tubs with installed shower heads and in shower compartments shall be constructed of smooth, noncorrosive and nonabsorbent waterproof materials to a height not less than 6 feet (1829 mm) above the room floor level, and not less than 70 inches (1778 mm) where measured from the compartment floor at the drain. Such walls shall form a water-tight joint with each other and with either the tub, receptor or shower floor.417.4.2 Access. The shower compartment access and egress opening shall have a minimum clear and unobstructed finished width of 22 inches (559 mm). Shower compartments required to be designed in conformance to accessibility provisions shall comply with Section 404.1.417.5 Shower floors or receptors. Floor surfaces shall be constructed of impervious, noncorrosive, nonabsorbent and waterproof materials.


417.5.1 Support. Floors or receptors under shower compartments shall be laid on, and supported by, a smooth and structurally sound base.417.5.2 Shower lining. Floors under shower compartments, except where prefabricated receptors have been provided, shall be lined and made water tight utilizing material complying with Sections 417.5.2.1 through 417.5.2.4. Such liners shall turn up on all sides at least 2 inches (51 mm) above the finished threshold level. Liners shall be recessed and fastened to an approved backing so as not to occupy the space required for wall covering, and shall not be nailed or perforated at any point less than 1 inch (25 mm) above the finished threshold. Liners shall be pitched one-fourth unit vertical in 12 units horizontal (2-percent slope) and shall be sloped toward the fixture drains and be securely fastened to the waste outlet at the seepage entrance, making a water-tight joint between the liner and the outlet.